The beginning of the adventure

In late January we bought "Cosmo Place", a 2007 42' Nordic Tug. We had searched for a boat for about three years, after we decided that a live-aboard lifestyle is what we wanted to assume when we retired. When Jerry became quite ill in November, 2008, we realized that retirement needed to happen sooner than later and that we needed to step our retirement plans. Fortunately, Jerry quickly recovered and our search for a boat became more determined. We went to boat shows, visited boat brokers on the West and East coasts, and, at one point, I could tell you where every 42' Nordic Tug for sale was berthed in the US! Finally in December, 2009, we found Cosmo Place on Lake Union, Seattle, WA. We made a quick trip to see it and immediately knew it was the boat for us!

Our friends Jim and Chris Munch, who live in Anacortes, WA, got us hooked on the idea. We even rented a 42' Nordic Tug, "Mariah", with them for a week in March, 2009, and cruised the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. What a great week! Beautiful country, calm seas, and a very comfortable boat.

Why a 42' Nordic Tug? We wanted a boat that had enough live aboard space to be comfortable for the two of us and to be able to accommodate guests. We also wanted a boat that would be sturdy, safe, and capable of doing some long distance cruising. We had our eyes on going to Alaska, cruising down the West coast of the US, and eventually circumnavigating the eastern 1/3 of the US on a route called the Great Loop.

Ron and Kap, the previous owners of Cosmo Place, had done a lot of customizing of the boat when it was built, and their additions really suited us. They had taken out the large icemaker and put in a lovely wine rack. They had extended the kitchen counter, making it deeper, so that it could serve as an eat-at bar. They had put on some amazing electronics (some of which we have yet to turn on!). They had taken the boat to Alaska, so it was a proven traveller. They even had had a cat on the boat and had created a couple of scratching posts. Since we purchased Cosmo Place, they've been great to answer about a million questions! We couldn't have purchased a boat from more helpful folks.