OnBoard Magazine - Summer 2015

WHEN YOUR PERFECT BOAT is going on 10 years old, and the boat show is in town, merely setting foot on the dock is a risky undertaking. Calculated risks however, can prove to yield great reward, and so Jerry Taylor and Nancy Bryant took to the docks. Though very much in love with their 61 Viking Enclosed Bridge Convertible, the cruising couple wondered if the time might be right to build their dream anew. It was there in Ft. Lauderdale where the first of many conversations took place with Earle Hall of Bluewater Yacht Sales and Pat Healey of Viking Yachts. The topic however, was not a first—this would be their fifth Viking. Their years aboard those boats included countless Bahamian sunsets and starry nights anchored in coves reserved for those willing to stray a bit off the beaten path. Jerry and Nancy stray as often as possible and learned in due course a great deal about the best ways for them to do so. Seasoned cruisers are the ones who have learned by doing— and doing without—in out of the way places that demand skills and ingenuity honed to prevent or prepare for whatever may come. The boat itself is often the only refuge and must provide solutions in- hand and on the fly. The combination of home, workshop and playground requires thoughtful planning and design. Taylor and Bryant know exactly how a boat needs to be set-up to fit them and their needs. The 61 had been it for nine wonderful years, but the lure of a newer platform, updated technology and zero hours was tantalizing. PICKING THE PLATFORM Although the interior of the Viking 66 promised more room and comfort, as a couple who prefers cruising without crew, the ease of managing a shorter boat and its ability to get in some of the smaller marinas was a high priority. As Jerry Taylor put it with a chuckle, “The trick is to get more boat inside, without making it bigger outside.” They sea-trialed the 62 Convertible but then took a look at another 66. Earle Hall remembered the moment, “Things really started percolating when they saw this new 66 with a stairway which was custom built—it made us think that maybe we could make some wholesale changes to get themwhat they wanted. The visual was a good reminder that Viking is pretty good at doing just that.” For Taylor and Bryant the desire to keep the boat under the target 65 feet warred with three primary issues they saw in the salon layout of the 62. “The number one for us was that the spiral staircase to the enclosed bridge was too close to the galley counter andblocked the space directly in front of the e n t r yway. S e c o n d was that the salon itself was smaller than on our 61. The third was the traverse angle from starboard side entry to portside companionway.” Jerry gives most of the credit to his wife whose artistic eye objected to the loss of flow from entryway to companionway, which to the unimpeded eye gives a sense of space and makes the boat look longer than it is. “She really pushed the idea that the design could be better.” Earle Hall listened to their points and understood their reasoning. Prior to scheduling a visit to the Viking plant, he discussed most of them with Pat Healey. “By the time we were ready to sit at the table with Viking, Jerry and Nancy were pretty sure they were going to buy a new boat—but the 66 would have been more boat than they wanted, and the 62 just didn’t quite fit. We needed to talk to Viking and see what could work.” TAKING IT TO THE TEAM Vikingwas ready for them. In amanner that has become customary in their 50 years of building boats, the conversations that took place at the boat show, on the sea trial and over the phone sparked more conversation at the plant. When Pat Healey led Jerry, L O N G - T I M E B L U E W A T E R C U S T O M E R S W A X C R E A T I V E W H I L E B U I L D I N G T H E I R F I F T H V I K I N G Y A C H T RE-IMAGINING ODIN “We described the effect we wanted... then they made it look like art.” 6 BLUEWATER