phocea sailboat

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Bernard Tapie's Phocéa, exceptional sailboat 1976-2021

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The Phocéa at Port Vauban in Antibes in 2009.

In 1976, navigator Alain Colas (record holder of the 1973 solo round-the-world sailing trip in 169 days on his Pen Duick IV "Manureva") had this exceptional vessel built, designed by naval architect Michel Bigouin (creator of Pen Duick IV and Pen Duick V) at the Toulon arsenal. He finances everything through his company Alain-Colas-Tahiti SA with an exceptional ability to solicit sponsors. The ship is built within the confines of the Mourillon arsenal in Toulon. Unique and revolutionary boat 72 meters long, it was initially baptized Club Méditerranée, and has 1 m000 of sail area, 2 masts 4 meters high. It is equipped with very advanced technological equipment for the time. This boat having to perform the English Transat (solo transatlantic) and the solo round the world, it must be able to be maneuvered by a single person: the maneuver of the boat is entirely assisted by a hydraulic pilot system. This then state-of-the-art boat is one of the largest and fastest racing sailboats in the world, capable of theoretically reaching a top speed of 30 knots (or 30 km/h).

On June 5, 1976, Alain Colas took the start of the fifth English Transat solo, in Plymouth. The following days, five storms follow one another in the North Atlantic, several boats sink. On Club Méditerranée, they caused the halyards, cables holding the sails, to break. Alain Colas decides on a technical stopover in Newfoundland, which lasts thirty-six hours. On June 29, he arrived in Newport in fifth place after a fixed penalty of 58 hours, but only 7 hours and 28 minutes in real time behind Éric Tabarly.

In 1978, Alain Colas was reported missing at sea on November 16 while taking part in the Route du Rhum on his Pen Duick IV “Manureva”. His wife Teura Colas then inherited his company and its boats, which had been abandoned for many years in Tahiti.

The Phocea off Pampelonne in Saint-Tropez.

In 1982, businessman Bernard Tapie bought Club Méditerranée and Alain-Colas-Tahiti SA from Teura Colas, which he made a subsidiary of his group. He repatriates the wreckage of the boat to Marseilles from Tahiti where he has it completely restored and transformed into a luxury yacht, while retaining its sporting spirit. Thus, only light materials are used to fit out the Phocéa, which remains very efficient under sail. Bernard Tapie wants to make the Phocéa the most beautiful and the most efficient sailboat in the world. The renovation will last four years, at a cost of 68 million francs (10 million euros). On May 23, 1987, by way of inauguration, he married Dominique Mialet-Damianos, of Greek origin, on board in Greece during a private ceremony with some friends, celebrated by a Greek Orthodox priest and made his first cruise in the Mediterranean at on board for her honeymoon.

In 1988, on his second attempt, Bernard Tapie broke the record for crossing the Atlantic in a monohull with this boat in June. Bernard Tapie is personally on board for the crossing as owner.

The fire on February 18, 2021

Ex-wife of billionaire Nasser Al-Rashid, businessman Saudi real estate developer and personal friend of the King of Saudi Arabia Fahd ben Abdelaziz Al Saud, Mouna Ayoub buys Phocéa with the idea of ​​transforming it in depth. Little sensitive to the sporting spirit that animated Bernard Tapie, Mouna Ayoub replaced the light materials used for decoration by the latter with heavier materials, in the tradition of luxury yachting. It also reduces the size of the masts and the sails, hampered by the significant angle of heel of the boat under sail. Finally, she adds a floor to have more space. Mouna Ayoub thus spends a total of 17 million dollars in modifications, development and decoration work. In the opinion of all observers of the yachting world, these changes are not very flattering for the Phocéa: the formerly slender line is weighed down by the shortening of the masts and the addition of a floor, as well as by the use of the color white for the superstructure which “stands out” visually much more. In addition, the ship has become 60% heavier and has lost 35% of sail area, making its performance under sail, once exceptional, much more common. Mouna Ayoub makes Phocéa her personal address and rents it out from €196 per week. The new owners of the Phocéa continue to offer it on charter.

In 2010, Mouna Ayoub resold the yacht for approximately 10 million euros to Xavier Niel, associated with brothers Steve and Jean-Émile Rosenblum, the founders of the Pixmania site. The yacht is registered in Luxembourg. It is owned by a Maltese company, Phocea Limited. This in turn is 50% owned by the NJJ Capital holding company (French company owned by Xavier Niel) and the Dotcorp Finance holding company (Luxembourg company owned by the Rosenblum brothers). On the occasion of the disclosure of the "Malta Files", the financial arrangement used for the management of Phocéa is highlighted.

The Phocéa sank after being partially destroyed by fire on February 18, 2021 while anchored in the Langkawi archipelago in Malaysia.

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75.13m superyacht Phocea sold by Fraser Yachts

Good news from Jurgen Koch of Fraser Yachts in Palma as he's just sold the 75.13m sailing yacht Phocea  with no other broker involved. Her name will not be changed.

Phocea was built in 1976 by DCAN near Toulon, France, commissioned by French yachtsman Alain Colas to compete in the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race. Following the race, she had a chequered history, becoming first a day charter vessel and later refitted as a superyacht by a French entrepreneur.

She was purchased in 1997 and sent to Lurssen in Germany where she was stripped back to just the hull and superstructure and completely rebuilt to her new owner’s exacting specifications. Following these two metamorphoses she is now a stunning sailing superyacht accommodating 12 guests in an owner’s suite on the main deck and three double and two twin cabins below. Phocea was asking €9.9 million.

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By SuperyachtNews 05 Feb 2013

Further details of S/Y Phocea detainment revealed

Some six months since the sailing yacht 'phocea' was detained in vanuatu, and a multitude of questions surrounding the yacht remain unanswered. superyachtnews.com spoke to an anonymous source in vanuatu, who supplied an update on the saga to date and an overview of how things currently stand. ….

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Phocea Specifications

• Name Phocea
• Model Custom
• Flag Cayman Islands
• Hull Colour -
• Naval Architect
• Exterior Designer Tim Heywood Design
• Interior Designer Beiderbeck Designs
• Length Overall 75.2m
• Length at Waterline 66.5m
• Draft (min) -
• Draft (max) 6.1m
• Gross Tonnage 530
• Cabins Total 6
• Cabins 1 Master / 1 VIP / 2 Double / 2 Twin
• Hull Configuration -
• Hull Material Steel
• Superstructure -
• Deck Material Teak
• Fuel Type -
• Manufacturer MTU
• Model / 12V 200 M91
• Power 1056 hp
• Total Power 1056 hp
• Propulsion Single Screw
• Max Speed 14 Kn
• Cruising Speed 12 Kn
• Fuel Capacity 37000
• Water Capacity 13000
• Generator Catepillar / 2 x Catepillar 161 kW
• Stabilizers -
• Thrusters Schottel
• Amenities -
• Yacht Builder DCAN No profile available
• Exterior Designer Tim Heywood Design View profile
• Interior Designer Beiderbeck Designs No profile available

Yacht Specs

Related news.

75 Metre Sailing Yacht Phocea Sinks After Fire

Last week, the 75.13-metre sailing yacht  Enigma  (ex:  Phocea )  caught fire near Langkawi, Malaysia . After seven crew members were rescued from the yacht, local authorities continued to fight the flames in strong winds. However, the damage incurred by the fire led to the yacht sinking nearly 24 hours later. 

The 75.12 metre Phocea was first built in 1976 for single-handed yachtsman Alain Colas as Club Mediterranée. In 1986 it was converted into a cruising yacht for French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie.

The yacht was then sold to Mouna Ayoub in 1999 and modernised during a refit at Lürssen. The yacht was sold again in 2010 to her current owners.

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The Phocea, Bernard Tapie's former boat, victim of a fire in Malaysia

Alain Colas' former Club Méditerranée had a complicated life. While he was spending his old age in Malaysia, a fire broke out on board on the night of 17 February 2021.

Phocea, the former boat owned by Bernard Tapie, originally belonged to Alain Colas , who had it built in the Mourillon arsenal in Toulon.

This boat, which has been bought and renamed many times, seems to be out of luck. Its successive owners have almost all experienced setbacks or worse, dramas, like Bernard Tapie or Alain Colas .

The last owner to date, Xavier Niel and his associates do not seem any more vain. Indeed, during the night of 17th to 18th February 2021, a fire broke out on board the 4-masted boat, fortunately brought under control by the Malaysian firemen.

It was while at anchor near Pulau Singa that a fire started on board the vessel. The quick action of the firefighters saved the crew of seven. Unfortunately, the damage to the ship appears to be quite extensive.

According to the information we were able to obtain from the Malaysian authorities, the fire started in the lazarette and spread rapidly to the middle of the boat .

The Malaysian authorities tell us that they have hired several vessels to contain the disaster, including the Malaysian Coast Guard pump boat KM TENGGOL.

The assistance of a Malaysian Navy ship was required on site to secure the entire crew .

Phocea is a 4 masts designed by Michel Bigouin (who notably created Pen Duick V). The boat has successively belonged to Alain Colas (under the name Club Méditerranée to race the OSTAR), Bernard Tapie, Mouna Ayoub and finally to a group of owners headed by Xavier Niel, the CEO of the telephone operator Free.

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The 75-meter yacht Phocea sank after a fire off the coast of Malaysia

Sailing yacht Phocea (formerly Enigma) was one of the Top 10 largest sailing ships in the world.

On Friday, February 19, the 75-meter sailboat Phocea, owned between 1980 and 1990 by the former owner of Adidas Corporation, Bernard Tapi, sank off the coast of Malaysia. Speaking to Agence France-Presse, the Malaysian Coast Guard confirmed that Engima sank around 5-6 am on 19 February. The cause of the crash was a fire that occurred on the deck of the boat.

Crew members of the yacht Phocea, which is ninth largest sailing yacht in the world, turned to the Langkawi Marine Rescue Center and the Malaysian Maritime Agency MMEA for help. Firefighting began around 8:18 local time, however, despite the Coast Guard being able to contain the fire, the damage to the hull was too severe, causing the yacht to sink. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Director of the Kedah and Perlis MMEA, 1st Naval Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah noted that although wind conditions "difficult the operation", seven crew members were successfully transferred to the Tenggol patrol catamaran. All of them are safe and sound. Abdullah also said that no oil spills were recorded. Now MMEA experts continue to monitor the situation.  

It is noted that the 75.12-meter yacht Phocea was built in 1976 at the shipyard of Toulon, France, especially for the single yachtsman Alain Cole. In 1986, she was converted into a cruise boat for the French entrepreneur, ex-owner of Adidas and President of Olympique Marseille, Bernard Tapie. Later, in 1999, the yacht was sold to Mouna Ayoub and refitted during a refit at Lürssen.

In 2010, the yacht was purchased by its current owners, whose names are not known.

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Phocea Mekong

Cruise company: Phocea Mekong

Cruise type: Day, Private

Destinations: Cambodia - Cambodia

The Phocea, formerly Deauville, is a traditional wood construction boat, built in 1999 was completely renovated and refurbished in December 2010. This unit was designed for a comfortable and safe navigation on the Mekong and Tonle Sap departing Titanic Port of Phnom Penh.

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The Phocea Mekong Cruises, settled in Phnom Penh, is the exclusive day cruises specialist in all-inclusive tours, drinks and meals on the Cambodian rivers. It desires to develop attractive cruises that correspond perfectly to the expectations of our passengers. The safety of our passengers is a major concern of our company. Thus, in order to avoid the invalidation of insurance contracts, our two boats have all the official operating licenses to browse all Cambodian territory, all safety equipment requested by the Ministry of Transport, the captain their navigation licenses and minimum 5 or 6 crew members on board (depend of cruise). The main causes of accidents are waterways on hulls poorly maintained and electric or kitchen fire. Our ships are regularly maintained by our own team to maintain our high standards of quality and reliability. The Phocea Mekong cruises society is intimately involved in supporting the orphanage - Welcome home « Ptea Clara«  (home of Clara in Khmer). Sandra, our director of operations is also the founder of "Ptea Clara".

Services & Facilities

• 24-hour Security
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Dining Room & Bar

• Breakfast, lunch or dinner (selection of western-Asian BBQ with fresh food products shrimps, fish, chicken, pork, cooked on board, fresh fruits) and free flow of drinks (tea, coffee, soft drinks, beer, liquors and spirits) are included in your ticket price!
• Meals with cocktails served along the journey, our passengers discover a timeless experience, overlooking the wild and mythic Mekong River.

Onboard Activities

Indulge yourself with our unique all inclusive day cruises concept: once on board, you don’t need to spend money anymore. During excursions (Oudong tour) transfers by tuk-tuk, English speaking guide, and sites access fee are included too. Just come, relax and enjoy in a comfortable, scenic and breezy atmosphere on the river with a full service.

Cancellation by Customer:

• Integral  payment  is  due  by  customer  in  case  of  late  cancellation  
• Cancellation  must  be done  by  e-mail  or phone  and  in  any  case confirmed  before  deadline  by  e-mail. 
• Late or missing passengers can’t be refunded.

Children Price & Extra Bed:

• Free of charge for children under 6 years old.
• Between 6 and 11 years old, we charge 50% of the normal rate.
• Over 11 years old, full rate is applied.

Shuttle Bus:

• Boarding at Titanic passengers tourism port, on Sisowath Quay, in front of street 104.
• Khmers guides travelling with groups are FOC. (For joining cruise 1 guide per group of 10 pax minimum - For private cruise 1 guide for less than 10 pax). They should be mentioned during the reservation. The 11th, 22nd and 33th full paying passengers are FOC.

Tours of Phocea Mekong

Phnom Penh - Silk Island

Kampong Cham - Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh - Kampong Cham

Similar Cambodia - Cambodia Cruises

From: $33 /pax

Company: Phocea Mekong

Type: Day, Private

Type: Private

From: $772 /pax

Company: Mekong Dawn

Type: Midrange, Sharing, 6 cabins

Type: Midrange, Sharing, 4 cabins

From: $34 /pax

Company: Tara

Type: Day, Sharing

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This Yacht is not for Charter*

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ENIGMA yacht NOT for charter*

75m  /  246'1 | dcan | 1976 / 2000.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Impressive 3,000nm range
• BV (Bureau Veritas) classification
• Up to 23 crew
• Sleeps 12 overnight

The 75m/246'1" sail yacht 'Enigma' (ex. Club Mediterrannee) was built by DCAN at their Toulon shipyard. Her interior is styled by design house Jorg Biederbeck and she was completed in 1976. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Tim Heywood Design and she was last refitted in 2000.

Guest Accommodation

Enigma has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 suites comprising one VIP cabin. She is also capable of carrying up to 23 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Onboard Comfort & Entertainment

Her features include a gym, WiFi and air conditioning.

Range & Performance

Enigma is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by 1 x diesel MTU (12v 2000 M90) 1,056hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 11 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 14 knots with a range of up to 3,000 nautical miles from her 37,000 litre fuel tanks at 11 knots. Her water tanks store around 13,000 Litres of fresh water. She was built to BV (Bureau Veritas) classification society rules.

*Charter Enigma Sail Yacht

Sail yacht Enigma is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Enigma Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

Enigma Photos

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Specification

S/Y Enigma

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