Yacht
As you read in the accompanying feature, Phoenix, is one of just two powercats designed by the legendary Ted Hood. She’s technically called a Portsmouth Marine PowerCat 52, and she’s the only one available for charter anywhere in the world.
     Phoenix has a lovely top deck with chaise lounges for sitting and enjoying the view while cruising, as well as an outdoor seating area on the bottom deck and a large main saloon inside. Even with a full complement of six guests and two crew, nobody is going to feel squished onboard, and everyone will be able to find privacy when needed.
     The owners are longtime yachting enthusiasts who are also longtime charter industry players, so they understand the value of proper maintenance and happy charter clients. That bodes well for this yacht’s care and reputation, and hopefully, she will stay in the excellent condition she presented when our expert got onboard.

Crew
Capt. John and chef Amanda Cushen are a delightful couple who call New Zealand home. They are entirely service oriented in everything they do, including when they dream. While they are committed to working onboard Phoenix for some time, their someday goal is to open a bed-and-breakfast retreat in their home country.
     They are explorers at heart, too, and were eager to poke into every nook and cranny we found in Greece’s Dodecanese Islands. The Bahamas will be new to them during the summer of 2008, but I have no doubt they will make the most of the destination for charter guests (and enjoy exploring right along with them).

Chef
Amanda does the cooking onboard, and she strives to incorporate local cuisines, such as the Eastern Mediterranean salad show in the photo at right, as well as staples such as lamb chops. Everything she prepared during my charter tasted delicious.
     The food Amanda prepares is not gourmet, per se, but rather is presented in a way that my mother would call “cooked with love.” It looks nice enough and tastes even better, and that’s often darn near heaven for a lot of people, myself included.

 
Accommodations
There are four cabins onboard Phoenix, and the Cushens occupy one of them. That leaves three cabins for six charter guests, with two on the starboard side and one master cabin (shown in the photo at right) on the port side, where the crew cabin is also located.
     I had the forward starboard cabin, which has twin-size beds, and I felt quite at home. There was more than enough space, and well more space than I have had onboard monohull yachts of this length.
     As you read in the accompanying feature, there is tons of natural light and fresh air in the cabins, an unusual amount, actually, even for a catamaran. It’s a real treat to sleep in a cabin while preserving the feeling of being outdoors.

Destination
Despite my unpleasant encounter with the locals in one harbor who were displeased at the sight of our yacht's U.S. flag, I found the Dodecanese Islands beautiful and charming in general, including most of the people. These islands are, for the most part, unspoiled by tourism—which makes them ideal for private yacht charter.
     As you read in the accompanying feature, the island Symi is not to be missed. Cruising into this picturesque harbor (shown in the photo at above, which I took after climbing up a very tall set of stairs) is as memorable an experience as entering the much-more-popular Portofino in Italy. I even preferred it to visiting Rhodes, which is the island most tourists put on their must-see list in this part of the world.
     Phoenix has left the Mediterranean since my time onboard and is headed to the Bahamas for summer 2008. Be sure to plan an itinerary in the Exumas section if at all possible. It’s one of my all-time favorites for solitary beaches and stunning waters.