Phocea (Yacht)

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Phocea at anchor

Phocea was the largest sailing yacht in the world before the 2006 launching of Tom Perkins' Maltese Falcon. She was built at the Toulon Naval Dockyard in 1976 for the well-reputed, single-handed yachtsman Alain Colas. Shortly after competing in the Observer Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race she was converted into the charter yacht "Club Mediteranée"^[1]. In July 1997, Phocea was purchased by Mouna Ayoub and she began her transformation into a luxury sailing yacht at Lurssen. Whilst retaining her unmistakable identity, she has benefited from major interior and exterior upgrading throughout. The interior boasts fine living and accommodation areas with beautiful wood panelling, tasteful decorations and some exquisite David Linley furniture. The Owner's suite, commanding fine views, is situated on the main deck whilst the VIP guest cabin and four other double cabins, all with full ensuite facilities, are located on the lower deck.

Nasser Al-Rashid, Mouna Ayoub's ex-husband, partly paid for the $17 million refit of the Phocea, by the sale of "The Mouna", a 112 carat (22.4 g) record-breaking diamond as part of their divorce settlement .^{[citation needed]}