Without a doubt. No fishing boat has ever made it from Bimini to Miami - almost 55 miles - in 48 minutes.  But, far more amazing than the time itself was the fact that we weren't really pushing it. If we had been, we might have made it in 40 minutes! Most fishing boats are significantly less than halfway along the rhumb line after 40 minutes.

So, why is this fishing boat so much faster than all the rest?

Well, to call it a fishing boat is only half the story.  It's also a formidable offshore racer. A somewhat different version - the Cobra 357 Super Viper - won the 1997 Key West World Championships.

The Cobra we crossed the Gulf Stream in - the 357 Sea Viper - has every requisite fishing feature to qualify it for inclusion in the outboard sportfishing category.  It's definitely a fishing boat - and a diving boat, and a freedom-or-expression boat, and an outrageously fast speedboat that shrinks time and space in awesome fashion.  It transforms trips to an between islands in the Bahamas from a matter of hours to a matter of minutes.

After all, it can hit 100 mph.

"Breakfast in Bimini" is a fisherman's fantasy and a way of describing a fast boat.  North Bimini, the legendary sliver of land due east of Miami, where Hemingway and a handful of other anglers and captains put the "sport" in big-game sportfishing, has a so-near-and-yet-so-far aspect that puts it just out of range of most weekend fishermen - unless they're satisfied with a couple of half-days.

But, we'd make the fantasy a reality.   We'd cross the Stream, clear customs, eat breakfast, and be out trolling by mid-morning.  At least, that's what we thought.  Five of us, including Cobra's Scott Franzoni and Casini himself, set out from Haulover at 7:30 a.m. and pointed the Cobra's wide bow toward Bimini.  But, it soon became clear that our 60-mph pace would be too punishing to maintain.

The Cobra is a catamaran - it has twin sponsons that trap air to create a "cushion."  But not in six-to-eight-foot seas, which is what we encountered as we neared the Gulf Stream.

In calm conditions, the Cobra skims across the sea on its cushion of air.  It can run in only 17 inches of water.   The only wetted surfaces are its two "pads," nine-inch-wide flat sections on the bottom of its twin hulls that enable the boat to plane immediately (and stay on plane at only 15 mph) with no bow rise.  At over 40 mph, the Cobra rides on only the after two or three feet of these pads, which means it has less bottom in the water than an eight-foot dinghy.  The rest of the 36-foot-long hull is airborne.

In rough headseas, however, you have t slow way down or the Cobra will fly over some waves, but right into the faces of others.   Its Kevlar hull can take the pounding.   The passengers, however, cannot.

A Late Breakfast

So, no records were broken on our run to Bimini.  We reached the Bimini Big Game Club dock by 9 a.m., having averaged only a bit over 20 mph.  By noon we'd unpacked, cleared customs and immigration and had breakfast with Club Manager Curtis Carroll.  It was time to fish.  We trolled south on the center engine for wahoo, using downriggers and planers to keep the lures deep.  We had a few hits, but only landed some barracuda.  The Cobra is incredibly stable.  Even with all five of us on one side of the boat, it barely listed.

It's also huge.   The aerodynamic console/front seat hinges up for access to the (portable or optional marine) head, and to the impeccable wiring, to the back of the dash, and to a massive amount of storage space.   Up front, the wide cuddy cabin houses a raised double berth to port of the entrance.

To round out the fishing features, there are Rupp outriggers, a transom bait-rigging center, a rocket launcher/leaning post with tackle drawers and a 40-gallon livewell, plus rod holders (and cup holders) everywhere. The radar arch incorporates a Bimini-style extension for shade.

Our anglers included two novice snorkelers who wanted to explore a Bahamas reef.  We finished trolling off Cat Cay, but I headed for the rocks off the old Rockwell Mansion north of Bimini's pines.   Good place for a first snorkel.. It was 15 miles away. We made it in 12 minutes.

The next day we chummed for yellowtail off Ocean Cay and did some diving at Riding Rocks, 35 miles south of Bimini.   We were back at the dock in less than half an hour.  In effect, a bout like this compresses the Bahamas, or any other cruising area, from a football field into a children's playground.  Bimini to Freeport in less than an hour!  As long as it's calm, you can blast between islands or island groups at freeway speeds.  And it is a blast. 

This three-300-hp version is the ultimate go-fast Cobra.  Finely tweaked and perfectly propped, Casini claims it will hit 100 mph at 6200 rpm and cruise at 72 mph.  There are more civilized versions that are less demanding. I'd rather have the twin 250-Yamaha Sea Viper with a cruise speed of 50 mph at 4500 rpm (37 - 38 gph). Top speed is only 72 mph, but you don't have to wear headsets and microphones to communicate with the person next to you.

On the other hand, if you love speed and fishing equally, as Peter Casini does, and can't decide whether to go racing or trolling the 100-mph Cobra may be for you.  It's the only boat that can do both.

-John Clemans