December 2009 Editor's Note: Wonderful has undergone a substantial refit, including having her exterior hull painted black and silver, and her interior furnishings being made more contemporary in tone and style. See this interview with Capt. Warren East for details.

Date toured: November 2006

I liked the 73-foot sailing catamaran Wonderful from the moment I stepped onboard. I can’t explain exactly why; I just had a good feeling after looking around and meeting the crew.

     My instincts were verified a few days later when

the yacht’s chef, Elizabeth Lee, took home best appetizer and best overall honors in the chef’s competition at the Tortola charter yacht show—right before the boat itself was nam

ed best in show for the year.
     The honors were a long time coming in the mind of Capt. Warren East, who designed and oversaw the build of the yacht for its owner. East had spent about a decade offering charters on the water, plus some time doing ergonomic product design for high-end car companies including Mercedes and Jaguar. “This boat is the culmination of all my years and all my experiences,” he told me. “I love every inch of it. The boat’s getting really recognized as a touch of class in the Caribbean.”
     I certainly felt the look of the yacht stood out in the crowd at the Tortola charter yacht show, with a kind of elegance that was just a notch above many other yachts in the marina. Several of the design details impressed me, as well, including a proper fighting chair on the aft deck for serious fishing, a hot tub for two on the forward deck for serious relaxing, and a secondary seating area on the top deck (where many yachts have nothing) for spreading out when the yacht is full and under way.
     East told me that the winter of 2006/2007 will be Wonderful’s third season in the Virgin Islands, having done nine charters in year one and 18 charters in year two. Starting in the spring of 2007, the yacht is heading to the Bahamas because several repeat clients want to come back but are tired of visiting the same destination.
     That comment was the icing on the cake for me. It means the yacht’s owner is willing to do what’s necessary to maintain a good base of charter clients. Yet another good sign that Wonderful does, indeed, live up to her name.
     Wonderful is part of the fleet at The Catamaran Company. Her weekly base rate for two to four guests is $33,000; for five to eight guests, $35,000 ($4,375 per person with a full boat).—Kim Kavin