Public Discussion Forum

Selene Owners Association Launches Nautical Mile Flag Recognition Program

A New program recognizing owners' cruising achievements will debut at the 2026 East Coast Selene Owners Rendezvous.

The Selene Owners Association is launching a new Nautical Mile (NM) Flag Recognition Program to celebrate the cruising accomplishments of Selene owners around the world.

The Association has wanted to establish a mileage recognition program for many years, and that vision is finally coming to fruition. The program will officially roll out at the 2026 East Coast Selene Owners Rendezvous in Baltimore, Maryland, where the first milestone flags will be presented.

The program is owned and administered by the Selene Owners Association and sponsored by Selene Yachts Americas.

Celebrating the Miles—and the Stories Behind Them

For Selene owners, nautical miles represent much more than distance traveled. They represent destinations explored, challenges overcome, experience gained, friendships made, and countless memories created along the way. The new milestone flags provide a tangible way to recognize those accomplishments.

Flags will be awarded in 10,000-nautical-mile increments—10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 NM and beyond.

Owners can proudly fly their milestone flag aboard their Selene, creating not only a symbol of personal achievement but also a conversation starter when meeting fellow cruisers at marinas, anchorages, and Selene events.

The NM milestone flag is not intended to replace the existing Selene burgee. Instead, it is an additional recognition flag that owners can display along with their Selene burgee. The milestone flag may be flown from the flybridge or off the stern, depending on the vessel and the owner's preferred location.

The program is intended to foster pride of ownership, strengthen the connection among Selene owners, and create a new tradition within the Selene community.

How Nautical Miles Will Be Calculated:

To make participation straightforward, the program will operate on an honor system.

Owners will submit the number of engine hours they have personally accumulated aboard their Selene. Neither the Selene Owners Association nor Selene Yachts Americas will independently verify submissions or assume responsibility for their accuracy.

For purposes of the program, nautical miles will be estimated using a standardized calculation:

Engine Hours × 7 Knots = Estimated Nautical Miles

For example, an owner who has personally accumulated 1,500 engine hours would be credited with approximately 10,500 nautical miles.

Owners who have owned more than one Selene may combine the qualifying hours they personally accumulated aboard their Selene yachts. Only hours personally logged by the owner during their ownership will qualify. Hours accumulated by delivery crews or when the owner was not aboard will not count. Likewise, when purchasing a pre-owned Selene, engine hours already on the vessel at the time of purchase will not count toward the new owner's achievement.

The goal is simple: recognize the miles traveled by the owner aboard a Selene, rather than the lifetime mileage of the boat itself.

Recognition at Selene Rendezvous Events:

To keep administration of the program manageable, milestone awards will be coordinated around the East Coast and West Coast Selene Owners Rendezvous events rather than being issued continuously throughout the year.

Owners do not have to attend a Rendezvous to participate. Those who qualify but cannot attend will be able to apply for their milestone flag and have it mailed to them.

Details regarding the application and shipping process will be established by the Selene Owners Association Board in coordination with Selene Yachts Americas.

If additional Selene Rendezvous events are established in other parts of the world, the Association may eventually expand milestone presentations to those events as well.

A Program Led by Selene Owners:

An important aspect of the new initiative is that it remains an Owners Association program.

The Selene Owners Association Board will establish and maintain the program rules and may modify them in the future as the program evolves. Selene Yachts Americas' role is as a sponsor, supporting the initiative by funding the milestone flags.

For the initial awards, qualifying owners will receive one flag representing their highest achievement level. For example, an owner who qualifies for 30,000 NM will initially receive the 30,000 NM flag rather than separate 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 NM flags.

As the program matures, owners reaching new milestones will be able to add new flags to their collection.

The Beginning of a New Selene Tradition

At its heart, the Nautical Mile Flag Recognition Program is about celebrating Selene owners who are doing what these boats were designed to do: cruise, explore, and take their owners on remarkable journeys.

After years of discussion and interest in establishing such a program, the Selene Owners Association is excited to finally bring the idea to life at the 2026 East Coast Selene Owners Rendezvous.

The milestone flag is something owners can proudly display aboard their Selene alongside the traditional Selene burgee—a visible reminder of the adventures, experiences, and nautical miles accumulated along the way.

The flags may recognize the miles, but it is the experiences behind those miles that give them their meaning.

Every Mile Has a Story.

Dear Cindy. You are so graceful and I appreciate your efforts in putting this together. Thank you.

Thank you Lucky Chucky! Hope all is well with you.

this is a great idea, these boats are made to travel, i will be back on the boat soon and check, last time i looked i had just under 9k hours so probably just over that now. That has taken me half way around the world and so many great adventures along the way.

cheers

Brian Calvert

Furthur, 4823

This has been needed for a very long time! Great job! I remember speaking with Dylan about this a year ago.

The only thing I don’t like is the calculation metric… for those of us that don’t go 7 knots those numbers change pretty drastically. But I can’t say I have thought of a better way so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut lol. Story of my life.

Is there an additional gold star if you do your first 10k in less than 9 months? Asking for a friend….😂😂😂

Nathan -

I resemble that remark! I don’t normally cruise at 7 knots either; more like 8 plus knots and occasionally much faster (see photo of my MFD at Hell Gate on the East River outside Manhattan doing 13.8). Our hours on the Shangri-Las total 4,228.5 x 7 knots = 29,599.5 NM, 400.5 NM short of the 30,000 NM flag. Using the 7 knot formula means I have to come back next year for the 30,00 NM flag, earning only the 20,000 NM flag so far.

OK, I guess we will show up for both flags - cool idea and I understand the need for a uniform multiplier.

Don’t forget to check the photo which will be in my next post since I hit send too fast. Anyone else out there got video evidence of a faster slow boat? No hearsay allowed - need the photo!

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047 (3 hours) and 5388 (4225.5 hours)

Here is the photo of Shangri-La’s MFD and a very fast slow boat. 13.8 knots!

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047 and 5388

That's slower than Steve Dashew averaged crossing the pacific on his full displacement Explorer

Sorry I couldn't resist LOL

I actually think it was more like 78 lol but Jack didn't give any stipulations as to the rules here lmao!

But let's get real... It's not like an 80ft Selene or Nordhavn would come even close to averaging 14.5 knots across 6000nm... like not even close.

Right? Like who goes 7 knots? We aren't Nordhavn owners LMAO

Sheesh I need to get some sleep

OK Mark, you know (or know now) the rules of evidence pertaining to claims of slow boats going fast - Your assertion is hearsay and my objection is sustained (how else would I rule on my own objection?). We will grant you leave to amend your reply. In the event you can produce objective supporting evidence of said velocity, we will consider you proffer.

Justice Jack (Former owner of a fast slow boat)

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

I forgot about this recent shot that I sent to a friend, he noticed it and asked if we had plunged over a waterfall:

Holy Cow Corey -

Did you actually plunge over a waterfall? If you did Niagara Falls without informing me or offering me a slot on your crew list, I am gonna be pissed bro!

Tell me it ain't so.

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Over Niagara Falls in a Selene 53 is probably better than a wooden barrel

Corey
Sent from my iPhone

Richard -

We don’t need to go that far. You fail the initial objection - hearsay. Not challenging anyone’s credibility here; but old eyes see what they want to see. I resemble that remark.

I really want to hear Corey’s story. I think maybe he did do Niagara Falls. I just can’t imagine how Leizu survived the impact.

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Here is an example of some of the rapids we get here in the PNW. Mariner beware. don't be early or late, you will be sorry. At times only a 15 minute window to get through, if you get in towards the end of one, what a ride.

Skookumchuck rapids 15 knot out flow.

Jerry Nelson

Howdy all,

WOW! I can hardly recognize Jerry in the Kayak in those rapids, but I am sure it must be him. So, Is that a Selene Kayak and are you submitting a claim based on Speed Through Water (STW) as opposed to Speed Over Ground (SOG)? We don’t have many rules in place here, so if it is you and you can submit some form of video evidence of the current you were facing while surfing that wave, I expect you have some real velocity happening there. Maybe a speed record we can invent!

Whatcha got?

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

On the topic of the 'miles traveled' formula, Jack hit the nail on the head: we need to be standardized. I typically cruise between 7 and 8 knots - and more on the high side of that. That said, my engine hours continue to tick up whether I'm going 8kts down the waterway or going 0kts sitting for 2 hours waiting on a lock to open, warming up my engine, docking, or any number of slow-boat maneuvers.

I was able to calculate my mileage against two trips up/down the East Coast and the multiple of 7 knots was almost dead on. We've talked to multiple other cruisers who came to the same conclusion. Will there be outliers on either side? Of course, but our informal survey of several Selene owners as well as consultation with the Board reinforced the 7kt speed as a reasonable approximation.

Some interesting math for those who cruise the Bahamas or Chesapeake: Assume you're going to make a trip from Oxford, MD to Solomons Island, MD, and your cruise speed will be 7.5kts. That's about 32 miles to travel and about 4.3 hours of cruise time. If you left it at that, it would calculate to 7.5kts/engine hour (32mile/4.3hrs= 7.5kts/hr) - if that's all the engine actually ran. However, if you add on just 30 minutes of total time (15 to start-up, unmoor, head out + 15 to enter, get a slip, dock, shutdown), the total time goes up to 4.8hrs. and the average speed drops to 6.6kts per engine hour. On Kallisto we take both much longer - and much shorter - runs, so that's likely why the 7kt. average speed worked out so well for us - and others.

A mean speed of 7kts. won't be exact for anybody actual distance/engine hour, but as Jack alluded, likely close enough for everybody and a cool recognition to bestow on our SOA members.

Steve

Kallisto 5369

Totally makes sense. Of course when Tracy & I make that same Oxford/solomons trek (already a couple times this summer) we only go at 6.5 and save the fuel. We are not safe harbor purchasers like u long haul truckers

Corey
Sent from my iPhone

I agree that a uniform multiplier is required for the NM flag program. It does create some unusual possible scenarios impacting accurately calculated NM’s, such as waiting for a lock or for fuel or for the tide to turn as Steve describes - no NM’s traveled. And then there are those times when we run at full throttle to make a destination before nightfall or to outrun a storm - lots of NM’s traveled.

Perhaps the most interesting of the alternate scenarios I have heard described concerns Brian Calvert’s report of around 9,000 hours on Further. As Steve accurately noted, not all engine hours are actually spent while underway. I have heard tales about life in the Philippines with Brian. I don’t know if they are true, so I can’t attest to their accuracy. At least one account suggests that a lot of Brian’s hours were accumulated when his batteries were running low and Brian refused to stop running the blender. As Further’s engine ran for hours at anchor and powered all systems through the inverter, Brian was reportedly heard chanting under his breath “you put the lime in the coconut, and drink it all up . . .”

I will have an opportunity to observe Brian in real time beginning in December when we get Shangri-La 6047 to Subic Bay Yacht Club in the Philippines. I will report back to the group concerning Brian’s current behavior and whether he should be considered a “special case” for NM flag purposes ;)

Jack (tongue firmly planted in cheek)

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Oh Jack, soon you will see how we charge that beloved blender? with booze in the blender soon it will render that magic concoction that makes us go on. i put one of my old single xpat buddies on a tread mill with a gen attached to the batteries, and put a beautiful dancing Filipina at the end of the belt, they run fast to get her but never do, the blender runs full speed hahaha

Soon i will show this and many other tricks only talked about under a palm tree.

cheers

Brian

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WOW! I can hardly recognize Jerry in the Kayak in those rapids, but I sure it must be him. So, Is that a Selene Kayak and are you submitting a claim based on Speed Through Water (STW) as opposed to Speed Over Ground (SOG)? We don’t have many rules in place here, so if it is you and you can submit some form of video evidence of the current you were facing while surfing that wave, I expect you have some real velocity happening there. Maybe a speed record we can invent!
Whatcha got?

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047


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Everyone is worried about speed and miles. What about us new owners, with kids still in school that cannot travel yet. Don't we get a flag? Can't we be cool kids too? (If you cannot tell this in tongue in cheek, well then look at my proposed flag :)

Great idea on the program, and as someone who doesn't track miles, I'm more than happy to calculate engine hours. That is so much simpler. Thank you for thinking of lazy people like myself who don't log every trip.

Dan and Bethany Moore

Blue Phoenix - 2008 Selene 59-17

Hi all, as new owners who just completed our first 1k miles, I love the under 10k flag! ;). We got from Stockton, CA to Comox BC and then down to Seattle, this summer. Between maintenance and waiting on weather windows, we are very proud to have completed this stretch! Would love a flag! Haha! We’ll continue North, to her new home in Alaska, come spring! Excited to join this community!

Bonnie and Lior

Bonnie Sea 43-005

Also, if anyone would like to follow along on our adventure, we are thebonniesea on Instagram.

That is an awesome flag!! I would fly the rubber duck flag with pride

Corey
Sent from my iPhone