Well, we don't have much experience in rough weather, or much against a significant head sea. The worst head seas we had to buck into were 4 to 5 foot at 6 seconds. I was always amazed that Marian could be sound asleep in the forward stateroom, apparently suffering no ill effects. Remember, this is the woman who gets seasick in anything but the most calm of conditions. Anyway, all I can say is the benefit of a forward stateroom is ventilation in the tropics where a breeze is very easy to introduce into the space. Between the hatches and dorado vents we found the forward stateroom to be very comfortable at anchor. We had friends that described the mid stateroom as stuffy and hot, so like all things, this is just one more compromise in design. Another advantage of a bow stateroom is using the space forward as efficiently as possible. I've also heard people complain about a bow stateroom being noisy at anchor? We anchored in Pacific coast anchorages that were a bit bouncy and I don't remember a single instance where noise was a significant issue? Go figure? I will say on the N40 the pilothouse is just about midships and it seems the boat rotates around a point slightly aft of the stairway down to the saloon. Again, we never found this to be uncomfortable. When underway I always slept in the saloon with my head as far aft as possible, this was by far the most comfortable place on the boat (again, when underway). I would have slept there regardless, as this was a place I could be quickly available to Marian if anything happened. Scott E. Bulger, ALANUI, Nordhavn 40II, Seattle WA