First Impression: Atlantica

Date toured: December 2007

I must admit, my visit this month onboard the 135-foot Christensen motoryacht Atlantica was extra-special. She’s one of the first yachts I ever saw when I first started covering the charter industry as a journalist in 2000, and I remembered her as being over-the-top gorgeous back then, when she was brand new.
     That was, of course, before I’d spent some eight years looking at, easily, hundreds of boats each year, and I was eager to see if Atlantica would hold up in reality as well as she had in my mind.
     As it turns out, my initial instincts were right on the money. This yacht not only was built beautifully inside and out, but she’s still in very nice condition. And, I soon learned, she got a new owner in June of this year. He kept the yacht’s original name, and so far hasn’t changed a thing—though an audiovisual upgrade is in the planning stages. New soft goods, such as curtains and bed linens, are likely coming in 2008 as well, and zero-speed stabilizers are a possibility in the future.
     With the new owner came a new crew, led by Capt. Roy and Stephanie Hodges, who serve as captain and chef. I was invited by management company International Yacht Collection to get to know them over lunch onboard, with Stephanie preparing a surf-and-turf of sesame-seared yellowfin tuna and wagyu beef filet. I thought it was absolutely delicious—and again, my instincts proved correct a few days later when the same dish won Stephanie top honors as best chef in her division at the Sint Maarten charter show. (Want to see her at work in the galley? Click here to watch our vidcast.)
     The Hodges have been with the owner for some time, previously running his 106-foot Lazzara motoryacht, which was not in charter. They had done two charters onboard Atlantica at the time of my visit and were beginning to earn a solid reputation in the industry.
     Atlantica herself has a serious master suite with a king-size bed and a his-and-her bathroom that features uniquely tall sinks—no bending over required for 6-foot men during their daily routines. (I’m 5-foot-5, and the sinks came up to my chest. See photo at right.)
     There are two identical VIP cabins with queen-size beds and hot tubs, as well as a third queen-bed stateroom with a Pullman-style bunk, and a twin-bed cabin with a Pullman-style bunk. As Capt. Hodges rightly said, the layout is best for 10 adults, or 12 guests that include at least two children.
     Kids are definitely welcome, as we first told you last month in a weekly CharterWave Ten Best feature. One longtime charter broker rated Atlantica as one of the best charter yachts in the world for families with young children: “"They did a great job for my client with two adults and five children ranging from nine months to 16 years of age--thankfully, with a nanny!"
     Atlantica carries seven crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $90,000, or about $9,300 per person with all the beds filled and typical 25-percent expenses factored in. Contact any reputable charter broker to book.—Kim Kavin