Sylphe Today … Poetry on Water …
In 1999 her new Dutch owners sailed SYLPHE to Turkey and set about a 7-month total overhaul to make her more suitable for Mediterranean charter and live-aboard use. Although the interior had to be completely stripped out and rebuilt to provide more comfortable accommodation and headroom, the original hull timbers and planking -having endured such a long submersion so many years ago – were found to be in excellent order. Only a couple of rot-infected frames had to be replaced.
SYLPHE still has none of the steel bracing and reinforcement that many other yachts of her day now need to keep them in sailing order. She retains her original mast winches and her unique, custom made cockpit sheet winches. Now equipped with all the modern trappings of a top-quality cruising yacht, including satnav, full B&G sailing instrumentation, water-maker, autopilot, etc., SYLPHE has also be seen taking part in classic yacht regattas at St Tropez, Cannes, and at other glamorous yacht harbours.
Over the last two decades she has spent most of her time in the quieter parts of the Med. Looking for that beautiful anchorage, a harbour not known or an island not yet overrun by tourists. Logging some 4,000 miles every year…for every of the last 20 years!
SYLPHE sailed all around the Black Sea: Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. She has wintered all around the Mediterranean Sea, from Turkey to Malta, to Tunisia and Greece.
The owners were committed to her maintenance and beauty, but also making sure that she was equipped with -far more than- the essentials for cruising in luxury on a boat this size. Kids, families, friends, races, peace at anchor….it was all provided for. And indeed SYLPHE has everything that is needed to make that happen in style.
And still she is as original as could possibly be. There is no generator. The mast, boom and hull are still original. The deck lay-out was restored to its original design. All winches are original, and the principal cockpit winches are unique in the world. The main sail sheet does not even feature a winch at all. How special is that?
