Marina Offers 2-Stateroom Guest Yacht
If you have ever wanted to stay right on the water in the harbor, now you can at Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard. We are now offering a floating guest accommodation aboard WhiteLion, a beautiful Ponderosa 42 yacht.
Spacious, two-stateroom WhiteLion stays moored on our B Dock as your floating home away from home during your stay. Enjoy relaxing mornings with coffee on the sun deck; unwind with wine and sunsets on the fly bridge in the evenings. You will love the great view of kayaks and boats serenely cruising by in the picturesque harbor in front of you. You can even go for a paddle yourself, in the two-person kayak stored on the Ponderosa’s swim step.
Have a Harbor Vacation on Guest Yacht ‘WhiteLion’
Custom-built WhiteLion features two luxurious staterooms, unique for a Ponderosa 42, each with a queen bed and its own full bathroom with shower. One bathroom also has a bathtub and both heads feature VacuFlush toilets. All bed linens and towels are provided for your convenience and comfort aboard this beautiful guest yacht.
The attractive galley features a good-sized refrigerator and freezer, sink and stove top with oven. It is outfitted with dishes, utensils, cookware, coffee pot and more to give you all the conveniences of home. Coffee and tea are provided for your stay.
WhiteLion is being offered for a two-night minimum stay for a memorable vacation right in the heart of Gig Harbor. Have friends over and enjoy happy hour with a view thanks to the convenient wet bar on the sun deck. It’s all there for you with an ice maker, sink and glasses for beer, cocktails, margaritas or other beverage.
The spacious yacht is perfect for entertaining and can accommodate up to 10 visiting guests with its roomy main salon, comfortable enclosed back deck and fly bridge, and invitingly broad bow.
The Ponderosa is owned by Rick and Meredith Lambert of Gig Harbor, who are excited about this new venture and happy to provide guests with a special experience on the water.
“We want it to be an adventure for people who want to be on the water,” she said. “Rick and I are very excited to be opening our yacht to people who may never have had the chance to feel the gentle sway of the water in a luxurious, comfortable bed. Or to wake up in the morning to a cup of coffee on the sun deck while being greeted by seals off the stern, and watch sail boats race around the harbor.”
Your stay on WhiteLion places you right in the heart of many fun things to do in Gig Harbor. For starters, you can take a gondola tour of the harbor, boarding the authentic Venetian gondola, Nellie, just steps from your vacation yacht. Singing gondolier John Synco provides gourmet appetizers and you bring your favorite beverage for a memorable cruise around the harbor. He provides blankets so you are sure to be cozy no matter what time of year. Check out the enticing details at Gig Harbor Gondola.
Wonderful shops, coastal chic boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and bars await you just a short walk through the boatyard to charming Gig Harbor. Warm up on a chilly day by sipping local spirits at the Heritage Distilling Company tasting room across from Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard on Harborview Drive. Or try a variety of excellent craft beers at 7 Seas Brewing, just a block up on Judson Street. WhiteLion and the marina are right in the heart of all that is fun in Gig Harbor.
“We are just excited to have people enjoy it and appreciate it.” – Guest yacht owner Meredith Lambert
The Lamberts bought the 1985 Ponderosa in 2004 and formerly kept the boat at Peninsula Yacht Basin in Gig Harbor. As time went on, they weren’t using the boat very often, other than as their “place on the waterfront” for an evening cocktail, said Meredith. They started talking to their friend and former moorage neighbor, Ron Roark, managing director of Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard, and the idea was born to offer WhiteLion as a luxury vacation rental on the water.
The Ponderosa is perfect for accommodating vacationing couples. It was made to order by the previous owner to have two queen-size staterooms, each with its own bathroom. Most Ponderosas of this size have a bunk room with twin beds and a tiny head, Meredith explained.
“It was custom-built so it would have nice bathrooms for two two couples,” she said. “It’s just really nice.”
The Lamberts have been enjoying fixing up WhiteLion to offer as a vacation rental. Meredith has been busy redecorating and setting up the yacht with new white towels, sheets and cozy duvets. She has left some of their own special decor pieces in place, including a luxurious alpaca coverlet with a namesake lion design that graces the aft stateroom bed.
“I just love the alpaca fur. It’s so soft and is just beautiful,” she said. She has a note card on the boat that tells guests about the fur and its care.
“It’s kind of exciting,” said Meredith of their new venture. “My husband promptly went out and bought a new kayak and it is so much fun to paddle out in the harbor.”
Relax on a Floating Home Away From Home on the Harbor
Guests can rent the kayak for an additional $50 per day. Staff at Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard will detach it from its davit and have it ready in the water for renters, said Danielle Taylor, hospitality manager at the marina.
Meredith listed more reasons that visitors will enjoy this exciting new guest yacht on the harbor — no matter what time of year it is.
“From the bow of WhiteLion, watch and hear the Scottish bagpiper play his beautiful instrument as he tours the harbor in the summer, or watch the moon rise over the salt water,” she said. “The Christmas boat parade during the holidays is just another one of many Gig Harbor events that make this two stateroom/2 bathroom yacht a wonderful place for a vacation.
“Have cocktails and appetizers or read a book while relaxed in a deck chair on the bow of the boat,” Meredith added. “Take in the sun or relax on the fly bridge, sun deck, main salon or in either of the full-size, queen-bed staterooms.
“We’re just excited to have people enjoy it and appreciate it,” she said.
WhiteLion is available for a 2-night minimum for 4 people. Seasonal rates apply for off-season: Sept. 15 through May 15; and summer season: May 16 through Sept. 14. Inquire about current rates with Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard Hospitality Manager Danielle Taylor at (253) 358-6546
The WhiteLion vacation yacht rental is just another wonderful hospitality feature offered by Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard. Keep in mind The WhiteLion @ the Boatyard, The Guesthouse @ the Boatyard, The Club @ the Boatyard and the NW Maritime Academy classroom at the boatyard when you have a special event. We have a space for you on the waterfront.
To inquire about booking your stay on WhiteLion, contact Danielle Taylor at dtaylor@gigharbormarina.com, or call her at (253) 358-6546. More information and a photo gallery will soon be available on this website and vacation rental sites.