“Hot dogs! Get your all beef dogs here!”

“Soda soda! Beer here!”

One liners from concession guys touting tempting snacks usually aren’t the phrases you hear echoing through the air during a typical day on the water. This day, however, wasn’t a typical day on the water. We were in the middle of Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets, watching the Mets and Chicago Cubs battle it out in extra innings during a summer day game. Less than a half mile away, a Baja 30 Outlaw tugged at the dock lines waiting to jettison us to our next destination.

Thanks to the folks of Peters Marine Service in Allentown, PA and Baja Marine, we had a new 30 Outlaw at our disposal for a few days in July. We didn’t want to squander such an opportunity by conducting a standard boat test. These tests are worthwhile, but if Peters and Baja were willing to commit the boat to us for an extended period of time, why not really put the boat to the test?

Our day of fun took shape while I was having drinks in Knoxville, TN with Boat Digest’s publisher Sean O’Leary, and Barbara Grobicki, Baja’s director of marketing. We began to discuss the advantages of having a boat like the 30 Outlaw which is capable of speeds in excess of 60 knots. “Man, you could cover a lot of ground,” mentioned Sean in between Buffalo wings. He’s right. I’ve written before about savoring the journey as well as the destination. But this previous dissertation requires a footnote about performance boats where you can actually have multiple destinations in a day. Now that’s fun!

You see, in my humble opinion, some performance boats like the Baja may only be fun for the driver (and how fun it is) while the guests are merely observing. This of course is a wide generalization, but it’s a sentiment I’ve heard repeated by others. However when you can cover so much ground in a day, the destinations can become just as fulfilling as the journey for the entire family.

“We need to go on a 24-hour, fun-filled sprint with the Baja,” I suggested. “How about some baseball, maybe a little shopping, and a nice dinner. And Barbara needs to join us.” Everyone was in agreement, and in my experience, it’s one of the few times that an idea born in a bar actually reached maturity.

A few months later, we were flying down New York’s East River with Sean and Katie O’Leary (Katie is our third partner in Boat Digest), their two kids, Sean Jr., 6, and Timothy, 3, along with Corey Norman of Baja. (Barbara was wrapped up with a Poker Run and could not make the trip.)

Wednesday 7:00 a.m.

The 30 was loaded onto a trailer in Allentown, Pennsylvania at Peters Marine and made her way down Route 78 to Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey. There was a ramp available but we decided to have the folks at Liberty Landing launch the boat with their lift. As a side note, the service tech Sonny, could not have been more accommodating and flexible. By 9:30 a.m. the Baja was launched and Corey took her out for a systems check before the O’Leary clan and I arrived.

9:42 a.m.

“Wow, is that the boat?” asked Sean Jr., watching Corey pull her up to the fuel dock at Liberty Landing. The throaty sound of the Merc 496s and powerful profile of the 30 Outlaw could bring out the kid in anybody.

We stowed our gear on board along with a few sodas and overnight bags. The 30’s cabin offers plenty of space for day trips or a weekend outing for a couple. We cast off and idled towards New York harbor. The Statue of Liberty stood tall over the harbor, keeping a watchful eye on us all. Sean Jr. stared above in awe from the aft bench seat of the Baja.

After our tour around Liberty Island, making every effort not to antagonize the Coast Guard security detail, we turned hard to starboard and began our sprint up New York’s East River to take a few photographs. Looking at the morning traffic on the FDR, Sean and I decided that the Baja could also be the ultimate commuter vehicle. “Maybe we should have worn suits for the pictures,” I suggested, thinking this beats commuting to Wall Street on the subway's number 5 line anyday. It wouldn’t matter if you lived in a suburb of Chicago, or on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, commuting to the Western Shore. On a nice day, you jump into the boat, beat the traffic, and have a morning on the water before your workday even starts .

11:07 a.m.

Sean and Corey traded the driver’s seat, so Corey could take in the sights of the New York skyline. We soaked in landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport, the United Nations and Gracie Mansion. “It’s a lot different from the water,” said Corey. He’s right. Cities always seem more tranquil to me and even friendlier from the comfort of a boat.

We pulled into a floating dock at the World’s Fair Marina in Queens. This requires a run along LaGuardia Airport where the sound of a jet taking off can cut right through you. “Look at all the planes,” Sean Jr. said, followed by a few questions and comments about air travel.

For $30 we were able to tie up for the afternoon and walk over to Shea Stadium. Not bad considering that parking is about the same and arriving on a boat versus a Volvo is pretty cool.

12:15 p.m.

We found our seats and were thankful to be in the shade on a day where the temperature would climb north of the 95-degree mark. We settled in, grabbed the mandatory ballpark dog and began watching some baseball. “I gotta tell you, George, I’m having a really fun time,” Sean Jr. said while watching the game. “We got to go on a boat ride, saw some planes, and went by the Statue of Liberty.” His younger brother Timothy sat nearby on Katie’s lap, with his big blue eyes absorbing the plethora of activity. We laughed, thinking that we may be subjecting the kid to a little sensory overload.

I found myself enjoying the game more, knowing that we had a boat parked nearby and didn’t have to battle the post game traffic. The game was going into extra innings and I had a few pangs thinking we were going to arrive at our next destination 55 miles up the Hudson with a fading sun. “How fast can we go again?” I asked Corey. “You can push it over 60,” was his casual response, not taking his eyes off the action on the field. I had to recalculate the distance and time figures in my head. My brain was not yet willing to accept the fact that we could transport ourselves to a totally different environment in less than 2 hours. Normally, we would have to set a less ambitious goal for our next destination, most likely around 20 miles or so from the stadium.

I sat back, enjoyed the rest of the game and agreed with my young friend Sean Jr. that yes indeed, this was "a really fun time." In the end, the Mets squeaked out a win, and we were able to stay for the entire game not worrying about beating the traffic.

4:05 p.m.

We headed back to the boat, got the kids into their PFDs, and pointed the Baja west down the East River. There was a warm golden glow on the skyline of the city providing a stunning back drop for our ride. Katie, Timmy and I sat in the Baja’s aft bench seat, while Corey, Sean, and Sean Jr. split the two helm seats.

From my vantage point, I appreciated the hefty construction techniques used by Baja. At these speeds, quality and lightweight construction are paramount. Baja uses a resin infusion, or SCRIMP process when laying-up the hull. This provides a consistent, and thus lighter and stronger hull. During a Baja meeting last summer, the engineers walked us through the company’s Finite Element Analysis process, which through computer programming can identify any high-stress areas that will require reinforcement in the lay-up. I can assure you, when we turned the corner at the Battery, where the East River meets the Hudson, we were able to conduct our own Finite Element Analysis. All systems a go!

Corey, who races stock cars as a hobby, expertly navigated us through the large wakes generated by commuting ferries, commercial tugs, and a current against the wind. I was wearing such a grin that I was worried about having teeth full of bugs. Even at a consistent speed in the 45 to 55 knot range, the 30 Outlaw handled the seas like a thoroughbred. After passing under the George Washington Bridge, Sean had to indulge. In fact, it was the longest I had seen this boat nut go without taking the wheel. Corey explained a few techniques, mainly with the tabs, and we were off.

After the Tappan Zee Bridge, the Hudson begins to narrow and the commercial backgrounds fade, replaced by lush scenery and open space. “It’s hard to believe less than an hour ago we were in Manhattan,” said Katie, while taking in the undeveloped banks of the Hudson.

6:11 p.m.

We moved past West Point, on our port side, arriving in Cold Spring, New York, our destination for the evening. There was dock space available at the private Cold Spring Boat Club for a buck a foot. Sean paid a guy at the top of the dock who was sipping a beer with a few of the Club’s members. We joked that the money was most likely going towards subsidizing their next round of drinks. They were very helpful, providing us with dining and lodging suggestions.

Cold Spring is a wonderful, sleepy commuter town that was far enough away from Manhattan that it retained a small town charm. Across the street, we checked into our rooms at the Hudson House Inn and went off to look for dinner. I could easily spend an entire fall weekend in Cold Spring. The Baja could be the ultimate platform to soak in fall foliage along the Hudson.

“Oh boy, ice cream!” yelled Timothy, as we passed an ice cream parlor. “I need water, some food, and then some ice cream,” he explained. Now there’s a 3 year old with the right priorities. Ours were similar, but included a cold beer. We settled on The Depot which parallels the train tracks. Before our appetizers arrived, two trains flew by us only feet away behind the chain-link fence. The boys almost flew out of their seats. Now we had trains to help close the day that included boating, baseball, and airplanes!

Needless to say that the kids went down like rocks. The four of us sat on the balcony of the Inn listening to the sounds of small town life unfold with the setting sun. A few teenagers were jumping in the Hudson to cool off from the hot, heavy, July weather, as an older couple sat holding hands on a park bench gazing contently out onto the placid Hudson. I began to slow down as well, relaxing and forgetting about work for a respite.

9:30 p.m.

Our conversation turned to the last 12 hours and the possibility of duplicating this type of trip around the country. We certainly packed a lot into one day, but I never felt rushed or overburdened by a time schedule. Having a boat that was capable of running safely at higher speeds certainly made this possible.

Thursday 8:00 a.m.

Katie took Sean Jr. and explored Cold Spring some more, taking a few more photos for the story. Everyone met in the Inn’s dining room for a stellar breakfast that included some of the best homemade pancakes I’ve ever tasted.

Without any major effort, our merry gang grabbed oure bags, and headed across the street to the Baja. We were thankful for a little cooler weather, although at high speeds, the wind kept us cool.

9:05 a.m.

While driving down the Hudson, I became acutely aware of how tuned in you must be when traveling in excess of 50 knots. We throttled back to a mid-30 knot range in order to avoid the floating debris that seemed to have made its way down river during the night. I kept one hand on the wheel and the other on the throttles navigating around some of the logs and branches.

10:29 a.m.

We pulled into Liberty Landing Marina, a little more than 24 hours later. Within that time, we had traveled more than a 100 miles experiencing a variety of activities, while providing the two younger O’Leary’s with a memorable day that would certainly earn them bragging rights on the playground. Well, for the adults as well. And I realized that with a boat like the Baja 30 Outlaw, it’s possible to enjoy both the journey and the destination.