ANOTHER day, another dream boat.

Port Douglas now has the second highest number of permanent superyachts berthed at any Australian marina following the arrival of Spirit, just 18 months after opening up spaces.

Spirit captain Martin Debanks and his wife Jo, who is the full-time cordon bleu-trained chef, said it was 'no hardship' choosing Port Douglas as its home port. It also rubber stamped The Reef Marina's reputation as the country's location of choice for superyachts.

“We have lived in some of the most incredible places around the world, but the Tropical North has been home since the early 2000s," he said.

“It was always our dream to bring a charter of this calibre to the East Coast of Australia and we were lucky enough to pick up Spirit in Montenegro last year."

Debanks said they would concentrate on charters from the Whitsundays through to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Spirit can entertain up to 12 guests and boasts five staterooms. Extra features include a spa, a large spacious sun deck designed for entertaining and state of the art AV equipment from top to bottom. It has a permanent crew of seven based in Port Douglas.

Reef Marina general manager Rob Cruz said there are now six vessels permanently berthed at the marina, in addition to casual visiting superyachts, injecting an estimated $9,600 - $12,000 per vessel, per day into the local economy (according to Cummings Economics).

“We knew there was a lot of potential for growth, which is why the building of a superyacht hub at the Reef Marina has been a key part of our $5 million refurbishment over the last three years,” Cruz said.

“Port Douglas’ proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan, which are all booming superyacht destinations, is an additional bonus.”

Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef manager Joanne Drake said with ongoing security issues in the Mediterranean and overcrowding in the Caribbean, the Asia Pacific region was becoming the third destination for superyacht owners.

Click here for more information on Spirit.

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