Virginia Couple Realizes Their Dreams Aboard New Viking 58C
Andy says that his vision for boat ownership began at six years old, when he bought a small battery-operated model boat from the five and dime store—a toy he still owns today. Ever since that day, he has been working hard to make his childhood dream come true. He started out in the late 1960’s cutting lawns around the neighborhood for two dollars a yard and trimming ditches for an extra 50 cents. When not cutting lawns or going to class, Andy was active in the Boy Scouts, where he learned some of the valuable life lessons that would eventually pay dividends for his life and career. Andy recounted one such lesson from a local businessman who served as an Assistant Scout Master in his troop. “He said, ‘when you grow up, you’re going to find a secret to life is that you can only do so much with your two hands, but if you take your two hands and get a whole bunch of other good hands, you’ll live a good life.’ And that’s what I did.”
Going Offshore
Andy’s offshore fishing journey began in the 1980’s out of Fisherman’s Wharf in Virginia Beach. There he fished alongside some of Bluewater’s first Viking customers after the company became the Mid-Atlantic dealers. Sherry embraced the offshore lifestyle more recently, when the couple commissioned a 41’ Albemarle Express. While the family enjoyed making memories on that new boat, they felt isolated between the small tower and the cockpit, and craved more space so that everyone could be together. Finally, on one trip to the Norfolk Canyon, Sherry decided that enough was enough and it was time to step up to a larger Viking.
After extensive research, Andy and Sherry narrowed their search down to two boats: the Viking 54 and the Viking 58. They called into the Bluewater main office and were matched with longtime Viking brand specialists Jud Black and Carl Beale. After talking through the advantages of each model, Jud and Carl phoned the factory to check on the availability and the production schedule for a new 58 Convertible. That is when Andy and Sherry were faced with a tough decision. The next available 58 hull was already in the mold and being built, so a decision had to be made with little time to spare. Some choices, such as the optional flybridge staircase that the couple wanted, required an immediate decision in order to move on to the next stage of production. Being decisive by nature, Andy and Sherry pulled the trigger on their new boat after some brief negotiations. “These guys know I don’t procrastinate. I said, ‘alright we will take it’ and we bought the boat sight unseen. We had never even seen a 58,” Andy recalled.
Andy’s excitement was on display at each visit to the Viking factory
Carl Beale recounted, “I really enjoyed Andy’s excitement. Every time that we went up there with him, it was just so much fun to see someone who earned it and enjoyed it, and the way that he went around and talked to, shook hands with, and thanked people at the factory.” Their jubilation was evident to everyone who was a part of the build, with the production team even joking that this boat wasn’t known as hull number 554, but simply as “Andy’s boat!”
The real name of the new Viking was determined a bit closer to delivery, where it was dubbed Simple Man after the famous Lynyrd Skynyrd song. “I’m just a simple guy. I’ve got a great life, a great family, and been very lucky in business. I can really relate to that song,” explained Andy. Once completed, Simple Man took its maiden voyage from Atlantic City, NJ to Hampton, VA to have some final commissioning work done by the Bluewater team before heading home.
The interior of Simple Man is absolutely stunning, with horizonal grain walnut cabinetry and décor hand-picked by Sherry and Viking’s interior designer Cullen Moser. The 58 includes a spacious salon with a peninsula galley and dinette, as well as a three-stateroom and two-head layout to accommodate a crowd.
Delivery and Beyond
The entire build process from the first decision until completion fell into place perfectly, and the Curtis family took delivery of their new Viking just in time for Spring boating. Despite the “simple” name, this 58 Convertible is outfitted with some of the most cutting-edge technology on the market, and the boat includes everything that could be desired. Some notable selections include the Furuno Omni Sonar system for panoramic fish finding, the Seakeeper SK18 gyrostabilizer, a Spot Zero watermaker, an ice machine, and an Electrosea strainer system.
“All the extra space on the 58 will be put to good use, because they have big plans for the summer tournament circuit.”
All those years of hard work and determination, plus a little help from the Viking Yachts and Bluewater teams, has finally made Andy and Sherry’s dream a reality. Now it is time for Simple Man to get to work on making some new memories for the Curtis family and their friends.
