Last week’s christening of the brand new Nordhavn 625#2 was steeped in Japanese references – nods to the owners’ love for the country where they spent years living and working – certainly not the least of which was a cutting of the final dock line to symbolize the boat’s detachment from the shipyard. The act was performed with a special hatchet-like tool that was created specifically for the event, and appropriately carried out by Nordhavn co-founder and vice president Jim Leishman, who traveled to North Palm Beach for the christening festivities. It took Leishman a few whacks to cut the ceremonial line, but in doing so it finalized the full-fledged debut of Mondai Nai.
This is the second Nordhavn for owners Don and Deborah McCarty, who previously owned a Nordhavn 55. They loved their boat but were intrigued with the additional space and modern styling provided by the N625. Since they purchased their 55 used, they missed out on the fanfare of a full christening ceremony, but more than made up for it with last week’s festivities. Much like the wedding tradition of incorporating something old, new, borrowed and blue, are the Japanese boat christening rituals called shinsuishiki, which literally means “enter water ceremony”.
Whereas blue is the color for weddings, Japanese tradition calls on something green to be discharged into the water off the boat, and Debra McCarty honored this practice by throwing a large palm frond from the bow of the boat. Then, from fore and aft and both sides – so as to protect the entire boat – she threw salts overboard, symbolizing the purification process. In lieu of sake, champagne was poured from the bow and Don McCarty read a speech, an homage to the norito, a ritual recitation of prayer.
The docks at North Palm Beach marina – just across from the doors of the Nordhavn Yachts Southeast Sales and Commissioning hub – were filled with dozens of folks who had come to witness the baptism. So many, in fact, that it prompted Jim Leishman to ask the owners, “Who are all these people?!”
The McCartys, are no strangers to Nordhavn’s Florida digs. They spent lots of time there with their N55, also named Mondai Nai, before they decided to move forward with the purchase of the N625. And for the past two months, they’ve observed as their boat went through the commissioning process, from a dusty hull with no furnishings and big gaps in the pilothouse console to the beautifully finished masterpiece that floated in front of them. “These are people we’ve met over the years, worked with, boated with,” McCarthy said looking out at the crowd. “All of you are really important.”
He made special mention of Peter Kinney from Alcom Electronics for his wiring install and thanked the team led by Commissioning Manager Rob Cole, who carried out the finishing work on Mondai Nai. “They went through every single nut and bolt, every wire connection, put a new (second) generator in,” marveled McCarty. “It was remarkable to see the quality of work. Impeccable.
“It was a lot of fun [watching the commissioning]. It probably wasn’t fun for them! [Commissioning] can be stressful but this was a lot of fun.”
Now that their new Nordhavn has been fully presented to the sea, the McCartys can go forward with the peace of mind that the water gods will be with them. But they can be most secure in the knowledge that they are cruising in a Nordhavn. After all, Mondai Nai literally translated from Japanese means “No Problem.”