Discovery 55, SHEKINA

Broker’s Comments

Discovery 55 #040, SHEKINA, is still in her original ownership. She has a fantastic specification for bluewater, and her owners have enjoyed cruising with her in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, as well as in their lovely home waters of Norway.

The Discovery 55 is the benchmark for bluewater cruising in this size range and is specifically set up for two-handed sailing. With an easy-to-handle Solent rig featuring a furling main, genoa, and self-tacking staysail – along with all controls led to the cockpit, a proper raised deck saloon, and interior watchkeeping capabilities – she provides a perfect platform for shipboard life.

SHEKINA has been fully refitted before coming to the market. Work has included a complete review of the rig with new standing rigging, brand-new saloon windows, a bottom blast with fresh Coppercoat application, and numerous other service items to ensure she is in tip-top condition.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

We saw an article in Yachting World by Toby Hodges testing “the perfect bluewater cruiser.” At the time, we had a 1995 Hallberg-Rassy 46. As she was close to fifteen years old – it was 2009 – we wanted to upgrade. During a cruise in the Shetlands, we saw the Discovery 55 FESTINA LENTE, and after extensive research, we decided to sell our Hallberg-Rassy and sign a new build contract with Discovery’s sales director, Mark Waterhouse, for what became SHEKINA.

Getting the specification right on a new yacht is key. For us, two crucial extras were the Reckmann furlers for effortless control of the headsails, and the ability to run the central heating in the deck saloon off the main engine’s heat exchanger when under power.

After taking delivery of SHEKINA in 2012, we sailed her home to Norway up the Irish Sea, through the Caledonian Canal, and across the North Sea, followed by extensive coastal cruising in western Norway. The next season, we sailed to Shetland, the Orkneys, and the Hebrides on our way south to the Canaries for the ARC 2013. After crossing the Atlantic and making landfall in St. Lucia, we visited virtually all the Caribbean islands.

In 2014, we crossed back to Europe, visiting the Azores before heading to Gibraltar. We kept SHEKINA in the Mediterranean for a couple of years, cruising the Balearics and sailing from Alcaidesa up to Valencia on the Spanish mainland. In 2016, we crossed the Atlantic with the ARC once more, explored the ABC islands, and kept SHEKINA in Bonaire until 2017 before returning to St. Lucia and Martinique.

In May 2018, she was delivered to Alicante, giving us more wonderful sailing around the Balearics until COVID arrived. SHEKINA finally sailed home to Norway at the beginning of 2021 and has been kept in Tau since – a convenient location close to our home.

Apart from the ARC crossings, we have always sailed SHEKINA single- or double-handed. She is a dream to sail, whether in calm seas, rough weather, rain, or sunshine. SHEKINA has always been our safe haven.

We love SHEKINA because she is so easy to handle and makes us feel secure at all times. We are selling her simply because this chapter of our lives is complete – and it has been amazing. Tonje and I now want to spend more time with our grandchildren and my elderly mother (95). It isn’t fair to leave SHEKINA in her berth for long periods; she belongs on the ocean as a true bluewater cruising yacht.

Prior to putting her on the market, we had her rig fully checked, the standing rigging replaced, new deck saloon windows fitted, and a fresh coat of Coppercoat applied. All of her systems have been thoroughly serviced. We want SHEKINA’s new owners to have as much joy aboard her as we have.