Discovery 55, SYLVIA

Broker’s Comments

SYLVIA is one of the most highly specified Discovery 55s ever to launch. As with her sisters, she is a benchmark bluewater cruising yacht, ideal for small crews. She sails comfortably and provides fast passage times with her lovely Ron Holland hull lines. She has new upholstery and an upgraded Discovery Mk II saloon window. Her interior is executed in bright maple, making her feel bright and airy, yet cosy.

SYLVIA has been extensively refitted over the past three years, including all new Raymarine electronics and plotters, new standing and running rigging, new solar panels, a generator, and a main engine overhaul. Her new large 860Ah Lithium house bank and new 1150W solar panel array make her almost power-neutral.

She carries a substantial number of spares to fit her for Pacific cruising. She even houses Reckmann and in-mast furling motors aboard. Her owners have created a digital, customized manual that explains every electrical and mechanical aspect aboard.

SYLVIA is a very special and well-sorted bluewater cruising yacht.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

As a family with 2 young kids planning to cross oceans, we wanted a strong monohull that could take us anywhere safely. The center cockpit, heavy keel, straightforward running rigging, clear open gangways to the front deck, and solid stanchions on the Discovery 55 provided the platform that we wanted. We also loved the companionway steps from the cockpit to the saloon – there are only 3 of them, and they are shallow. The deck saloon view, the possibility to steer the yacht from the saloon from the elevated navigation station, the bathtub in the cockpit, and the big freezer and fridge were also big ticks for us. We were attracted to SYLVIA because of her light maple interior, blue hull, and perfect blue water cruising specification.

After purchase, we refitted SYLVIA with new flush saloon windows, replaced both standing and running rigging, and upgraded all the electronics, among lots of other jobs. The biggest upgrade for our voyage was undoubtedly the installation of a substantial 860Ah Lithium battery bank and the solar array on top of the davits. Everything is fully integrated within the Victron ecosystem onboard, and it has reduced our generator use to a few hours every 3 or 4 days. The washing machine, watermaker, and even the dive compressor can now be run straight off the inverter. If you ask our kids, however, they’ll probably tell you that having Starlink onboard has been the game-changer!

We bought SYLVIA in Lymington and spent the first years summer sailing in the UK, Norway, and the Channel Islands, preparing ourselves and the boat for the big trip. In 2021, we cruised in Spain and Portugal before making the Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean, where we explored for a year before continuing to Colombia, Panama, Galapagos, and ending up in French Polynesia, where we are now. The original plan was to have arrived in Australia by now, but we absolutely adore French Polynesia, so we decided to stay another season.

During our voyaging with SYLVIA, we have come to appreciate that whatever the weather conditions, we have always felt completely safe.

We have now fulfilled our dream of visiting some of the most beautiful places on this earth. We immersed ourselves in the cruising community and have seen our kids grow and evolve into multilingual sociable teenagers. We always knew this voyage would have an end-date, and it is almost time for us to return to our business and for our kids to enroll in regular school again. Keeping SYLVIA is not an option, as yachts need to be used and cared for to keep all the systems working. We would like to hand SYLVIA over as is, fully equipped, on the blue, ready to sail many more miles with her new owners.

Key Features

• She underwent a full overhaul in 2021 to prepare for ocean crossings.
• All new Victron electrical equipment on board (2021).
• Reckmann electric furlers and Andersen electric stainless steel winches.
• New solar array with custom stainless steel frame on top of the davits (2022).
• Flush forward deck for sunbathing.
• Underwent Safety Inspection ARC2021 and safety inspection by Belgian Naval Authorities in 2021.