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North Carolina Family Going Full Throttle with New Viking 72C
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Throughout the decades they owned a wide variety of boats, including sportfish and motoryachts, most notably a 55-foot trawler and 42’ power catamaran which their family of four enjoyed using to cruise The Bahamas when their children were young. Additionally, Chris rattled off an impressive list of other express and cuddy cabin style boats he’s owned for fishing the Gulf Stream in both Florida and North Carolina.
As a life-long Miami Dolphins fan and season ticket holder, Chris and family rarely miss a game, including many away trips. He explains his two most recent center consoles, a 39 and 32, were called Fins Up and Fins Up Jr., with their new Viking 72 Convertible replacing the 39’ Fins Up. If that sounds like a mighty leap up, it is—but on the other hand, it has also been a long time coming.
After all that research and testing, Chris came to a conclusion: “Because we were going to use the boat as a family not just as a fishing boat, I really wanted something big enough to have both the day head and the space to use the boat for more than just fishing.” That meant focusing on even larger models than what they had previously sea-trailed in order to find their ideal Viking Yacht.
“We had been talking about it forever,” Chris relays. Then along came an unexpected health scare and the loss of a close family member. “That really put things into perspective—after ten to fifteen years of talking about it—we thought, ‘Let’s just put the order in!’”
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Options and Flexibility
Interestingly, Chris explains that when he initially put a deposit down at Viking, it was for a 68’ Convertible. “There was a 68 and a 72 next to each other on the production line and they told me I could choose between either one.” The more he thought about it, the more confident he became on going big and making the most of the opportunity, “Eventually I told Wyatt [Bluewater’s General Manager] and Clark, ‘Aw, just make it the 72 and put the big engines in and we’ll have the extra space in the master stateroom.’ I guess you could also contribute it to Clark and Wyatt being great salesmen!”
Once it was time to focus on the details, Chris was more than pleased with how it went, “Clark was fantastic throughout the process; he couldn’t be better.” Chris took the time to explain in more detail, “Clark probably talked through the entire boat with me about fifty times.
“He’s knowledgeable about a lot of Vikings and that made a big difference.”
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Making a Splash
After delivery in the Fall, Fins Up wintered in Wilmington for the first four months, taking some simple shake-down trips around home in the Southport and Cape Fear area. “I’ve been around a lot of new boats and airplanes; there are always bugs to shake out,” Chris says. Given the size and scope of all the systems aboard, getting them all working in harmony is just part of the process. In this span of time he hired a full-time Captain who went to work finishing out the punch-list and gearing up the boat for some serious traveling and adventure.
The hiring of Captain Todd Anderson, another long-time Wilmington area resident and former Bluewater team member, was another serendipitous recommendation made by Clark while at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show.
“Our first real trip was to Key West. We had thirteen people, friends and family, at the Viking Key West Challenge,” Chris reports. They fished the tournament but also took their large group of guests on sunset cruises in the evenings. “Eight of us, including Captain and mate, stayed on the boat.
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LOA: 72′ 8″
Beam: 20′ 0″
Draft: 5′ 9″
Fuel Capacity: 2,594 gal.
Water Capacity: 372 gal.
Dry Weight: 126,696 lbs.
Power: Twin MTU @ 2,635 hp ea.
Genset: Twin Cummins Onan @ 29kW ea.
Stabilization: Seakeeper 26
“It was amazing, it handles thirteen people like nothing at all,”
Soaking It In
Next up, the Wordens rendezvoused with Capt. Todd and the boat in Nassau for a cruise through the Exumas island chain in The Bahamas, with their son’s young family joining them aboard. They fished and explored by day while staying out at anchor each night for most of the trip, making good use of that upgraded space in the 72. However, Chris points out they did make reservations at Highbourne Cay Marina to join in on the bonfire for a night. It was their two young granddaughters’ first trip to The Bahamas and the family was clearly excited about sharing these experiences and making new memories together.
After the Exumas trip, Fins Up made its way back to North Carolina with the intent of doing a lot of fishing out of Wilmington in May, leading up to participating in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in June.
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