The Danish shipyard Nordship launches a handful of sailboats every year. Sailboats with a central cockpit for a public of connoisseurs, intended for sailing, perfectly finished.

We had the opportunity to visit the latest addition during the Boot in Dusseldorf.

The Nordship 420 DS is a Scandinavian style center cockpit sailboat. It does not have a stern skirt, but a wide and deep central cockpit intended to provide shelter, in all weathers, to its crew. In all weathers, because Nordships are boats to sail on!

They are very solidly built around a galvanized steel frame that takes all the rig's efforts. It is the Danish equivalent of the counter-mould (sic)! The sponge rests on it, the shroud chainplates are bolted to it. The deck is laminated to the hull and bulkheads, giving the whole a very important rigidity. 

Why laminate the bulkheads and deck to the hull? Imagine a wine box and its lid simply closed. Turn the box upside down and stand on it. It collapses.

Add its network of inner bottle dividers, put the lid on and tape it down. If you are not too heavy, the cardboard will remain intact, the load transfer from the deck, the lid, was done on the keel (the bottom), via the bulkheads (the separator) and the hull-deck connection (the tape).

If the Nordship is a solid sailing boat, it is also an extremely well finished boat. On board, no laminates, but solid wood and plywood. The tables are particularly impressive, as is all the interior cabinetry. But this boat's ramage matches its plumage, and wherever you look, you'll find top-notch craftsmanship. The electrical panel, fully labeled and with not a single excess length, the Victron Cerbo Gx electrical monitoring, the sampling of the keel bolts, a keel on the frame, the chart table and its stowable chair, the solid and varnished paneling that dresses the interior of the hull and hides the insulation, the list is long...

Nordship are represented in France by Spyrit Boats and Alain Coroller made us discover this beautiful boat.