JANUARY 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 79OUR VERDICT ON THE BOATWhat’s she like to sail?
Her hull has an elegant sheer line, with no surprises; it’s all well-proven and conservative, albeit with lots of hull portlights. The cockpit offers any number of comfortable places to sit and steer
while the rounded coaming surrounds you, offering comfort and protection. Either side, the sculpted helm seats are very comfy. be considered sprightly, but nor is she lumbering. She carries With a displacement of over 22 tonnes, she’s never going to
her way well and the feedback from the helm is nice and fi rm. The standard wheel is slightly bigger, which would make it a little easier on the helm, but there was nothing wrong with the steering as tested. Her Solent rig works well. Obviously, the
genoa requires furling before each tack, but it’s a small price to pay in a yacht that might only tack every other day, and has a self-tacking jib, anyway, for inshore work. On our test boat, the self-tacking jib sheet on the coachroof winch needed to be eased
before it would tack – a reversible winch controlled from the helm would improve matters.
What’s she like in port and at anchor?She’s designed to be used at sea, yet she also excels in port. The long galley has plenty of windows to give the cook a view.
The raised, C-shaped saloon, with leather upholstery, offers a wonderful view out, too. All the cabins are comfortable and well appointed. Storage for provisions, equipment and supplies is
excellent throughout, as is access to any area or system. On the fl ipside, at 55 feet long, berths won’t be easy to come by in every harbour and at 7ft 3in deep, some anchorages will be off limits. She has an offset prop shaft to allow the shaft to be removed
without dropping the rudder, which will save money and hassle in far-fl ung cruising grounds. She does have some propwalk, so you’ll be glad of the bow thruster to turn to port in reverse. But even without it, her propwalk is predictable and as long as you
work with it, there should be few issues.bow roller. A strip of teak protects the plush teak deck beneath the chain on its short way to the windlass. The bower anchor sits in a substantial, deep-cheeked double
Would she suit you and your crew?She is a beautiful home away from home, and indeed she costs more than most family homes. She’s designed to be sailed
long distance by a husband and wife with occasional visitors, but could comfortably take a full crew around the world. She is very well-equipped. Generator, bow thruster, windlass, electric
mainsail furling, electric winches, plotter and radar are just a few of the standard items. But as on our test boat, the yard is happy to customise things to fulfi l owners’ wishes.For after-sales support, hundreds of photographs are taken
of each boat before hand-over, to help the owners with fault-fi nding from the other side of the globe. To confi ne an ocean cruiser of this calibre to coastal pottering would be a great shame. She’s a born and bred blue water cruiser and she deserve s
to be at sea. The MkII version of the Discovery 55 isn’t radically different from the original, but that’s the point. She was already a very good boat and if something ain’t broke, why fi x it?Would she suit your styleof sailing? (^) ★CRAWLINGCREEK ★★★★ ★★★PORT-HOPPINGCOA STA L ★★
OFFSHORE PASSAGE-MAKING★★★★★ TRADE WIND VOYAGING★★★★★ HIGH-LATITUDE ADVENTURE ★★★★★
Discovery 55
FACTS AND FIGURES■ Priceinc VAT £1,150,800
■■■■ LWL LOA Beam Draught 17.0m (55ft 9in) 13.64m (44ft 9in) 4.78m (15ft 8in) 2.23m
■■ Displacement Ballast(7ft 3in)22,500kg (49,500 lb) 9,500kg
■■ Ballast ratio Sail area(20,900 lb)152.5m (^2) (1,641sq ft) 42.2(%)
■■■■ Diesel SA/D ratio Water Engine 1,334 lit (293gal) 1,008 lit (222gal) 160hp 19.5
■■ Transmission RCD category Shaft drive A
■■■ Designer Builder Te l 023 8086 5555 Discovery Yachts Ron Holland
■ Websitewww.discoveryyachts.com
GRAPHICS: MAXINE HEATH
The engine room is neatly laid out, with most things easily accessible
NEW BOAT TEST
The galley is excellent, with lots of work space and practical stowage