FLIGHT of FANCY WRITTEN BY MARILYN MOWER PHOTOGRAPHS BY STÉPHANE BRAVIN A project that nearly foundered as her owners pursued quality and technical perfection, the aptly named Phoenix is a soaring achievement. MARCH 2005 | SHOWBOATS.COM

LÜRSSEN 200 The elegant stateroom portion of Phoenix’s two-deck owners’ suite perfectly expresses French Deco themes with mirrored and gloss finishes, geometric prints and highly decorative objects, such as the wall-size reproduction of an antique Coromandel screen. Andrew Winch Designs developed the architecture, while Dawn Moffitt supplied color, surface fabric and furniture guidance. Metaphorically speaking, most custom yachts are a balancing act – the process of modulating owners’ dreams with the realities of physics, finances or technology. The 200-foot Lürssen motor yacht Phoenix is literally...

PHOENIX ALFA FOUR recalls Rob Moran, the broker who spearheaded the Lürssen project. “During their investigation, he developed specifications and approached a selection of yards on his own.” According to Moran, many of the yards seemed not to pay serious attention to the owner’s specific requests and those that did quoted unacceptable prices, terms or delivery dates. Finally, convinced that a yacht matching his requirements could not be built, he shelved the idea. Moran thought the project worth another try and requested permission to represent the owner in the process. “We wrote a very detailed...

Clockwise from upper left: A circular piano vestibule connects the main and dining salons; the dramatic stainless atrium staircase went through four full-scale mock-ups to achieve perfect proportion; reached via a private staircase, an office lies on the upper story of the owner’s duplex apartment; the vaulted, backlit glass ceiling of the upper salon’s theater soars to four meters. SHOWBOATS.COM | MARCH 2005

PHOENIX Staggered deck heights enhance the features of the sun deck located aft of the gym. Phoenix's contemporary profile is enhanced by her radar mast, which was drawn by the owner and Capt. Ruiz. ting a Feadship and on a residence. Despite the distances separating the team, the end result is seamless with no competition between soft goods and architecture. Beautiful stonework, and lots of it, plays a strong role in the ensemble of details. “These clients love decorative stone; they aren’t afraid of color and they like diversity,” Moffitt said. In fact, Phoenix features 30 different stones...