My Dream Cruising Sailboat

Having lived on, sailed half way round the globe and many sea miles in between on 'Tere Moana' (a Ron Holland 43), I came to understand the excellent qualities of this fine vessel.

She has lovely lines, gorgeous sheerline, fine bow and looks great from any angle. Strongly built with acres of teak down below and on her decks, she loved sailing to all points of weather. Twenty years on she still retains all of her grace and turns heads wherever she goes. Sadly, I am no longer her owner, but I still get to sail on her with my friend Patrick who is her current master.

So when I am looking for my next yacht I will find it hard to go past a Ron Holland design. My dream yacht is his Discovery 55 and the following is an extract from their website http://www.discoveryachts.co.uk/ :

The Discovery 55 is the ultimate world-class cruising yacht - strong, safe, fast and beautifully balanced. She is a thoroughbred from the board of the renowned yacht designer Ron Holland. Designed for effortless handling by just two people, she offers impressive performance and reliability. The Discovery 55 is a yacht that you can sail across oceans or soak up the peace and tranquillity at anchor in your favourite bay. She is a truly luxurious home to enjoy in different locations with family and friends.

Experienced sailors, who know just what works on a yacht, have designed every detail of the Discovery 55.

Naval architect Ron Holland, famous for his numerous successful racing yachts, is now legendary for his design of elegant, fast cruising yachts and superyachts. By applying his extensive experience and expertise to the design of the Discovery 55, he has created a classic thoroughbred, that is a sheer pleasure on the water and that will take you anywhere you choose to go.

Achieving the best in terms of total speed, simple handling and easy motion was essential. Drawing a hull that incorporated a reasonable forefoot, high performance bulb keel, moderate sections aft, and a semi-balanced skeg-hung rudder, Ron Holland has delivered a boat that has power and performance and that is fast on all points of sailing, tracking well both up and downwind. Above all she is a boat that looks after her crew in all conditions.

Reproduced courtesy Discovery Yachts

There are a number of these hulls already on the water and Discovery Yachts will have them on show 'on the water' at this years' Southampton Boat Show www.southamptonboatshow.com which runs from 12 - 21 September.

A very few of these vessels have come back onto the market and are available to the discerning buyer, but don't expect to pick up a bargain.

You can read more about the sailing qualities of 'Tere Moana' in my ebook 'Voyage of the Little Ship 'Tere Moana' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com