At the Helm

By: Kase van Rees

First things first, powering this 80,000 pound boat are two 15 liter inline turbo diesels. Power output from these 3,000 lb power plants is around 800 horsepower and 1,500 lbs of torque each. Two turns of separate keys, and each engine rumbles to life. Every surface of the boat vibrates softly with the amazing power at your disposal. Once at the helm, you click forwards a polished electronic throttle. After a second of delay the motors idle the boat forwards with surprising ease. Turning the wheel slowly points the bow as you check on all sides, making sure the massive hull doesn't consume nearby obstacles.

Our website's creator, Connor Anthony, and I both had the opportunity to pilot the vessel Mercurious briefly during our visit to Jupiter, Florida. If you've read articles here before you may have heard the name Captain Dirk, well this is the ship he captains. Under his careful watch, we were able to slowly motor Cap's pride through the intracoastal.

Navigating a boat, even one of this size, through calm waters is relatively easy. That being said, going out on the open ocean is a whole other experience. Leaving the safety of the intercostal brought me face to face with cargo ships and cruise liners in a tight but progressively more turbulent inlet. As the waves became bigger, it felt less like cruising a large boat and more like driving a medium sized house over a cliff.

The bow speared ahead rising into the air then crashing down with biblical force as salt water sprayed high above the upper deck. Below us the contents of the boat shifted as we pitched back and forth across the water. Properly learning to captain a ship like the Mercurious in any and all conditions is truly a massive endeavor and worth it for some. We were lucky to dip our toes into life at the helm, but I think Connor and I are going to stick to solid ground.