Phenix Sailing Charters

My family and I recently booked a three hour charter with Phenix to kick off our «Cousin’s Weekend». We could not have had a better experience!
From first contact through the end of our trip, Captain Kevin was incredibly responsive and accommodating. We had a relatively wind-​less day on the water, so our group enjoyed a perfectly relaxing afternoon sail. Kevin and Dawn also spent the entire three hours manning our playlist and ensuring everyone always had a full drink in their hand!
We highly recommend sailing with Phenix, and are already planning our next trip!

Captain Kevin led us on an amazing adventure on Lake Michigan! He was flexible with our departure time and asked what he could do to make our journey more enjoyable. He provided cooler, ice, music… whatever we needed! He kept checking in on us to ensure we were all having a good time and doing OK. One of my friends got motion sickness soon after we departed. Kevin took her back to the harbor so she could disembark. He also sent pictures and videos that he captured on our journey.

We celebrated a birthday with a sunset trip on Lake Michigan and it was perfect. Kevin and Dawn could not have been nicer or more accommodating, and they even went out of their way to snag us the best spot for viewing fireworks. I would highly recommend this for tourists or longtime residents alike — it provides a beautiful and surprising view of Chicago!
Details: 6 people, 3 of them kids, 2 hour tour at sunset, we brought our own food.

Chartered the boat to take some friends out. It was as advertised! Great location in DuSable harbor. Captain was friendly, walked all of us through the safety procedures that are required, made everyone feel very comfortable. We had a 10 year old and he gave her life vest to wear for the time on the boat. The boat is good sized very comfortable for a group like our we had 6 people. Everyone kept commenting on how great Chicago looks from the water especially as the sun sets and lights of city come on. Great value for the money.

My husband and I, along with 3 friends, recently did a Thursday evening charter on Phenix. We told the Captain that we wanted to do a fun vow renewal on board the boat and he was happy to help us out with the planning! From the minute we set foot on the boat, the Captain and crew took incredible care of us and made sure every detail was attended to. It was a beautiful night for a sail — we sat on the front of the boat, sipped wine, took a swim and relaxed. Also, I tend to suffer from sea sickness and the Captain was proactive in instructing me how to avoid feeling badly while we were on the lake (it worked — first time I didn’t feel ill!). Beautiful boat, really nice people — overall, it was a great experience that I would highly recommend for anyone who wants to get away from the city for a few hours.

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of sailing on the Phoenix. We booked with another 2 couples for the evening cruise, during the week. We’ve been sailing many times on the Lake but, never in a Catamaran. If you are looking for pure relaxation, this is the way to go… Don’t get me wrong sail boats are great, but on a Cat you have so much more room, it’s very stable (not going to spill your drink) and you have the net to layout on… If you want to go for a dip, they do accommodate and provide towels! It was still in the 90’s that night so it was definitely a must do!
The boat is immaculate. You can see the owners really care about her. Speaking of which, the Captain and his First Mate are a joy. They make it their business to show you a wonderful time. Be careful though, you may get caught in conversations about their travels and miss out on the incredible views. They have sailed all over the world and have fun stories to share.
The trip was a perfect way to wind down your work day. If I could, I would be out there daily! From beginning to end, we all had a wonderful time on the Phenix!

What an incredible experience! My hubby and I just moved from San Diego to Chicago and we had a fab date night on the Phenix for a concert charter anchored off Northerly Island listening to the show. It was a beautiful evening of wine and music (Counting Crows and Wallflowers) and we couldn’t have imagined a more wonderful way to check out a concert in our new city as we lounged on the beautiful catamaran and enjoyed a bottle of wine (okay, two!!) and gazed at the amazing view of the Chicago skyline in the distance. Seriously – this is the life!
The captain and crew went out of their way to make sure we had a wonderful time. We were really impressed with the spot they took us to for the concert as the sound was amazing. We also loved that the catamaran had a great spot for lounging on the back of the boat to stretch out and get comfy. You must try the bean bag chairs!
We were a bit concerned about parking as we were not familiar with the area, but it was an absolute breeze as there is a parking lot close to the dock that is easily accessible and only steps away from the boat. Another bonus is that the catamaran is the first boat on the dock so it is easy to get to and it makes for great people watching before take-​off.
What a perfect way to experience a summer night in the city. I highly recommend this for a great day or night out on the water. Views, booze and tunes — what more could a girl ask for!

The boat has been in Chicago for awhile, and I always saw it when I walked along the lakefront. This year, the captain mentioned to me that they started doing charters. A group of 4 of us went out for a 2-​hour trip on a weekday afternoon. It was really roomy and all of us were lounging around on the trampoline for a lot of the trip. Even though it was a warm spring day, it was noticeably cooler on the lake. The boat moves right along and there was enough wind to not use the engines except to get out of and into the harbor. For the last hour, the captain let two of us take the helm and showed us some things about pulling in and letting out the sails.
The boat is a sailing catamaran and there was plenty of room, and the max is 6 people anyway. We came without drinks thinking we could buy them at the harbor store, but there don’t sell alcohol there. But they told us to walk to the grocery store about 10 minutes away and we could buy everything there. We did and brought it back to the boat and the captain put them on ice in his big cooler. Perfect. But the water was way too cold to swim this early in the season!
What a great day on the lake on our «own yacht».