road test blog
Got what I wished for on my overnight trip to Puerto Rico to sea trial the 56 F&S convertible, which by the way turned out to be the builder’s 66-footer. (The 56 was in transit from the DR and arrived in time for me to view and run but time didn’t allow for a full-blown inspection.)
Of course, it had been blowing from the southwest for a week before I arrived, making for reasonably calm seas on the leeward side. Captain Wind gets off the plane and it turns northeast 12-18 knots, seas fairly steady at 5 feet with the more than occasional 7-footer thrown in just to keep us honest.
Roger Casellas from F&S and Captain Gabriel had already decided that we should run off a few miles and try to entice a few sails as long as we were going out. The full review will be in an upcoming issue, but I was truly impressed as we trolled beam-to, down sea and into it on the forward quarter. No matter where the Caribbean blue water came from it seemed to just pass by and not really affect the motion of the sport fisherman.
The only excitement came from a few dink dorado that picked up the ballyhoo baits, just taking them for a swim not grabbing enough to set the circle hooks. We ran next to the 56 as she headed out for a bit of the afternoon bite and indeed they landed a few very nice dorado.
I hadn’t been to San Juan in quite awhile and the city has really expanded. Roger and I ate in this great restaurant in Old San Juan that had the best whole yellowtail snapper I think I ever eaten. Spent five hours in the San Juan airport the next morning but hey, stuff happens.
Next it was off to Riviera Beach to run Viking’s 66. That review will also appear in the upcoming issue. The boat breaks a lot of the traditional Viking attributes, but not the quality and style throngs of followers have come to expect. But I’m saving all the juicy details for the issue…
Then I did a run back up north over the weekend. Saw my family, friends and my pooch. Did a blackfish trip, with a modicum of success. Then, while trolling for stripers in 50 feet of water off Long Island’s Jones Inlet, I saw busting bluefin off the starboard side. One guy had one early in the day on a green machine; another hooked up late in the afternoon on a ‘hoo waaaaay back behind the boat. All this one-mile off the beach. Wanted to stay another day, but work was calling. Oh well…
