Discovery 67, SAPPHIRE II OF LONDON

Broker’s Comments

Discovery 67, SAPPHIRE II is the most highly specified in her class to launch. She boasts custom touches, including teak floorboards and interior fit-out and furnishings, all designed by the Ken Frevoikh design office. She was conceived and built for the World ARC, which she completed happily and without any issues.

She has been meticulously maintained, regardless of cost, and regularly upgraded. She is the second Discovery for her owners. Around £500,000 was spent on the extras inventory to equip her to the highest standards in all respects. She is the perfect platform for bluewater cruising in utmost comfort and great style.

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Owner’s Comments

SAPPHIRE II OF LONDON is a truly exceptional yacht, one that has proven herself not just in marinas and on coastal passages, but across some of the world’s most demanding and rewarding ocean routes. As our second Discovery, she represents the pinnacle of what a bluewater cruising yacht should be: exceptionally safe, wonderfully stable, and genuinely sea-kindly in all conditions.

Over more than a decade of ownership, we have logged an extraordinary 47,000 nautical miles together. Whether running 200+ nautical miles day after day on a long ocean passage or arriving in a beautiful harbour after a challenging crossing, SAPPHIRE II carries herself with the quiet authority of a yacht that knows exactly what she was built for. SAPPHIRE II behaves like a large dingy and both experienced and novice crew all have enjoyed her responsive feel and feeling of safety and robustness.

Few yachts of any size can claim the ocean miles that SAPPHIRE II has sailed and is the equivalent of circling the globe twice; a testament to both the extraordinary capability of this Discovery 67 and to the care and investment lavished on her throughout our ownership. SAPPHIRE II has not simply crossed oceans; she has explored them, calling at some of the most sought-after and remote cruising destinations on earth.

Voyages

We have sailed her to Norway, threading through dramatic fjords and remote anchorages all the way to the Lofoten Islands, a breathtaking Arctic Archipelago. She was super comfortable during this trip coping with torrential rain, microclimates and ever-changing weather and rewarding us with breathtaking scenery, remote outposts and stunning sunsets.

We traversed the Bay of Biscay several times before travelling across the Atlantic as Part of the World Arc fleet. We took her to St Vincent and the Grenadines, stunning, and then up to Antigua for Christmas.

After travelling to the amazing San Blas Islands and Colombia we traversed the Panama Canal and continued onto the Galapagos via Las Perlas. SAPPHIRE II coped really well with the more temperate and hotter Equatorial conditions.

From the Galapagos the downwind sail to Nuku Hiva and French Polynesia was incredible. With her enormous parasailer she munched miles with ease, and we regularly sailed 200 NM per day.

Covid lockdown restrictions meant that the World Arc was halted (we were part of a friendly group called ‘Sailors of the Lost Arc’) and we had to review how to proceed. We decided to make our own way to New Zealand, where she had a well deserved refit and her batteries were changed to Lithium. We explored the Bay of Islands and then spent a Summer in Fiji before going to Brisbane via Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Sailing into Vanuatu with its glowing volcano and following Cook’s historic passage has to be an extraordinary highlight.

After a season in the Whitsundays, we then headed off to Indonesia and in the Komodo National Park we anchored by deserted beaches watching dragons on the shore.

The trip across the Indian Ocean took in Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling – before Mauritius and finally Cape Town.

During these long passages SAPPHIRE II comes into her own. She sails beautifully in all but the lightest of winds; less than 5 knots of wind she relies on her very trusty Volvo engine. Her navigation station is a joy to all crew providing a 240 degree view and an overview of the yacht in motion.

Her fridge capacity gives fresh food for a minimum of 10 days, even in very hot conditions and the icemaker really comes into its own. The freezer is huge and we can honestly say that the galley and the accessories allowed us to circumnavigate with amazing food. We were able to barbecue freshly caught fish, a true luxury.

The cabins are super comfy, there is plenty of space for up to 8 people easily.

The cockpit is wonderful. It is a comfortable, social place but is protective and feels incredibly safe in high seas and bad weather. The parties at anchor are too numerous to mention but SAPPHIRE II appears to attract other crews as an epicentre of fun and elegance.