The first award winning Hylas H57 has arrived on the east coast US. Cause for celebration and a great way to start the new year.
This extraordinary yacht made her first public appearance in January at the Hylas Fleet Review in Fort Lauderdale. Interested parties were accompanied on private tours and enjoyed opportunities to take her out on the water. A beautiful suite of North 3di Sails and Dixons attention to performance detail ensured she was able to capitalize on every ounce of wind pressure. Hylas H57 in Florida light air. This Hylas H57 will be based in Fort Lauderdale for the rest of the winter season where in-person viewings and test sails, as well as virtual “online” guided tours, are now available.
There are a number of design enhancements that Bill Dixon has brought to the Hylas range with this model. Performance wise the twin rudders and the solent rig with a self tacking jib make balancing the yacht easy in all conditions. Comfort underway has been improved with a designer hardtop and integrated windshield. The optional extending awning over the aft deck also brings a whole new level of relaxation when it comes to dockside “apres sail” comfort. Other characteristics that we have come to expect from Hylas such as build quality, ocean crossing capability and the benefits that the center cockpit brings to living space below remain intact.
In recognition of this innovative design and quality build she has been awarded the Best New Yacht Development award by the Yacht Building Association of Taiwan.
The new owners of this yacht – SV Vanishing Point – are Hylas executives Peggy Huang & David Crafa. Peggy & David have taken full advantage of the Hylas yard’s willingness to customize by introducing some unique enhancements. We asked David to highlight a few of the many additions he is looking forward to being able to share with the next generation of Hylas owners. To make things easier we asked Dave to identify the coolest enhancement in three categories. Performance, comfort and navigation equipment. A deliberate oversight being given to safety which should be first, last and always on any yacht. We wanted to focus on the nice to have not the need to have.
“There is so much innovation with this yacht I just couldn’t resist making some personal spec choices that would reflect our vision for such a forwarded thinking design.”
I do want to add that we have had great support from industry partners. Recognizing that this yacht will be a Hylas show yacht there are a good number of “latest development” and or “top of the range” items that manufacturers wanted to see on board. A detailed run down of these options and enhancements can be found here.
SV Vanishing Point – Options & Upgrades
Only being allowed to pick three is like asking which is the favorite child! Within the categories outlined here’s my top 3:
Performance — North’s 3Di sails in black are going to look awesome! I’m also excited about the spinnaker they are making for us. As far as the 3Di sails go the sustained shape and lightweight will help me get every fraction of a knot I can. Endurance and the super thin material will help with longevity and make furling systems even more reliable. Speed and performance are not just for racers, it makes a huge difference to passage planning and avoiding weather as well.
Comfort — The Xantrex high capacity Lithium Ion battery and charging system complete with 1200W of their new low profile solar panels will allow for aircon and heating run times of over 12 hours running directly from the house 24v battery banks without having to charge. Undisturbed sleep at anchor without a generator running is something we really enjoy.
Navigation — The Raymarine‘s Augmented Reality System as well as cutting edge FLIR thermal imaging cameras mounted in critical areas. This data, in addition to all the other systems on the network, can be displayed and/or controlled from any of the 3 Axiom 16XL multi displays. We can even mirror these screens through bluetooth on personal devices and TVs.
