Staying on ‘Eagle’ is Superb
Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard’s ‘Yachts at the Dock’ are Worth Raving About
Guests Bob Worden and his wife Georgia, of Sammamish, Wash., and their daughter Carly Ann enjoy a terrific stay this month on Eagle, our 53-foot Vic Franck design yacht formerly owned by musician Steve Miller.
Here is Bob’s rave review of our Fleet Suites @ the Boatyard:
From the simplicity of the booking process, to the instant responsiveness by the property manager, my entire experience on Eagle began as it ended — positively superb.
I’ve rented homes, boats and houseboats for years and this particular experience was worth raving about. The response was immediate, informed and very helpful. The checkout process worked flawlessly and securely.
My reception on the day of my rental was terrific, I was in constant contact with the property manager Danielle and was greeted by the dockyard owner personally. Even the boat owner was online to answer any question I had about the particulars of the boat.
Having rented and owned many sailboats and powerboats over the last 35 years I may have had some misconceptions about Eagle. A famous rock star owned it (Steve Miller), it was a custom build, it had a piano on board and was studded with memorabilia and real, playable 33 rpm records by the Steve Miller Band.
Maybe my wife and I had envisioned something newer, something more racy, but it really wasn’t. It was immense, it was airy, it was homey — it was OURS!
I could go on for days because as the hours ticked by I kept uncovering little nuances that I positively adored and admired. I’m a TV director, engineer and a gourmet chef and my favorite pastime (cooking) was one of the principal reasons I chose Eagle, as it claimed to have a roomy, well-appointed kitchen.
Well, that was an understatement! The kitchen was big enough that my daughter and I could work in it together. Every conceivable utensil, pot-pan-dish-plate-cup and glass were on board, in place and ready to go to work. Our dinners and breakfast on the boat were totally superb and presented like a fine restaurant.
The appliances on board are all new: a restaurant-grade ice maker, a full-size refrigerator-freezer, an unbelievable microwave/grille/convection oven/standard oven unit that can do nearly everything plus steam-clean itself. The convection oven so huge that you honestly could cook a 12-pound turkey — all spotlessly clean and brand new.
Immediate hot water at the tap, a 10-cup coffee maker, a huge water purifier, an enormous stainless steel sink with garbage disposal, a 5-speed ventilation fan. You’ve got every tool at your fingertips and I used every single one!
Now onto relaxing and sleep. First of all, unlike so many other yacht designs, you climb on board and into the salon at the same level (no ladders, steps, companionways). You step down two tiny carpeted steps into the sleeping areas through a wide hallway. There are two heads with lots of room and showers as well.
If you want to go up to the bridge, it’s a few carpeted steps and you are in the immense closed cockpit with an electronic piano and a daybed (just what every guitar-playing, music-composing ship’s captain needs) and dare I say…WE USED IT. My daughter is an award-winning film and TV music composer and pianist and I’m a 61-year-old guitar-playing rock and roller, and did we have fun serenading my wife all night long!
“Having the pleasure to spend a couple of days playing guitar with my daughter on Steve’s old boat was more than a pleasure, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Worden wrote in a follow-up email. “Having worked with Steve before — we worked together on the 2011 launch of the Boeing 747-800 (on a music video) — this was a terrific moment in my life and it was superbly enjoyable.”
Sleeping accommodations on Eagle are terrific. A huge, super comfortable queen bed in the master suite, two single beds in the bow and a double bed in the cockpit (for boaters needing to be close to the anchor alarm.) All superbly comfortable with fresh linens and ample blankets and coverlets.
You can sit on the fantail with your morning coffee or a cocktail, you can relax on the little floating barge on the end of the finger pier and watch the sun go down. You can listen to 33 rpm records on the turntable and let those years of hard work fall away and remember the “good old days” by making new memories on Eagle. — Bob Worden
– Above photos courtesy of the Worden family
For more information about our Fleet Suites @ the Boatyard, contact Hospitality Manager Danielle Taylor at dtaylor@gigharbormarina.com or (253) 358-6546
