Maritimo M55 Enclosed Flybridge

LOA: 56'10"

Beam: 17'2"

Draft: 4'10"

Displ.: 67,850 lbs. (dry)

Fuel: 1,200 gal.

Water: 198 gal.

Power: 2/670-hp Volvo D11s; 2/1,000-hp Cat 12.9s

The tops of the palm trees bounced around like pompoms at a homecoming game in the 20-knot northwest wind. As we made the turn toward South Florida’s notorious Haulover Inlet, the color of the water changed to a frothy baby blue as ocean swells pushed in with the tide. And there on the south breakwater was the paparazzi—a YouTuber with his tripod set up, hoping to capture a video of us stuffing the bow, or worse yet, ejecting a passenger.

Sitting inside the confines of the Maritimo M55’s enclosed bridge, I was plenty comfortable, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad nervous. So was the boat’s new owner, Brian Barr, a 78-year-old longtime boater. He and his wife, Corine, spent a good chunk of the prior evening looking at the forecast and debating whether they should cancel the run from Ft. Lauderdale to Marathon, some 90 miles south. The captain, Shawn Minahan,