WINTER 2012 1

VIKING 66CoNVERTIblEA New Star Joins the Fleet

ChEsapEaKE affaIR

MasTERs ChaMpIoNshIp

GET REady: 16Th aNNual VIp pREVIEW

oN ThE lINE: 70 Eb

TouRNaMENT hIGhlIGhTs

MaINTENaNCE spECIal

VIKING 60 Eb: a loVE sToRy

A Publication of Viking YachtsW

INT

ER

20

12

ExpEriEncE Viking HEaVEn

WINTER 2012 77

Bob Metafora has owned a number of boats beginning with a 16 footer when he was a young boy growing up on Cape Cod. Through the years he and his wife Donna have progressed up the ranks owning many boats and recently took delivery of a new Viking 60 Enclosed Bridge.

our Reliance is a 2012 Viking 60 Enclosed Bridge. At first I thought this article would

be titled, “Two Nutty Older New Englanders Running Their Viking Up and Down the Coast Alone,” but here is the real story.

Donna and I have always had boats, and since our first child was born we always had a mate aboard. Running the boats has always been my favorite thing to do so we never thought about a captain. After our kids were grown we sold our last cruising boat, a 53 footer, holding on to a 28 center console for day trips and a 17 Whaler so I could pretend I still know how to waterski once in a while. But we longed to be aboard again, only at our ages (I’m 67 and

Donna is 65) the time together becomes paramount. And while we always had the most personable of mates, we just wanted to do this together, but alone.

We got our first clue that this was a little unusual (honestly, we hadn’t thought about it) as we were leaving the dock in Padanaram, Massachusetts, when the dock attendant handed Donna the lines. He looked at her, and then up at me at the controls on the bridge mezzanine, then back to Donna and asked her, “Just the two of you on this thing?” (What? Do we not inspire confidence?) Knowing we can’t be unique in this, I recounted that story to our friends at Oyster Harbors Yacht Sales. They told us it was not the norm for owners to be running a yacht of this size alone, without a captain if not a mate, or at the very least without a gaggle of offspring or friends to help with lines and docking, but let me tell you how Viking helped to make it possible for us.

The enclosed bridge was a must for us and we definitely wanted the enclosed staircase. It’s not just the shelter from weather which we value, but also

the quiet serenity which makes an enormous difference in terms of fatigue on long runs. With just the two of us aboard, safety is very important. Notice in the photos our west coast rails. When we asked for them, Viking responded as they did to all of our requests, with a simple question such as, “How high, how far and what diameter?” It was the same when I asked to have control pods both port and starboard on the bridge mezzanine, custom handrails on the bridge overhead and over the console, and combination handrails/fiddles on all the built in furniture, all of which Viking did for us in-house. Everywhere are well conceived and well executed touches to help us to be independent, confident and safe at sea. I wanted port and starboard controls on the bridge mezzanine because if Donna is on deck, I need to see her while docking. Viking never questioned the concept, they just wanted to know how they could best serve us. Having dealt with some custom yards in the past, I can say that to me, Viking is not only the best production builder, but also the best custom builder because no custom yard has the depth of engineering, design

NEW ENGlaNdpERspECTIVE(a little love story)

VIKING OWNER PROFIlE

VIKING VAlhAllA78

and production capacity as Viking, never mind the willingness to work with customers.

Originally, when we decided to buy another cruising boat, we looked at trawler yachts which many people our age are buying for the wide side decks and “economy”. But we just couldn’t fall in love with the prospect of cruising at 8 knots. One of the big selling points seems to be fuel economy, but we can run our 60 at nine knots, 23% engine load, at just over 13 gallons an hour and still have the capacity to run fast. (Actually she will idle at about 8 knots consuming even less.) All our lives, although we do not fish, we have bought sport fishermen because of the offshore capability and the speed. To us it is a safety factor, particularly in New England where we are subject to nasty squalls and sudden weather changes. It is a tribute to the Viking design that whether we run at 1500 rpm or 2100 rpm, or anywhere in between (which means 22-23 knots or 37-38 knots) the overall range in nautical miles is largely the same. With the 1825 hp C32 Acert Cats, our Reliance will even touch an honest 42 knots if we give her the reins.

This is our second Viking Yacht. In September of 2009 we became frustrated with wishing and wanting, and fretting about trawler yachts, and went to see my old friend, Peter Maryott at Oyster Harbors Yacht Sales. Peter and I have been friends for 51 years, since we were boat kids on Cape Cod, though we hadn’t done much boat business together. True to our roots with sport fishermen, we bought a new Viking 48, a familiar format to us, mainly to see if we could actually do this thing. To ensure the support we knew we would need, we kept that boat at Oyster Harbors, just as we do our new one.

One of the very first weekends during that September, we went to Nantucket for a few days, which was not very crowded since it was after Labor Day. I sent Peter a cell phone photo with the caption, “We feel like two kids who have run away.” The next summer, 2010, we went everywhere with the 48 and committed to build the 60 Enclosed Bridge that fall. This year with the 60 we have cruised from Maine to Connecticut. We visited many ports but some of our favorites in Massachusetts were Provincetown, Cuttyhunk,

Nantucket, Falmouth, Cape Cod, and Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard. She also made her appearance in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Newport, Rhode Island, as well as Kittery Point, Maine, and Stonington, Connecticut. Our Reliance has hardly had a chance to cool off! We look forward to continuing the story in Florida, but not until next year.

With the bow thruster and the strong bite of the props which provide a little sideways thrust when individually taken in and out of gear, the 60 is easier to handle around the docks than any smaller boat we ever had. Though it’s rare for us to use a spring line to maneuver, on those rare occasions we will take a line from the boat’s cleat, loop it over the dock cleat, and take it back to the boat again so Donna can control and retrieve the line from the boat, which means we don’t need anyone on the dock.

From dock to dock, we wear inflatable vests equipped with a waterproof VHF, auto strobes, and personal locator beacons. Believe me we are not “fighter pilot wannabes” or equipment nerds, but we do cruise offshore and while the Viking is eminently capable, we have

Donna takes in the view while at port in Stonington, Connecticut.

Peter Maryott from Oyster Harbors Marine joins Donna and Bob onboard the Viking 60 Enclosed Bridge Reliance.

WINTER 2012 79

deep respect for the sea and the power of nature. We carry a raft, “gumby” immersion suits, 2 GPIRBS, ditch bags with more radios, a boarding ladder and a sling hoist. We have done man overboard training with a licensed Coast Guard officer, which was fairly sobering. Yes, we are crusty New Englanders and we are a little stubborn and independent, but we are not crazy.

It may not be sleek but when we set up for a cruise, we hang dock and spring lines from double rail straps (no lines in the cockpit) and even set fenders in place but secured, again with straps inboard of the rails, so that we are ready to drop them upon arrival as soon as the marina assigns us a dock or a slip.

In January Donna and I will be taking the prep course for our 100 Ton licenses and sitting for the exam on February 5th. Thirty-five years ago we took the United States Power Squadrons course in “piloting seamanship and small boat handling.” After the exam the officer who gave the course told me I had done well, and I, with obviously false modesty, told him I had boats since I was twelve, blah blah blah. I didn’t know he had something else to say until

he told me that Donna had thoroughly trounced me on the exam by getting 100. I expect this time will be no different, except that I will make a genuine effort at being quiet.

We have had several boats named Blind Faith and even one called Still Crazy After All These Years. Only married a short time, a little worried about life, the family to come, business, so many things really, we named our first Blind Faith to encourage us to trust those powers and forces we can neither see nor control. Now at our stage, with two wonderful children who happened to grow up on boats, a great son-in-law, a wife who is the quiet power behind everything I do, and a few totally reliable friends whom I will have forever, I know this concept doesn’t have to be blind, so our lovely Viking is named Reliance. If you see us on the water, don’t hesitate to come say hello; we’d love to meet you.

We are grateful to everyone at Viking, particularly Keith Monahan and Joe Schwab, (though Viking owners know that Bill and Pat make a point to know their owners and be involved), to Captain Ryan Higgins, to Gina

Waldron and Mary Foust, to all the unseen people at the plant who are behind the build as well as now supporting us in the field, and especially to Peter Maryott and his merry band of 65 Cape Codders at Oyster Harbors, who have gone beyond our wildest expectations to attend our every need and all of our wishes. During the build of our 60, Bill Bales, of William Bales and Company, helped us to design a classic yet different look using fabrics and materials that will never look dated in the future. To us, it is very successful in that it is warm yet cheerful, and unique but not radical. Bill, together with Bruce Epstein, spent an entire day with us at the Marketplace Design Center in Philadelphia just selecting fabrics. In short, we are grateful to the incomparable team who has made it possible for this dream of ours to become reality. Donna won’t see this until Valhalla is published, butI will tell you now that my very favorite thing in the world to do is to be out, running the Viking with my wife and companion of 42 years, together, but alone.

Nantucket is a favorite harbor that Reliance frequents regularly.