Freja is a Discovery 55, built at the Discovery Yachts Yard in Southampton, England.

The Discovery story begins with John and Caroline Charnley, a couple who were searching for their “perfect” sailing boat  for a ’round the world voyage.  They couldn’t find that “perfect” boat, so they commissioned Ron Holland to design one with all the features they wanted.

John and Caroline wanted a modern performance yacht that could easily be handled by a couple, yet large enough to comfortably accommodate friends and family on an extended cruise. They wanted a boat that felt safe and secure in heavy weather, and had classic, elegant lines.  Discovery 55 number one was born and christened “Discovery Magic”.

Thrilled with their new boat, they decided to invest in their own yard in Marchwood, just outside Southampton.  Their goal was to replicate their fabulous yacht.  They later introduced the 67, the 57 and a 50-foot catamaran. During 2015 they launched both the 58 and the 48.

All of the Discovery yachts out there are bespoke and each one is different.  While the hull remains the same for each model, everything else could be modified, coloured or created as the buyer wished.  We asked for quite a few modifications — one of them is a workroom with 6 drawers to house our tools and spare parts as well as a workbench, instead  of the usual pullman berth.

Freja, number 48 of the Discovery 55 range, was christened at Ocean Village Marina in Southampton on July 6, 2015.  She is the only 55 with a shoal draft of 1.8 meters.  She has a Watt & Sea hydro generator and a SuperWind wind generator in addition to solar panels. The goal is to use diesel as little as possible.

Freja now has an aluminium insulated hardtop with almost 2,00 watts of solar panels on its roof.  She also has new a lithium battery (400 Ah) system that was installed at Vindö Marin in Sweden in 2024. The lithium battery installation has enabled us to switch to a GM Espace induction stove and convection oven. No more gas on the boat! And since we use a Torqueedo electric motor for the dinghy, there’s no gasoline either.

To see the photos of the build process click here.