Listen up all of you who own or admire Nordic Tugs: Jerry Husted, the founder of the company and the father of the tug-yacht movement, is retiring.
Jerry will celebrate his 80th birthday late in December and has decided it’s time to devote his energies to riding his bicycle and motorcycle, watching birds and traveling with his wife, Nancy.
He no longer owns the company, but Jerry is a member of its board of directors and has directed sea trials and testing for nearly every one of about 800 tug-yachts built since he launched the business in 1980. For all of us he is Nordic Tugs and always will be.
I’ve written a full-length feature story about Jerry and it will be published in a coming issue of PassageMaker Magazine. I’m scooping myself with this short blog simply to suggest that some readers might like to drop him a note of congratulations and thanks before a company-sponsored retirement luncheon December 13.
We didn’t know about the retirement party when the feature article was written, so this blog is my only opportunity to spread the word.
Jerry and I are members of a health club in Anacortes and recently, during a break from working weight machines, he told me about an upcoming sea trial for a 42-foot Nordic Tug. Obviously, he’s still enthusiastic about the work and he proudly talked about electrical system improvements he found on his first inspection of the boat.
He will not let go completely. Jerry will retain his seat on the company board of directors.
Send cards to him at Nordic Tugs, 11367 Higgins Airport Way, Burlington, WA 98233.