Creativity ruled supreme during the five-day 2023 Horizon Power Catamaran Owners’ Rendezvous in The Bahamas.
Horizon Power Catamaran (HPC) owners clearly know how to enjoy themselves and this year’s owners’ rendezvous was yet another gathering of fun and imagination. Hosted in Shroud Cay, the annual event brought ten Horizon power catamarans – including the brand new PC68 – and nearly 50 owners and guests for the five-day rendezvous, April 25 – 29, 2023.
Day 1 // Rose Island
The idyllic setting of Rose Island provided the backdrop for the kickoff of the 2023 HPC Rendezvous. Accessible only by boat, Rose Island is an exotic, unspoiled hideaway with a stunning sea view – the perfect location to begin the Bahamian festivities! Upon arrival, attendees gathered ashore at the Footprints Beach Bar & Grill for the Welcome Dinner, for which Footprints’ owner Ronnie created a signature dish – Bahamian lobster soup and steamed fresh-caught fish. The staff entertained the crowd with karaoke tunes and everyone hit the sandy dance floor for a few songs before closing the place down for the night.Day 2 // Shroud Cay
The first full day of the Rendezvous began with the main event: the annual raft up. With expert precision, the Horizon Powercat team maneuvered and guided ten Powercats into position for the “money shot” photo. With the power catamarans increasing in size year after year, this is no mean feat! Once the yachts were comfortably and securely tied up, it was time for the Captains’ Cocktail Competition. The judges immediately knew they were in for a treat as the participants raised the proverbial bar over other years with the level of creativity on display. The delicious and beautiful creations proved difficult to judge, but taste and presentation were commanded by the PC60 Indigo and the PC68, Omakase, with their “Purple Horizon” and “Utsukashii” craft cocktails, respectively. Presented to the Prince song, Purple Rain, Indigo’s refreshing Pomegranate Margarita with beet powder garnish was served alongside a beautiful array of indigo-inspired canapés for the perfect pairing.The PC60 Ohana’s “Ohana-rita” was a delicious spicy margarita; the PC65 Cellfish presented a “Junkanoo Cocktail” that tasted exactly like a slice of keylime pie, and the PC60 Brokedown Palace paid homage to the Grateful Dead with a “Dancing Bear Jello Shot” that the judges really appreciated as fans of the rock band.
In fact, so much effort was put into every drink served this year that the judges had to implement – for the first time in HPC Rendezvous history – several Honorable Mentions.
Day 3 // Blue Lagoon
By Day Three, the judges knew the competition was going to be fierce as the occupants of each powercat bustled about preparing their dinghies for this year’s Pimp My Dinghy contest. Once everyone was ready to go, a raucous parade of colorful tenders made its way through the exquisite Blue Lagoon to a gorgeous private beach for the dinghy presentation followed by a BBQ with the HPC signature South African sausage chased down with iced Taiwan beer.The PC60 Oasis took home the prize for Funniest dinghy with their Godfather gangster theme, Brokedown Palace won the Unique category with a Game of Thrones theme, and the Most Creative award went to the PC65 Mangata, whose theme was inspired by the story of Norman’s Cay and famed drug lord Pablo Escobar.
After the dinghy presentations, everyone took to the water to cool off and play a little poker for charity. The stakes were high and the PC52 Sea Dreamz won the game that raised $7,000 for the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.
Day 4 // Norman’s Cay
The fishing competition was off to an early start on Day Four as Oasis pulled away first thing in the morning, setting off a chain reaction among the competitors. Everyone met back at Norman’s Cay for a weigh-in that afternoon. Oasis and Indigo had a successful day with several mahi mahi catches, but Mangata made a clean sweep on the trophies this year with their 20lb black grouper measuring a whopping 33 inches!The annual stone crab dock party was the perfect end to an active day and everyone relaxed to reggae beats as the sun set.
Day 5 // Norman’s Cay
After a relaxing day, guests gathered at MacDuff’s for the Farewell Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Mangata received several trophies for their clean sweep in the fishing competition and for the Most Creative dinghy. Oasis received the Funniest dinghy award and Brokedown Palace received the nod for Most Unique.A bottle of Clase Azul Gold Tequila was awarded to Indigo for their cocktail presentation and Omakase received a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for winning the Taste category of the Captains’ Cocktail Competition. The C’mon Man trophy went to Cellfish for their tardy arrival. The 2023 Rendezvous ended on the beach with music, laughter and conversation around a bonfire late into the evening.
It was a fabulous turnout for this year’s event, with plenty of dreams inspired for new power catamaran builds and cruising destinations.
For information on next year’s event, please contact The Powercat Company at +1 (954) 803-8102 or email richard@powercatco.com.