Hylas 46 Cutter

For over 30 years now, Queen Long Marine in Taiwan has been building 12 to 16 terrific, blue-water capable boats a year ranging in size from 46 to 70 feet. Their overall build quality is as good as or better than any other production builder in the world today.  They are also one of the few yards that allow a significant amount of owner-customization on the interior layout of each boat.  So each Hylas, regardless of size, becomes a unique boat that reflects the original owner’s style and sailing preferences.

With Fetching Light, the owners were looking for a safe, comfortable and fast passage-making boat that could be self-sufficient for 6-8 month periods in the vast Pacific Ocean where routine passages are measured in multiple weeks and boat parts or services are very limited once you venture very far off the west coast of North America.  The interior and deck layout of Fetching Light is unique and reflects their design goals in significant ways.  The salon seating cushions easily convert into 2 comfortable sleeping berths on port and starboard where boat motion and noise is minimized at sea.  Live aboard comfort is enhanced by a propane-fired, tankless hot water heater installed in lieu of the standard tank heater.  That swap provides endless hot water on demand and saves enough space for a 16000 BTU air conditioning/heating unit servicing the salon and aft cabin.  The large bow sail locker provides needed storage area for sails, tools, and other wet gear that is accessible from either the interior or the deck.  The house batteries are intelligently located in one large 1290 AH bank on centerline, deep in the hull.  That arrangement not only improves the boat’s stability and sailing characteristics by increasing the ballast/displacement ratio, but also frees up significant storage area otherwise committed to 5 8D house batteries scattered throughout the boat.

When we first set off on our cruising adventures in the Pacific 8 years ago, we thought we had a well prepared boat.  That was true for the first several years as we enjoyed coastal cruising in the relatively gentle waters of Mexico learning the boat.  However once we ventured further offshore, we quickly realized that blue water cruising in the Pacific is far more demanding than coastal cruising.  

To survive offshore we were forced to invest substantial time and money to improve cockpit safety and upgrade our electrical power generation capability.  Strengthening the dodger and bimini to stand up to high winds and big boarding seas dramatically improved our cockpit comfort and safety.  Adding wind, solar and water power generating systems virtually eliminated running the genset or engine to charge the batteries with an added bonus of extending our motoring range under power.  These and other upgrades transformed Fetching Light from a blue water-capable coastal cruising boat, into a comfortable and exceptionally capable offshore cruising boat.  That’s a very significant milestone that less than 1% of all cruising boats ever achieve.

But what really separates Fetching Light from other boats, is the fantastic way she sails.  Within a cruising context, she is both comfortable and fast with minimum effort.  In fact, she’s the fastest passage making Hylas 46 on the water today.  That big talk is true because of her unique sail plan physics.  With 3 furling headsails, 2 telescoping whisker poles and 3 reefs in the main, you have a good sail plan for any breeze, light or heavy, on any point of sail, upwind or downwind, that will maximize sailing performance.  All the sails are easily managed by one or two people, mostly without leaving the safety and protection of the cockpit.  That translates into easy additional course made good miles every day.  We know this is true because even sailing conservatively as we always do, on long passages in similar weather, we routinely log faster passage times than much larger monohulls or even cruising catamarans.  And never once, even in sustained 45-50 knot wind with big seas for days on end, has anyone on board ever felt threatened at sea.

Now, after sailing thousands of miles in the Pacific, from 60 North to 40 South, Fetching Light has probably confronted every wind and sea condition any prudent sailor is likely to encounter.  All the major equipment and systems have been thoroughly sorted out, tested and proven.  In almost all respects, Fetching Light is a far better boat today than when she was commissioned 8 years ago. 

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