Discovery 55, ALTARAMA

Broker’s Comments

The Discovery 55 has proven itself to be a firm favourite with the bluewater cruising fraternity. It delivers excellent passage-making performance, an easily managed sail plan, and a very comfortable home from home, with the raised saloon being of particular merit. ALTARAMA has enjoyed good ownership, with a lot of thought going into her original specification, which has continued during her current ownership. Thoughtful and clever solutions have been utilized where possible to enhance her efficiency as a fully independent bluewater cruising yacht/platform.

Owner’s Comments

Our search for a true bluewater yacht took us to Berthon in 2017, where we were lucky enough to find and take ownership of a Discovery 55. We renamed the boat ALTARAMA, an Aboriginal term meaning ‘to find’ or ‘discover.’ ALTARAMA came with an in-boom roller reefing system, a carbon mast and boom, as well as a very ergonomic stern structure housing davits, fender storage, solar panels, and a wind generator installed by the previous owner, alongside many backup systems. These all help to make life easy, along with the usual freezer, washing machine, bath, and the Discovery downwind rig, providing luxury while sailing.

The first shakedown cruise took us up the Norwegian coast to the Lofotens, Shetland, Ireland, and back to Dover, which confirmed we had made the right choice as we now had a safe, easy-to-handle yacht that was also a very comfortable home away from home. We completed our first transatlantic in 2019, returning to the UK in 2020 after a three-month COVID lockdown in Martinique. Our second Atlantic circuit in 2022/23 followed a trip back up to Shetland and the Scillies. Family circumstances have meant our long-distance sailing adventures have come to a close, making ALTARAMA available for other people to make their dreams of discovering new places and enjoying new adventures come true.