11 minute read
A Harbour Island Takeover
Thirteen Horizon Power Catamarans with their owners and guests gathered for the 5th Owners’ Rendezvous in Harbour Island, Bahamas.
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Repeat and first-time Horizon Power Catamaran owners gathered for four days of fun and frivolity in Harbour Island.
It was blowing a gale the day the Horizon PowerCats
navigated “The Devil’s Backbone” and arrived on North Eleuthera, but, once comfortably nestled into their slips at the Romora Bay Resort and Marina on Harbour Island, the 13 beautiful catamarans in attendance paid no notice, their owners and guests immediately taking to the docks to mix and mingle with friends old and new. After a three-year hiatus, the 2022 Horizon Power Catamarans (HPC) Owners’ Rendezvous unofficially kicked off on the Wednesday evening with the celebratory christening of a brand new PC65, Hideout. Attendees gathered on the dock for a champagne toast to the owners, who had moved up from their Horizon PC60 to this new build, for which they specified a Sea Torque Boss shaft system and VEEM propellers to achieve a top-end speed of 27.4 knots on their new yacht. Guests enjoyed the signature fresh stone crab, champagne and Taiwan beer during the christening and continued the merriment with a shared potluck dinner on the dock well into the evening.
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It was a "Powercat Takeover" at the Romora Bay Resort and Marina, whose staff very graciously accommodated all guests and yachts for the entire weekend.
The rendezvous was a spectacular event not to be outdone. It was First Class - from organization to personalization they hit the mark! — Owners, PC60 Brokedown Palace
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The celebration began with the champagne christening of the new PC65 Hideout, with the traditional stone crab claws and Taiwan beer served dockside.
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At the Welcome Dinner, The Powercat Company CEO Richard Ford set the tone for fun with a memorable speech capturing the personality of each yacht.
The first official day of the HPC Owners’ Rendezvous dawned bright and beautiful as the catamarans were cleaned and prepared for their Rendezvous appearance. The Horizon PowerCat team spent this time greeting each boat and checking on any service or maintenance needs—one of the many examples of the attention to service and detail that distinguishes the HPC brand from its competition. In the afternoon, the Romora Bay Resort extended a gracious welcome to the Horizon attendees with a steel drum band and Bahamian conch fritters washed down with tropical Goombay Smashes at the dockmaster’s office. Well rested and ready to celebrate, the guests donned their tropical attire for the opening cocktail party and Welcome Dinner on the resort’s terrace, for which The Powercat Company founder and CEO Richard Ford set the tone for fun with his pre-dinner welcome speech. Sponsored by AssuredPartners, the evening continued long after dessert with live music and dancing.
The seriousness of the occasion was palpable early on Day Two, as owners and guests bustled about the docks carrying bags and boxes, and scurried to and from their golf carts huddled in whispered conversations. It was the day of the Pimp My Golf Cart Contest and worldwide recognition as well as bragging rights for at least twelve months were on the line. Led by Spencer Lloyd of AssuredPartners, the team of judges carefully critiqued each golf cart entry, paying particular attention to the award-winning characteristics of uniqueness, fun and creativity. Creativity, fun and uniqueness were indeed the words of the day as each cart—decked out in full regalia—lined up for a fast and furious scavenger hunt around the island. The raucous parade—ranging from astronauts to aliens, lifeguards to lobsters, mermaids to dinosaurs, and pimps to parrotheads—created quite a stir as each cart and its colorful occupants rampaged through Dunmore Town completing tasks and competitions in as civilized a manner possible. Back at the resort, the frivolity continued late into the afternoon with an impromptu pool party, before the guests retired to their yachts for a much quieter evening.
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The Horizon Power Catamaran team remained at the ready with their private jet and service-themed golf carts.
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From aliens and astronauts to pimps and dinosaurs, the costumes and competition for the coveted First Place trophy was fierce.
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A full-scale scavenger hunt around the island followed the intense judging process.
Laughter echoed off the docks early on the morning of Day Three, as owners gathered on their neighbor’s aft deck to sip coffee and recount stories of the previous day before tending to the preparations for the raft-up and beach barbecue. Despite the blue skies and brilliant sunshine, the aforementioned winds had forced a change of venue for the last two days of the Rendezvous. The disruption in itinerary, however, was not met with much disappointment as the revised venue was just as spectacular as the original. By mid-morning, each catamaran left its slip and cruised the few miles to the beach at Man Island.
Here the spectacular orchestration of the annual raft-up was on full display and managed by the Horizon Power Catamaran team with excellent precision, as Richard Ford greeted and boarded each PowerCat as it arrived and seamlessly helmed it into position while the crew set the anchor and adjusted the fenders. Within just one hour, all thirteen yachts were beautifully lined up and the guests tendered ashore for an afternoon barbecue of burgers, South African sausages, and plenty of beer, rose and champagne for all. After lunch, it was time for the cocktail competition for which three self-proclaimed experts in the field visited every yacht for a formal presentation and tasting of that yacht’s signature cocktail. Music and conversation continued as guests mingled from yacht to yacht and savored the waning sunshine before each PowerCat broke away from the raft up and set anchor for the night. That evening, a brilliant beach bonfire inspired dancing under the blanket of stars into the wee hours.
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From whimsical fun to comraderie and relaxation, guests enjoyed an exceptional weekend. The sun rose quietly on Day Four and the peacefulness of waking in a beautiful anchorage inspired a morning swim followed by a hearty breakfast. Guests took to the water on this day, some participating in the official fishing tournament and others spending the day swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing before heading back to their berth at Romora Bay. Once the day’s catch was recorded, everyone relaxed before gathering on the resort’s terrace for wine and cocktails and a slideshow of photos and videos captured during the previous days. The highly anticipated awards ceremony prefaced the dinner with the Horizon PC52 My Best Life, taking home both the largest and the heaviest fish trophiesas well as the Most Unique golf cart award for its Jurassic Park-themed cart. The PC65 Cell Fish won the Most Creative category for its Under the Sea-themed golf cart and the PC60 Brokedown Palace won the Funniest golf cart award for its Pimp Palace-themed cart. As for the cocktail competition, the now sobered judges presented the two cocktail awards—both of which coincidentally were margaritas—to the PC60 Vitality for Taste and to the PC60 Mangata for Presentation. The PC52 Cut and Run won the Scavenger Hunt and after dinner nobody, including the HPC team itself, was spared from the blooper-recognizing “C’mon Man” awards! “The 2022 Horizon Power Catamarans Owners’ Rendezvous brought together a group of fantastic owners for five days of fun, relaxation and enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures, which is what being a Horizon PowerCat owner is all about,” says The Power Catamaran Company CEO Richard Ford. “Despite the weather forcing us to abandon our original plans to cruise the Devil’s Backbone and spend the last two days in Spanish Wells, all of our owners and guests were content to relax and enjoy each other’s company no matter where they were. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting this amazing event for our owners and their guests and look forward to next year!”
Dogs of the Rendezvous
It is our pleasure to introduce you to the first annual Dogs of the Rendezvous Showcase! They may be the furriest guests of the Horizon Power Catamaran Owners Rendezvous, but these canines take their crew roles very seriously. We stepped aboard to chat with a few to learn their stories:
MEET ANGUS
Angus is a flat-coated retriever who has been boating
since he was eight weeks old. He first got his paws wet
aboard a PC52 before his owners moved up to a PC60
and then into a brand new PC60, Quintessence. With
nine years of boating experience, Angus says his
favorite parts of the day are relaxing on the aft deck
settee after his morning dockwalk and assisting with
docking and em-”barking” operations.
MEET LILY MUFFIN
The second canine resident aboard the PC60
MEET BIGS
Brokedown Palace, Lily Muffin has a dark and
storied past that is best left at sea, she says.
Nobody knows how old she is, but this Lhaso
Apso decided to leave the "bark" side behind
and joined the yacht two years ago. A bit set
in her ways, Lily Muffin isn’t quite as
seasoned at sea as her bunkmate Tuffly, but
she does find joy in running up the steps to
the flybridge and then demanding that the
hoomans retrieve her and carry her back
to the main deck. And when it’s time to go
ashore, Lily Muffin commands the dock like
it’s the Chanel catwalk in Paris.
Though small in stature, Bigs has a
commanding presence and takes his role
of Captain of the Aft Deck aboard the PC60
Mangata most ferociously. Bigs enjoys
running on the beach and if his hoomans
happen to cross paths with a large,
monstrous and most certainly poisonous
creature, Bigs will be the first on the scene
to assess and defend.
MEET TUFFLY
Tuffly is a nine-year-old Labradoodle who has spent her whole life boating.
Her name derived from the words “Fluffy” and “Tough”, Tuffly might look like
she’s never broken a nail on her yacht but she’s as serious a boat dog as they
come. She’s been spending the last few months in The Bahamas aboard her
PC60, Brokedown Palace, and her favorite pastimes include dolphin and turtle
spotting. When she’s not keeping watch on the dinghy ride or in her
favorite lookout position on the top deck while her PowerCat is underway,
Tuffly is relaxing on the aft deck enjoying a pawsitively good life.
MEET LOLA
Lola is a Mini Australian Labradoodle who took to the sea as a pup and never
looked back. This eight-year-old sailor is happiest in the water, but her second
favorite spot is curled up with her hoomans on the sofa in the main salon of
her PC52, Passion. Lola is enthusiastic about docking and em-”barking”
DEBUTING AT THE 2023 PALM BEACH BOAT SHOW
INCREDIBLE SPACE AND STYLE DEFINED
The exciting new Horizon Power Catamaran PC68 model boasts innovative deck
areas and multiple layout options. Choose from the On-Deck Master or Open Salon
configurations, both of which offer the new Portuguese deck seating area and
extended stern deck aft. The first Open Salon model will debut in 2023.
www.horizoncatamarans.com // Tel: +1 888 839 3071
