By: Pierce Hoover
Reprinted From: MotorBoating

As the latest addition to the Maritimo fleet, the 56 Cruising Motoryacht takes comfort and performance to a whole new level.

One could legitimately say that Maritimo’s Cruising Motoryachts defy comparison — at least in relationship to various enclosed-bridge sport-fishing yachts of similar size and shape. While war wagons from builders such as Bertram, Viking and Hatteras consider fishing prowess paramount, the Maritimo fleet places a far greater emphasis on comfort, versatility and efficient operation. With their slippery hulls, their secure, crewfriendly side decks, their raised, sheltered cockpits and airy interiors, these vessels are equally suited for entertaining aboard, long-range cruising, swim parties at anchor and, yes, even a bit of fishing.

The summer of 2009 started out with great promise for boaters in the Pacific Northwest, and I don’t think anyone was disappointed.

Our adventure started in beautiful Victoria; the capital of British Columbia, a charming Canadian city on Vancouver Island. As we enjoyed sunshine in the harbor while looking at the majestic parliament buildings that grace the waterfront, a local photographer putting together his portfolio visited us, and in no time we became his subject, or rather our Maritimo 52 Skylounge was the subject (see www.reubenkrabbe.com  and click on portfolio- people). Our photographer was prepared and had even brought his own model. I thought perhaps I might even have a chance so we took pictures too! Victoria was beautiful and we did so enjoy the beautiful city views.

NORTH TO ALASKA

After a maiden voyage from Newport Beach, California to Seattle, Washington, Ed and Patty Dunn set off in their newly acquired Maritimo 52 on the adventure of a lifetime-a 3000 nautical mile trip to the beautiful cruising grounds to Alaska.

Patty Dunn takes up the story…

Captain Bruce Champion and Owner/Captain Ed Dunn

Up the Coast from Newport Beach, CA to Seattle, WA – 1250 Nautical Miles

We cruised out of Newport Beach, California on third of December 2007, with a crew of 3 that included the Skipper, Ed Dunn, Captain Bruce Champion, Ret., and Whittaker Dunn, grandson of the Skipper. A beautiful day was enough impetus to continue into the evening and night. A storm caught us about 12:30 AM and necessitated a stop in Monterey Bay, south of San Francisco for the remainder of the day and another night. Early on day 3, we left and traveled to Bodega Bay. The following day after an early start with flat calm seas, a whale that was being chased by an Orca and unfortunately hit us, and the boat  suffered damage to the rudder, the shaft, and the props so we were forced to drop our speed to 14 knots instead of the 19k or so that we were making. We stopped in Fort Bragg for the night. The Maritimo is built so stout that even with the damage done we were able to continue our open-ocean voyage without stopping for repairs, and time was of the essence because of weather.

It took another 8 days to complete the trip to Seattle, but except for the weather related layovers we had no further difficulties. Our secret to success in ocean travel on the West Coast of North America was watching swell height versus distance in seconds between swells and never attempting waves over swells of more than 5 or 6 feet. It didn’t hurt that the Maritimo is a fabulous open ocean boat: 76.5 hours at sea, 1250 nautical miles, 2,400 gallons of fuel.

The Sea of Cortez, or the Gulf of California as it is now called, is one of the best cruising and fishing destinations we have ever experienced. In April of 2009, during Spring break, the Verheyen family ventured down to bask in the sun and experience some of God’s most stunning creations.

The two-hour flight from Los Angeles to La Paz was almost too short to make the work to play transition. The word is almost! We hailed a taxi for the quick trip from the airport to the marina, with a short provisioning stop at the local super market. Our new boat (52-69), “Pura Vida” (translated; Pure Life) awaits us at the beautiful Costa Baja Marina, a sprawling development with a state-of-the-art marina. We quickly unpacked and joined some friends down at the beachside restaurant. After al fresco dinning at the Marina Azul, we walked back to the boat along the beach and called it a day.

Offshore powerboat racing is a sport with tremendous fan appeal in Australia. Enthusiasts cheer for the championship teams and driver with the same sort of fervor normally reserved for NASCAR in the United States. The accomplishments of Australian offshore racer Bill Barry-Cotter as commonly known and widely acclaimed “down under” as the names Richard Petty or the late and lamented Dale Earnhardt are instantly recognized in North America. An offshore racer trusts his or her life to the design and integrity of a hull designed to challenge the open sea at speeds in excess of 100-mph. Bill Barry-Cotter applied the knowledge gleaned through such experience to become a world-renowned designer and builder of tough but very classy, bluewater capable boats in Australia. Barry-Cotter was instrumental in the founding of Riviera Yachts, eventually departing that firm in 2001 for semi-retirement as a real estate developer.