Oyster 55, VALENT

Broker’s Comments

The Oyster 55 is an iconic bluewater cruising yacht. Her sisterhood has voyaged to all four corners of the world and won hearts and minds internationally.

Striking the perfect balance between accommodation and ease of sailing, the 55 can be managed comfortably by short-handed crews, yet she also offers the volume below decks to accommodate larger crews when required.

These yachts have aged gracefully, and when updated with 21st-century technology—like VALENT—they remain thoroughly contemporary bluewater cruisers. VALENT benefits from brand-new topsides paint, a recent lithium-ion and intelligent charging system with solar and Hydrogenerator input, and a synthetic deck that is not only beautiful but also practical, low-maintenance, and long-lasting. Her standing rigging is recent, and she is brimming with practical and innovative features that make her an exceptional cruising platform.

Her layout below decks provides four separate sleeping cabins without using the main saloon. This makes her ideal not only for family sailing but also for larger groups looking to voyage further afield.

What truly stands out about VALENT is the care with which her owners have upgraded her. In return, she has carried them far, without fuss. She is a fully sorted bluewater yacht—ready for her next oceans.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

I was very keen to have a centre cockpit and four cabins. This was to enable a very safe passage experience with the family, to allow each girl to have her own cabin, and to provide space for any crew or friends without needing to resort to using the saloon. VALENT met the specification, and, after the normal contract formalities, she was ours.

Initially, she required a new deck, a downwind sail solution, a top-of-the-range watermaker, a new cooker, and a revamped power system. Other major enhancements we elected to fit included a bowthruster, black water holding tanks, an offshore communications suite (now including Starlink), and replacement of all navigation equipment.

Since buying VALENT, we have cruised much of the UK South Coast, the Channel Islands and Northern France, both on shakedown trips and short vacations. We subsequently sailed the Spanish, Portuguese and Moroccan Atlantic coasts, (of which Bouregreg (Rabat) was an absolute highlight), before crossing over to the Canary Islands and joining the ARC+. We then visited Cape Verde, the Caribbean Islands (Leewards and Windwards), and subsequently sailed back independently via the Azores.

VALENT’s most recent refit was from November 2022 to March 2023. Aside from rebuilding the aft deck, we rewired VALENT and upgraded the house batteries to lithium. This gave a significant boost in power, enabling her to spend longer periods at anchor and to support an increasing amount of electric cooking. We also reduced electricity consumption dramatically by converting all interior lighting to LED and fitting keel cooling for the fridge/freezer. Adding the aft deck shower proved to be incredibly useful. After departing the UK, Starlink became widely available and quickly established itself as the communications system of choice within the cruising community. We added this in November 2023, just before departing Las Palmas, and in terms of crew morale and ease of access to weather information it has been an undoubted success.

We love VALENT for her kindly ways at sea. She is a beautiful, seaworthy boat, showing great stability in inclement weather and remaining easy to handle short-handed. She is solid and keeps you comfortable at sea – there is always an appropriate sea berth available thanks to her well-thought-out interior layout.

The VALENT project was always intended as a two- to three-year family adventure, scheduled to conclude in time for our daughters to resume their education in Year 9. Mission accomplished, it is now time for VALENT to move into new ownership and embark on another bluewater adventure.