OnBoard Magazine - Issue XIII - 2021 Season

After searching high and low, and finding the right pre-owned Viking, Bluewater’s team in Hampton set out at customizing every inch of its 64-feet to provide access for Perry and how he envisioned using the boat. Oh yea, and it had to be done in a matter of months to fish the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament! Bluewater Engineer Brian Motter took the lead and they set out envisioning the elaborate systems that would get Perry and his wheelchair from dock to cockpit and bridge (a swinging davit), cockpit to salon (a ramp over the mezzanine steps), salon to master stateroom (a large scissor lift) and improving access to the en suite head. They accomplished everything but a Seakeeper installation before June that year and delivered the 64’ Knot Done Yet to Perry for his first crack at fishing the Big Rock. MOVING UP The team fished that 2018 Big Rock, Hatteras Marlin Club and Virginia Beach Billfish Tournaments and enjoyed an extended stay in the Bahamas in Spring of 2019. After those adventures, Perry was really getting used to the idea of spending a lot of time on the boat. He was also taking mental notes on what might make him and his crew more comfortable. Perry preferred to stay on the boat versus finding accommodations ashore, plus, his onboard entourage was growing, and thus running out of room. With as many customizations as they made to the 64, it had the effect of reducing some of the available space for accommodating the Knot Done Yet crew and family members who he wanted to share more adventures with. Not only did Perry need more space for himself, his captain, mate and close friends and their gear; his wife Lisa was starting to get into this fishing thing too! Hall had introduced them to Pat Healey, Viking President and CEO, at the 2018 Big Rock. At the time Pat made it known he’d love to help Perry build another boat to meet his needs. It got him thinking of going bigger and better. A dock mate in Morehead City, Don Mills, also played a role in Perry’s decision to upgrade to a larger Viking. Mills, another Bluewater customer, owns the Sea I Sea , and has owned many Viking convertibles. He had owned and fished his new 72C for a couple years and very openly told Perry all about it and how much he loved the boat. Before long, Perry had Earle on the phone again, asking him to relay his intentions to build a new 72 with Pat and the Viking team. Big game fishing is challenging enough; but imagine trying to master it with a debilitating genetic disease that restricts all your movements. LEVELING WITH EACH OTHER The first thing an able-bodied person needs to realize is just how much we take for granted hopping around all the levels of a yacht—popping up to the flybridge to look around, going back and forth through the companionway for supplies, or just getting on and off the boat for starters—for wheelchair-bound anglers, every minor step up or down is a substantial logistical challenge. In some small ways, making a yacht more handicap accessible is similar to the process in a building on land. Engineers widen doors and hallways, maybe lower some counters, install rails and make more space at the table. But in almost every other facet, it’s far more challenging when you lack the space for long gentle ramps and the certainty of solid floors that don’t roll and pitch on a whim. Look Closely: The bridge belly band swings out to starboard and a hatch covers the ladder cutout so that the custom davit can lift Perry skyward to the bridge, in addition to its primary duty between the dock and cockpit. 7 2021 SEASON