On Saturday, December 6, 2025 a rare red full moon rose into the sky and was triumphantly decorated by a barrage of fireworks to finalize the celebration of the Selene Yachts Grand Opening and expansion.

A fitting finale for an extraordinary event that began a few days earlier with a two-day international dealer meeting and then culminated with the Grand Opening expansion celebration on Saturday.  150+ hard working employees, two dozen Selene owners, international journalists, local and regional dignitaries, the worldwide dealer network and the high up management of Selene were all-hands-on-deck to witness and celebrate this historic occasion.

My last visit to the yard was in August 2024 when the groundwork was started for the new facility and it seems hard to believe that so much has happened in such a short time, but that is the attitude of Jet Tern Marine, builders of Selene and their promise of delivering the “spirit of excellence. “

Selene Americas represented by the big four; Wayne Goldman, Paul Cifka, Michael Chen and Howard Chen – have been the driving forces behind the resurgence of the Selene brand not only in North America but also worldwide. Dylan Hildebrand is another vital member of this incredible team who have all made multiple trips to the yard to improve production in all aspects.  This is necessary to keep up with the new orders filling the production line and an unprecedented worldwide awareness of how beautiful and capable Selene trawlers are.

Primarily through the marketing efforts of Selene Americas, the accelerated demand and favorable reputation of Selene is at an all-time high. This enthusiasm has been created by the  450+ Selene owners cruising all across the globe. In North America, I attribute a lot of this to the long building groundswell and momentum enjoyed by the loyal and dedicated Selene owners who continued to support their love of Selenes especially through their owners groups and by hosting very well attended rendezvous’ on the US East Coast and US West Coast.

I counted fourteen fresh build Selenes in the new main building ranging in stages from boats being laid up in the mold, hulls waiting to be decked, final stages of bottom paint and detailing and ready to launch. There were also three new Selene‘s in the water which were available for viewing.  A highlight of the ceremonies was seeing them in formation during a floating parade.

In the water:

Selene 51 Classic Explorer sold by Jetty Marine in Cyprus (Mediterranean distributors going to our new Greek dealer).  Stay tuned for a JMYS YouTube video “TrawlAboard” filmed during the trip.

The other floating marvels were;

Selene 56 Classic Explorer – that is a beautifully outfitted trawler and

Selene 64 Ocean Explorer – with extraordinary details in the fit and finish that must been seen in person to be appreciated.

Both the 56 and 64 were sold by Selene Americas and will soon making their way across the Pacific for launching and commissioning in the United States.

I arrived earlier in the week so I had a day at the yard to get aboard the boats in build and visit the new shop floor arrangement before the dealers and public arrived.  Jet Tern Marine, has been building ocean capable Selene trawlers since 1998.  Due to the efforts of Selene Americas, the first ever dealer meeting occurred with representatives from 11 countries around the world in attendance to discuss marketing, promotion and the many improvements and expanding product line of the Selene brand. Two days of round table discussions were very lively and productive. I was asked to give a talk to review the competitive landscape in the world trawler market; comparing Selene with other brands and what the differentiation points are and how we can talk up many of the positive advantages Selene models offer to consumers.

The cooperation and camaraderie between international distributors is best exemplified by the partnership between Selene Americas and Selene Australia and support of the upcoming Pacific Crossing aboard a Selene 50 to be operated by Nathan and Lindsey of the very popular YouTube channel 71 Percent (here is the link to subscribe to their channel = The 71 Percent – YouTube ).  Nathan and Lindsey are coming from a Nordhavn 41 and in the final preparation stages to depart Australia and begin their trek eastward to North America. They were both in attendance for the event, spoke to the dealers to explain their plans and were eager participants in all of the festivities for the Grand Opening. I was able to sit down with them aboard the Selene 51 for a #Cruising Conversation interview which JMYS will post soon.

Saturday morning, the day of the huge celebration, we gathered at the hotel for a bus ride over to the yard. For many this was the beginning of their experience as they remained afterwards for a guided and escorted tour of Beijing, including a visit to the Great Wall. Wayne and Howard were the hosts and travel/logistics and scheduling was organized by Selene 60 owner, Elisabeth Powell. The packed bus included journalists from several continents (including Jeff Moser from PassageMaker), the international dealers, owners of boats in production, and Selene owners who were eager to see how their boats were built and meet the working team.

We arrived to see most of the Jet Tern Marine Selene employees standing at attention wearing white shirts and facing a red-carpet field with a beautiful Grand Opening sign that served as the back drop for speakers to address the crowd. Drums were beating, and the famous Chinese dancing lions were undulating with the music.

All of the festivities took place in front of the incredible new building and the new marina; with a malacon deck and floating docks for tying up the boats – phase one of the expansion is complete.  Ground is being broken to handle the plans for additional infrastructure on land and along the river to support even greater production of yachts,

It was a beautiful sunny day, with a soft breeze cooling us off as we listened to energetic greetings from Howard Chen, the founder of Selene, Eugene Chau, the chairman of Selene and Wayne Goldman the president of Selene Americas. The buzz in the crowd was an infectious smiling streak with much applause and shared their enthusiasm for the excitement and acceleration that the Selene brand is enjoying. A ribbon-cutting ceremony led to a group photo (all 200 + of us), and then the three boats in the water demonstrated a parade route that had been choreographed by Howard Chen and included the dancing lions on the foredeck as all three bows pivoted towards the dock releasing a shot of adrenaline for everybody.

With the boats docked (all three new owners were aboard) a salute and ceremonial hand shaking greeted the skippers as they came back up the dock and then all of the visitors were able to tour them.  At the same time, a tour of the factory facility was conducted by Howard, Wayne, Paul and Dylan. There are so many great new developments, completed, underway, and in the works – and anyone who might’ve been on the fence certainly would’ve been converted into a true believer when they were able to appreciate all that goes into the design, engineering and construction of these mighty ocean-going trawlers.

Photos, videos, laughter and conversations rolled into a beautiful dinner spread into the twilight with a few more speeches and the extraordinary fireworks display to cap it all off. On the bus ride back to the hotel, we all could not stop talking about what an amazing event we witnessed.

For those heading onto the Great Wall tour, it was a short night and then a bus ride to the airport. I’ve heard it was an amazingly fun and culturally rewarding experience from a few recounts.

I returned back to the yard on Sunday with Paul and Dylan to meet with two clients who remained in town to go over order details.  Sundays are quiet at the yard, the cleanup from the celebration was mostly complete and it was enjoyable for me to get back on board the boats in build to marvel at the craftsmanship.  Sunday went by quickly and we have all slowly filtered our way back home to be with family during the holidays.

During my extended visit I was able to do a #TrawlAboard talk through tour with Dimitris of Jetty Marine (Cyprus) showing me so many of the amazing details they designed and built into this new Selene 51.  It was a pleasure to share the excitement with Rossettos and his wife who are the new owners of this 51 as well as our new dealers representing Selene in Greece)

Even though we had a lot of audience events, there was time to break away into smaller groups and it was a lot of fun for me to catch up with Nathan and Lindsey of the 71Percent to talk about their upcoming adventure – they have been running flat out for weeks and I’m sure the detour to China was a highlight, but I know they have a lot of preparation ahead and were looking forward to getting back aboard and taking off to see the Pacific.

I’ve also been putting together a video summary for the week of the Grand Opening which will be posted on the JMYS YouTube channel in the new year.

As we enter into 2026, the world is now on notice that the Selene brand is as strong as ever, has expanded to accommodate the anticipated growth and demand, and there’s going to be a lot more to talk about in the coming months and years and expect some more booming fireworks to come!

The trawler lifestyle attracts a wide variety of people. Most are in the later stages of a full life and seek some adventure and want to embrace the freedom to explore while they’re still able.

It’s true that most well-built trawler brands have a loyal following, and the Selene owners are no exception. I’ve attended several Selene rendezvous in the last couple of years and each one seems to be better than the last. The capital and energy injected by Selene Americas, the title sponsor for these events, has really helped to build up the camaraderie.

The 2025 East Coast Selene rendezvous was held at the Baltimore Inner Harbor and timed to coincide with the Trawlerfest that followed. I arrived early and met with Troy Irwin aboard his new to him Selene 57, Excalibur, a trawler that I had helped he and his wife, Debbi purchase in a private sale through JMYS a few weeks prior. We did a short jaunt from their home marina a mile or so away and arrived at the event greeted by the staff who tied us up. We went over to check in and see many new and old friends as the gathering began.

JMYS has been a proud sponsor for the last few Selene rendezvous, but the real stars of the show were the boats and the people. It is an enormous feat to organize 25 trawlers and 10 visiting boat owners to convene at one location to celebrate the Selene brand. I would like to acknowledge and thank the two chairpersons, Glenda Groome and Robin Newland, who along with their spouses have done an incredible job organizing this event for the last couple of years. There were many highlights this year, our most notable dignitary was the founder of Jet Tern Marine, Howard Chen the builder of Selene. Howard along with his brother Michael Chen and the dynamic team of Wayne Goldman and Paul Cifka, are the driving force behind Selene Americas and they have done an incredible job of bringing the Selene brand back into prominence.

Selene Americas really has impressive marketing, advertising and promotional skills. Several new Selenes are on order and the owners of the current Selenes are thrilled to have the support of Selene Americas – knowing that they can get parts, have questions answered, and all of this works to improve their resale value.

Several group discussions were held in the large dock tent; many included the Selene Americas team. Everyone loves to hear Howard Chen present, he is such a brilliant person, very personable with a sense of humor – I enjoy when I get a chance to talk trawlers with him.

Thursday was the official start and welcome day and lunch was served. I did a Dock Walk with the Selene Americas film crew (thanks Brandt and Seth) that included a fly-by videobombing of my friend Scott Berg’s seminar on Marine Corrosion. If you aren’t already a subscriber to the Selene Americas YouTube channel you should be here is a link to their channel = https://www.youtube.com/@SeleneAmericas

Here is a link to that dock walk video I filmed called “15 Selene’s in 10 minutes”:

Day one wrapped up with two well attended “Lesson’s Learned” round table discussions that were a lot of fun. Interesting it was divided into male and female sessions, and I sat in on the women’s group – thank you ladies!

Every day had donuts and coffee to start, catered lunch and dinner – really a spectacularly well-organized event!

On Friday morning, I gave a presentation to the group that featured a collection of photos of good ideas I have witnessed on many Selene’s I’ve be aboard. These are mostly simple ideas that can easily be adopted by most of the boat owners present. Called “Seen on Selene” it generated a lively discussion with banter back-and-forth, and many other additional ideas were shared from the Selene owners in the audience. This presentation is now available on the Selene Owners forum.

Other speakers included Mark Tilden, the founder of the Selene Owners association who gave an update on what is happening (a lot) and also did an excellent presentation on cruising in Alaska. Raffa Invrea from CMC Marine discussed active fin stabilization. We then had a group photo which was a blast. Friday night it was dinner on your own.

Getting everyone together under the tent for meals and out on the docks getting a board the boats creates a bond in friendship that is difficult to replicate without being in person.

Saturday was another fun filled and action-packed day. Stick and CJ Higginbotham talked about anchoring legislation and Bill Brandon from Washburn’s talked about Lithium battery conversions. A lot of great information was shared, one of the great reasons to attend these rendezvous.

At some point during the event I snuck away with Tom and Pat to get aboard their Selene 53, Slip Away for a tour:

I also filmed a tour aboard the Selene 57 Excalibur with Troy (I wish Debbi had joined us, but these events pull people in different directions). Here is the #TrawlAboard 20 I did with Troy:

Speaking of Excalibur, I’d like to direct you to a Selene Americas interview Troy and Debbi did that has been incredibly popular – talking about their lack of experience and jumping into the deep end and having a marvelous time:

Saturday after lunch it was a trawler crawl with many of the boats doing an open house and more camaraderie amongst the clan!

If you are interested in the Selene brand and would like to see several different Selene models in one location, it is amazing to think that at this type of event exists where you can not only meet with happy owners of the boats, but have the opportunity to step aboard some different size models to “try them on for size“.

The energy enthusiasm for the Selene brand continues to snowball, it has been an incredible couple of years watching the Selene America’s team rebuild brand awareness, and I’m looking forward to more Selene events in 2026.

The Selene Northwest rendezvous held in Washington at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, was a spectacular success. The event organizers did a fantastic job to ensure all who attended had a wonderful experience. Over 100 Selene owners made the program and there were nearly 40 Selene trawlers lining the docks.

JMYS was proud to be an event sponsor. Jeff and Pam Merrill were joined by Rob Piwowarczyk, CPYB (who owns a Selene 55).  This type of event is low key – the goal is to have fun and hang out with some great people and learn something new.  For our team it was a chance to get aboard several Selenes, talk to the owners (some we helped get started and others are new acquaintances) and keep in tune with the positive energy that is always flowing with the Selene brand.

At the check in tent, we were given a Selene branded goodie bag and name badges. We enjoyed our stay at the main lodge and our room had a great view of the harbor docks with dozens of Selenes gathered for the full schedule of festivities.

There was a great variety of Selene sizes to admire on the docks, from 36’ to 66’.  At the base of the dock, a large tent for the seminars and a huge tent for dining were erected. These tents have served as shelter from the rain in previous years, but we were very fortunate to have sunny and warm weather for the duration of the event.
Boats started arriving earlier in the week and the official first day was Thursday April 18^th. The primary activity on Thursday was a great safety at sea program called Selene University, conducted by Kennedy Menendez from AMSEA (Alaska Marine Safety Educational Association).

On day two, Friday April 19^th we spent a lot of time in the presenters tent on the dock.  First, a warm welcome by our hosts, Bee Hanson and Geary Long.  Then, title sponsor, Selene Americas said a quick hello – Wayne Goldman and Paul Cifka, along with Howard Chen – they were back for a full presentation in the afternoon.

The key-note was a very inspiring and entertaining talk by Denise Gabel entitled “Can-do-ology”.  It was great and Jeff bought her book!

Then an informative update about Selene Owners Association by Mark Tilden – what is happening with the new website, membership and sharing information.

After a lunch break, Selene Americas came back with Wayne Goldman and Paul Cifka along with Dylan Hildebrand and Howard Chen giving an update on the new facilities at the yard in China, new models, how the brand is growing in the US and internationally.  They talked about the new sales and marketing directions for new boats and improved support for existing Selene’s. They also reinforced their collaboration with Patrick Dunlop and Brian Taylor, CPYB of Pacific Northwest Yachts who will remain involved in the sales of new and used Selenes primarily in the PNW.

The afternoon shifted to tours of the latest Selene to be delivered in North America, the Selene Ocean Explorer 60, Grato.  An impressive, gorgeous trawler that received rave reviews and showcased that Howard and team are really doing an excellent job at the yard.

The potluck dinner wrapped up the day’s affairs with a great assortment of food, drinks and fun camaraderie at the dining tables.  Then we transitioned back to the small tent for some banjo entertainment.

Saturday April 20^th was vendor seminar day. Our good friend, Patrick Noor from DMS out of Holland gave a history and overview of stabilization (including some interesting details about his company’s Magnus Master rotor stabilization products).  Rhiannon Silvashy from Vessel Vanguard followed Patrick and did a marvelous job. Then Roger Fellows and the team from InOV8v led us up to the lunch break. After another fine meal we were treated to Selene owner Alex Benson with his presentation of Cruising to Southeast Alaska.

Jeff Merrill followed with his presentation called Pride Of Ownership. An hour dissertation on what owners can do to enjoy their boats and preserve value.  This was a talk and review of a PowerPoint filled with photos of Selenes.

Then, more touring of the Selene Ocean Explorer 60, Grato (including a group photo) and an incredible catered dinner under the big top with delicious food, door prizes and great fun peppered with entertaining tricks and feats performances by professional magician, AlakaSam!

Selene Americas was the title sponsor and was represented by Wayne Goldman and Paul Cifka along with Cindy Covington and Dylan Hildebrand were there to assist with construction manufacturing and parts support. Brandt Pemberton was there to film and videotape the event. Some of these productions have already been posted online.

The local Selene dealer, Pacific Northwest Yachts, was represented by Patrick Dunlop, and Brian Taylor, CPYB.

The Selene yard was represented by Howard Chen, Michael Chen and Eugene Chau, chairman of Selene Yachts.

It really means a lot to the owners of Selene ocean trawlers when Howard Chen can attend. Howard made a great effort to get on as many boats as possible, and also personally signed and handed over some beautiful Selene Burgees to all who were interested.

JMYS has regularly helped our clients with the purchase and sale of two dozen Selene’s over the last decade. It is always a blast to reconnect and fun seeing several of our happy customers at this event. It is very reassuring and inspiring to see the re-dedication and commitment of the Selene brand. We are excited with the future that they are creating while also supporting their past.

In September 2024, there will be an East Coast rendezvous held in Baltimore, MD at the Harbor East Marina on September 19-21, one week before the PassageMaker Trawlerfest at the same location.

www.SeleneAmericas.com is a great website for the latest information on Selene and they also have a growing YouTube channel.

We would like to thank all of the people we met, but make a special thank you to Mark Tilden and Jenni Nelson of the Selene Owners Association, and the two event hosts, Bee Hanson and Geary Long.

Well done, everyone, looking forward to the next event!

The inaugural East Coast Selene Rendezvous was held in the beautiful coastal village of Solomons, Maryland September 14^th-16^th. The event, hosted at Safe Harbor Zahnisers Marina showcased 14 beautiful Selene trawlers of varying sizes. In addition, the owners of 10 Selene’s from all around the US and Canada arrived by plane, train and car to participate in the festivities.

One of the big announcements at the event was the introduction of Wayne Goldman, Paul Cifka and Michael Chen who are partners with Howard Chen in the recently formed North American distributor, Selene Americas.  There will be more on the JMYS relationship with Selene Americas to follow.

The star of the event was the owner and founder of Selene Yachts, Howard Chen.  He spoke about the creation and evolution of the brand and made time to visit in person with all of the Selene owners. Howard started building Selene’s in 1998 and now there are over 400 Selene’s out cruising worldwide – an impressive legacy that is still going strong.  Howard was able to address the group in a conference setting and he also spent time visiting with each of the owners aboard their own vessels.  What better testament to brand support is there than having a personal visit aboard your Selene by the man who designed it?

One special treat was an impromptu discussion around a Selene hauled out at the yard.  The attendees gathered around while Howard pointed out many of the distinct hull features that make Selene such a sought after vessel for adventures at sea.

JMYS was proud to be an event sponsor for the rendezvous and our Trawler Specialists, Rob Piwowarczyk, CPYB and Mark Pittman were there to represent us. Rob is also the owner of a Selene 55, Bella Luna, and is an active member of the West Coast Selene Owners chapter.

A special thank you to the event organizers, Barry and Robin Newland, Greg and Glenda Groome, and Steve and Cindy Covington.

Selene has always been a popular choice for active cruisers.  They compete right at the top of the list in the fiberglass full displacement production market with other trawler brands such as Nordhavn and Kadey Krogen. Selene trawlers are known for their ocean crossing capabilities, fine woodwork, elegant lines, and fine craftsmanship.

The timing of the event was a great opportunity for the new North American distributors to share their vision of the future to build new Selene trawlers and support the hundreds of Selene’s out cruising. With Howard Chen’s partnership, Selene Americas is well positioned to help revitalize the brand and support the current owners.

The event was a huge success and one thing that stood out most during the event is the warmth of the Selene owners and the pride in their vessels. Many of the attendees were meeting for the very first time. It did not take very long before they all treated each other and guests, as family. There really is nothing like the cruising community.

JMYS will continue to support the efforts of Selene Americas, Selene trawlers, and those who wish to learn more about the Selene brand and trawler lifestyle!

The next Selene Rendezvous will be in Roche Harbor, WA on April 17-21, 2024.

This year’s event kicked off on May 16^th at Cap Sante Marina with a variety of boats at the in-water boat show, informative seminars with seasoned professionals and hands-on demonstrations.

There are so many benefits to attending TrawlerFest, whether you are a soon to be, new or current owner. Part of the draw to the trawler lifestyle is the trawler community – a bond that can be felt throughout any TrawlerFest event. This is a comprehensive experience for those interested in trawlers to learn a thing or two, meet and mingle with fellow cruisers, and hop aboard different models.

It was great attending a boat show with…boats!  That may sound wrong, but this is one of the first shows since the arrival of Covid that had a variety of selection, a strong group of buyers and sellers, and the atmosphere was charged with positive vibrations.

The docks at Cap Sante Marina are easy to walk around, solid, clean and for this show they were packed with boats – small to large, both sail and power. The combination of TrawlerFest with the Anacortes Boat and Yacht Show has proven to be a great way to attract the public.

Flags, banners and signs adorned the boats and docks creating the festive scenery that is so appealing.  The fact that the sun shined, and the breeze was soft also contributed to a great sense of well-being.  Since we are geared towards trawlers and motor yachts, we will not go into detail on the assortment of sailboats on display, but there was an impressive variety!

Large trawlers on display to board (not all for sale, but most were) included several Nordhavns – a 63, 64 and 68 (with a 72 down the docks), two Fleming 55’s, and the following:

Pacific Mariner

Ocean Alexander

Nordic Tug 40

Linssen Grand Sturdy 40

Selene 40

Fathom 40

Kadey Krogen 44

Offshore 48

Greenline 48

North Pacific 49

Northern Marine 57

Sabre 58

Navigator 61

Out Islander 64

And that is not all, just a good chunk of the larger trawlers!

There was a varied assortment of smaller trawlers (under 40’)  –

(3) Cutwaters

(11) Ranger Tugs!

Nimbus

Krogen 39

Greenline 39

And too many more to mention….

A lot of brands under ten years old are building momentum with a trend showing more outboards and more electric boats – our Dock Walk and Talk video (check YouTube June 10!) will at least walk you by the boats that were present, a wonderful problem, too many to name!

Walking “out of bounds” beyond the show docks you could identify another large range of trawlers (more Selene’s, Krogen’s and Nordhavn’s) who call Cap Sante home.

The JMYS team had an action-packed event with Pam Merrill and broker Mark Pittman manning the JMYS booth while Jeff was in and out of seminars. Pam’s father, Jon Ingebrigtsen, chipped in for the duration and was a great contributor to our presence.  Having a booth in the tent-city is a fun place to camp out, as new and familiar faces are always passing through to say hi and learn about trawlers. The JMYS display was right by the entrance!

There was a great collection of exhibitor booths, and we enjoyed catching up with Patrick Noor from DMS Holland and even had the chance to check out the stabilizers he installed on a custom steel boat!

The first day of TrawlerFest seminars, May 16^th, Jeff presented Going Offshore. In this course, Jeff taught the attendees what they should consider in their preparations for taking their trawler offshore when it comes to safety, planning, weather, navigation, pilothouse operations and more. Congratulations to Gordon Baillie for winning a first edition of Voyaging Under Power!

When you own your own trawler, there are a lot of factors to keep track of to manage all the systems aboard, and Jeff offered many tips for record keeping in his seminar, Dialing In Your Boat. Attendees from this seminar walked away knowing what to monitor, how to determine what is normal and identifying issues early on to increase their cruising enjoyment!

Jeff was the moderator for two separate seminars – Ask the Experts and Trawler Buying Tips.

Ask the Experts took place on Thursday and was a two-hour event moderated “town hall” style! The panel of veteran cruisers consisted of John Rains, Pat Rains, Sam Devlin, Bud Lemieux, Buddy Morgan, Bruce Kessler and Jim Merrick:  this distinguished panel fielded audience questions on a variety of topics – usually resulting in sea stories from their own experiences.

Trawler Buying Tips covered the process of purchasing a trawler. To kick it off, Jeff provided an outline of the purchase process from offer to closing. Following Jeff was Sam Devlin who explained boat construction, and how to discern between different materials. Jim Merrick gave attendees some great advice on choosing the right surveyor and navigating them through the pre-purchase survey.  John Posey from Total Dollar provided professional advice on finances, marine insurance and the elements of a good cruising policy.

A special mention and thank you to long time friends and universal Nordhavn ambassadors, James and Jennifer Hamilton. Jeff sat in on their talk (fun to be in the back row, not up front) and was enthralled with their presentation Dirona Around The World – excellent information and wonderful presenters!

As always, the Passagemaker team went above and beyond to pull off another successful event! Their dedication to these events never goes unnoticed and we appreciate all the efforts they put in to keep TrawlerFest a smooth and organized experience for all.

Save the date!

We are looking forward to the next TrawlerFest event on September 26-30 at Baltimore’s Harbor East Marina! For more information, visit https://www.passagemaker.com/trawlerfest/trawlerfest-baltimore-coming-soon