2026FountainePajot
Accommodations
Yacht specifications
Amenities & water toys
- Bimini
- Board Games
- Books
- CDs
- Deck Shower
- Dining: Cockpit table accommodates 10 guests comfortably
- Generator (2)
- Smoking Allowed: Yes - Sugar Scoops only
- Hair Dryer
- Ice Maker
- Inverter (2): 110v and 220V Inverters
- iPod/MP3: Yes
- Internet/WiFi: Onboard WIFI
- Hatches
- Salon Stereo
- Sun Awning
- Air conditioning: Full
- Deck jacuzzi
- Watermaker
- Beach Games
- Boarding Ladder
- Dinghy: size: Highfield 460, paxes: 10, engine: Yamaha 70 HP
- Fishing Gear: type: Trolling and Casting, rods: 4
- Fishing Permit #: Yes
- Floating Mats: Water Hammock
- Charter feature: 1 x E-Foil
- Kayaks (2 Man): Inflatable Tandem Kayak
- Kneeboard
- Sea Scooters
- Snorkel Gear
- Stand-up Paddle Boards (2)
- Swim Platform: Yes
- Tube
- Wakeboards
- Water Skis Adult
- Dive gear
- Kneeboard Adult Water Skis Tubing Wakeboard Water Hammock Boarding Ladder Beach Games SU Paddle Boards Fishing Gear Onboard Scuba Diving Water Scooter 1 eFoil Carbon Surf Boards Inflatable 2 Man Kayak
Crew information
Captain: Heiko Franken Crew: Rebecca, Ludeke Niehaus MEET YOUR CREW: CAPTAIN: Heiko Franken - RYA Yachtmaster Ocean, Freediving Instructor, PADI Divemaster, Yoga Instructor. CHEF: Ludeke Niehaus FIRST MATE/STEWARDESS/SCUBA DIVE INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Wu - RYA Yacht Master Offshore, PADI Instructor Returning crew Heiko and Rebecca (3 Sisters, Felix, Tedavi, Big Nauti, Sail Away) are back for their seventh charter season in the Virgin Islands after six successful seasons running 85+ charters. This dynamic couple is excited to be back on Encore and look forward to welcoming you aboard, showing you the wonders of the Virgin Islands and creating memories to last a lifetime! They are passionate about providing a highly professional level of service in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere while creating the most memorable experiences for their guests. They love getting to know you and tailoring each charter to your preferences and desires, allowing you to kick back, relax and enjoy. With a deep love and respect for the natural world, they maintain a strong focus on environmentally aware hospitality and best practices to ensure minimal impact on the environment. Heiko, born and raised in Germany, holds a RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualification. He has been working as a professional yacht captain for six years and has crossed the Atlantic Ocean. He left his job in IT management in 2014 to begin his dream to travel. Initially intending to be away for about a year, he soon realized that going back to an office-based job did not feel right for him anymore. Since then he has travelled throughout South and Central America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia. During this time he visited 30+ countries, speed-hiked the Camino de Santiago, hiked up 5000m high mountains, learned to speak Spanish, learned to scuba dive and freedive and had many more beautiful experiences above and below the water. His love for freediving and yoga led him to obtain his instructor qualifications. Afterwards, he worked as a freediving instructor, spearfishing guide and yoga instructor in Indonesia, Australia, Thailand and Tanzania for four years before venturing into yachting. Heiko loves to be out in the blue of the ocean and enjoys sharing his passions as a guide by creating safe and unique experiences. Originally from New York, Rebecca left many years ago to see where life would take her. It started with a layoff from her first job in finance, which led to a two-month solo trip through ten countries in Europe. This further fueled her desire to explore the world and experience as much as she could. The next stop on her journey was Asia, where she taught English, worked in fine dining and eventually, wound up working in finance in Hong Kong. A trip to Australia changed her life - she learned to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef and was instantly hooked. She spent two months diving her way around the Philippines, three months on a marine conservation expedition in Madagascar and four months completing her Divemaster internship in Malaysia. Then, life took an unexpected turn and she found herself living in Sweden, where she discovered her love for sailing. Still holding on to her passion for scuba diving, she put her plans for sailing to the Caribbean on hold and became a PADI Instructor, working in Thailand, Indonesia and Hawaii. In addition to teaching scuba, she managed dive centers and resorts, worked as a cruise director and co-founded a dive center. In between, she was part of the opening team of the Hong Kong location of one of the world’s top ranked cocktail bars. Afterwards, she embarked on her third career as a yacht chef, enabling her to combine her long-standing passion for gastronomy with her love of life surrounded by water, nature and wildlife. Eventually, she decided it was time to step out of the galley and into a role on larger yachts that would allow her to use her multifaceted background to deliver the best charter experience possible. Heiko and Rebecca met in Utila, Honduras while they were doing their Master Freediver course in 2015. After being in a long-distance relationship for several years, they decided to create a life together. Their mutual love for the ocean, travel and exploration led them to obtain their RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualifications together in Gibraltar in 2020, sailing thousands of miles along the coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco, dodging the infamous orcas along the way. Shortly afterwards, they crewed their first yacht together in the USVI and have been flourishing as a team ever since. Chef Luka hails from a nature reserve near the coastal city of Gqeberha, South Africa, where his love for the outdoors and ocean was matched only by his passion for cooking. A competitive water polo player and open-water swimmer, he’s also been crafting flavorful, artful dishes since his teen years. After earning a prestigious Cordon Bleu diploma from the Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town, Luka trained in some of the most renowned kitchens in the world—including The Test Kitchen and Chef’s Warehouse. He later returned to Silwood to mentor aspiring chefs and launched The Messy Chef Collective, a bespoke private chef venture known for its imaginative, globally inspired menus. Still, the call of the sea was too strong to ignore. Luka blended his two greatest passions—culinary artistry and ocean adventure—by stepping into the world of yacht cuisine. As both a qualified chef and skilled deckhand, he brings a perfect balance of creativity and capability to life aboard. This amazing trio is guaranteed to give you the vacation of a lifetime in this beautiful destination - the British Virgin Islands. Captain: Heiko Franken First Mate/Stewardess: Rebecca Chef: Ludeke Niehaus
Available destinations
Summer: Caribbean Virgin Islands (BVI), Caribbean Virgin Islands (US), Caribbean Virgin Islands (US/BVI)
Summary
ENCORE is a 2026 Fountaine Pajot, 67-foot sailing catamaran offered for crewed charter in the Caribbean Virgin Islands. The listing gives a 33-foot beam and 6-foot draft alongside its overall length, providing additional dimensions for comparing this yacht with other charter catamarans.
The listing describes five equal queen cabins, each with an ensuite bathroom, accommodating up to 10 guests. It also lists a crew of three, separate from the guest accommodation count.
Amenities include full air conditioning, onboard Wi-Fi, an ice maker, a deck jacuzzi, and both a cockpit dining table for 10 and a deck shower. The listing describes the crew’s service as professional, relaxed, and tailored to guest preferences, with an environmentally aware approach; a chef is included in the listed crew.
A Highfield 460 tender with a 70-horsepower Yamaha engine is listed with capacity for 10, and the yacht has a swim platform. Toys and gear include an e-foil, two stand-up paddleboards, an inflatable tandem kayak, sea scooters, snorkel and adult dive gear, water skis, a wakeboard, a tube, and fishing gear with four rods; the listed summer destinations are the BVI and USVI.
