It’s 5:45 a.m. The mountain peaks, sharply defined against a rose sky, rise more than 1,500 feet from the sea, their shadows fighting the rising sun for control of the bays that skirt their edges. On this day, the water has taken on the look of a flawless pearl, the surface glassy smooth and iridescent. In the twilight, the boat barely swings on her anchor, cradled in the silence.

Suddenly, the calm is broken.

A young barracuda, its silver sides reflecting the soft color of the morning sky, bursts into the air, greyhounding toward the mouth of the bay. It is clearly swimming for its life, its tail keeping it airborne, out of reach of some unseen predator below.

Just as quickly, the fish is gone, returning to the dark water. On the surface, only a few ripples belie the event. The silence returns, more impressive than before.

This scene is typical for yachtsman who cruise the desert islands of the Sea of Cortez, located between the east coast of Mexico’s Baja California and the west coast of the mainland. Even during windy weather, when breaking seas are driven southward in jumbled heaps of angry froth, the bays are sheltered from the breeze, and being deep and clean, teem with life.

Like many Nordlund clients, Southern Way’s owner is a repeat customer and, as often happens, lessons he learned on his previous » boat—a 107-footer—were applied during the design of the new one.“There were several factors in our decision to build a larger boat,” the owner said. “Because of the way we run the boat, we wanted more stability, better performance and a bit more comfort. Not that the old boat wasn’t stable or comfortable. In fact, it was a great boat. I sold it to a friend of mine,” he added with a laugh, “and he’s still a friend, so I guess that proves the point.”

Subscribing to the age-old Yankee premise, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Nordlund has employed the same successful design team for nearly every motor yacht the company has built in recent years, and Southern Way carries on the tradition. The boat’s lines and exterior styling are the work of Ed Monk Jr., while structural engineering and systems were handled by Tim Nolan. Monk’s lines for the 120-foot hull are fashioned to impart sea kindly manners in the chop-crested rollers for which the Pacific coasts of North and Central America are renowned.

Southern Way’s captain, Brett Walker, has been with the owner for six years. This time has given him a highly developed knowledge of the program, thus allowing him to work closely with Nordlund during the boat’s construction.

“We’re not a yacht club boat,” Walker explained. “When the owner’s aboard, we’re moving and spend most nights at anchor in some nice place with no one around. During the day, we’re fishing and, again, we’re more likely to be somewhere remote—like up between La Paz and Loreto or over in Mag Bay—than around busy places like Cabo.” (Click image to enlarge)

The owner noted that it was because of this type of activity that he wanted the stability of a wider boat. To accommodate the design, Nordlund built an entirely new mold—the largest in its 47-year history—that includes tunnels to control draft. The boat’s additional length also enhances performance and provides increased stability under way
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Walker added, “You know how it can get when you’re stopped in a seaway, fishing with live bait or trolling slowly for several hours. The boat’s motion is really important. Sure, the 25-foot beam gives us more room inside, but it also gives us a nice, comfortable motion at sea and at anchor. That’s key.”The owner is very pleased with the way the boat handles. “We’re getting appreciably more speed without much difference in power. For example, we can cruise easily between 15 and 18 knots, although 95 percent of our movement is at eight knots. On the other hand, we have a top end of around 22 knots.”

Such a respectable turn of speed becomes more impressive when one looks at the level of finish to which Southern Way has been built. This is by no means a Spartan fishing machine. On the contrary, Jon Pokela’s interior architecture has earned a reputation in the Pacific Northwest for its unique combination of clean lines and highly complex details, and this project is no exception.

What makes Pokela’s joinery designs remarkable, and difficult to execute, are the combinations of wood species, figure, color and grain that blend with complex joints, shapes and embellishments. Add to this mix chamfers, kerf reveals and other fine woodworking operations, and one has a specification that would test even the most experienced cabinetmaker.

Like most Monk designs, the spaces are ample and blessed with large windows that capture natural light and provide panoramic views. To facilitate line-handling and light-tackle fishing, the side decks are unobstructed by fashion boards or steps. The exterior lounges on the aft and boat decks are shaded by hardtops.

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“When you walk in from fishing, you’re in a yacht. When you walk outside, you’ve got what you need for serious fishing,” the owner explained. “It’s not that I didn’t like the old boat. It’s just that I like this one better.”