Discovery 55 Discovery

I was really surprised to find out something today about the astonishingly beautiful Discovery 55: They were nearly a Westerly. This month's Practical Boat Owner (No. 504 December 2008) states: "The last era of the Westerly saga started in 1995 when the final set of new owners took over and asked Ed Dubois for yet another 33 footer and went to Ron Holland to design new Ocean 43 and 55 models. In conjunction with the Dutch yard Trintella, a plan was hatched to lift the westerly marque further upmarket and further away from its traditional roots and core clientele. A mere 10 of the fine Ocean 43 were build and Westerly died before its first 55 appeared. However the 55's moulds survived and are put to excellent use by John Charnley who has since sold 27 discovery 55s from them". I'm not sure if that makes them a bit less aspirational for me - anyway I think the HR62 is still the ultimate blue water cruiser.

We first heard of these boats when Becks & I were sailing with an Australian boat in Thailand. We were doing the King's Cup Regatta. We got protested by someone who in our opinion who was taking Ocean Rover class a little too seriously we ended up meeting the skipper of another boat who had also been protested by the afore mentioned wanker. Nick Pochoin & his Discovery 55, Festina Lente had been protested for something like "attempting to propel the boat by means other than sail". There was almost no wind and for a joke they'd got one of their crew to take a line from the bow to her teeth and attempt to tow the boat. Anyhow - We got talking to him at the ceremony and he was doing the Blue Water Rally as a kind of midlife crisis after his wife died. Seemed like a really nice guy - apparently he's written a book.