Amazingly, the 75.12m four-masted schooner Phocea was originally built in 1976 as a single-handed racing yacht, Club Mediterranée, with an eye on beating the single-handed transatlantic record. It was converted into a cruising yacht in 1986 for Bernard Tapie, a colourful French entrepreneur and one-time president of Olympique de Marseilles football team.
In 1999, she was sold to Mouna Ayoub (whose ex-husband owns Lady Moura). She changed the yacht’s name to Phocea and extensively rebuilt her at Lürssen Werft in Germany, with interior design by Jörg Beiderbeck and exterior styling by Tim Heywood. The yacht has achieved speeds of up to 20 knots under sail and can accommodate 12 guests. She was purchased by a group of private investors in May 2010 and remains available for charter. Phocea is featured in The Superyachts, Volume 14.
- Builder: DCAN (1976) / Lürssen (1999)
- Naval architecture: Michel Bigion / Pierrejean
- Exterior styling: Tim Heywood (rebuild)
- Interior design: Jörg Beiderbeck (rebuild)
- Former names: Club Mediterranée
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