Firefly is a Humphreys Yachting World 42, originally commissioned by Andrew Bray, the former Editor of Yachting World, and designed by Rob Humphreys, one of the world’s foremost designers.

Every detail was meticulously considered throughout the build process and the result is a very capable yacht with extremely attractive lines and many innovative features. Constructed in epoxied Cedar Strip with 2 layers of hardwood veneer and a final outside layer of glass and epoxy (similar to Spirit Yachts), she is very strong, particularly around the keel and the bow, where she has a watertight bulkhead. Finished in Awlgrip with teak laid decks she weighs in lightship at just over 9 tonnes, with half of that weight in the lead fin keel. Her principle design consideration was to be a superb sailing boat particularly for extended trade wind cruising and her performance is excellent even when fully loaded. Very easy to handle, she is well suited to a crew of 2, 3 or 4 on passage although she does have 7 berths. She is comfortable and easy to move around in a seaway. The cockpit is large and well protected, and she is configured with plenty of stowage so that there is nothing extra on deck, everything like fenders and outboard have a place.

The most prominent of her special features is the Hoyt Jib Boom built by Carbospars. When Matthew Sheahan of Yachting World test sailed Firefly just after her launch, he commented in his article that it is like a ‘turbo charger’. The overall sail area is not that large, as she is a relatively lightweight boat, but the rig is efficient and the well laid out controls, all led back to the cockpit, make it easy to handle. The Hoyt Jib Boom means she is self-tacking to windward. It then enables very deep broad reaching without losing power in the headsail and is absolutely superb directly downwind, when flipped over to the other side to run ‘wing on wing’. Please see the photograph of Firefly sailing like this in French Polynesia, we have sailed in this configuration for 1000’s of miles, with the bowsprit tack line acting as a simple preventer.

Well known by the World Cruising Club, Firefly completed ARC 2001 shortly after being fully commissioned. She then spent 2 seasons in the Caribbean prior to crossing the Atlantic back to the UK. She was not used a great deal in the following years and we bought her from Andrew Bray at the end of 2008. We cruised Firefly extensively in our local waters. We had many successful trips locally and to France, Ireland and Scotland, plus we raced quite successfully (and carefully) in the Triangle Race and the Three Peaks. We then set off to sail around the World!

Our circumnavigation started in September 2013 when we left for the Caribbean. There we joined the World ARC in January 2014. On reaching Fiji, we dropped off the WARC for a year and visited New Zealand, re joining the next edition of the rally as it passed through the Pacific. We did the same thing the following year and visited SE Asia, eventually completing the World ARC in April 2017. Heading home we crossed the Atlantic with ARC Europe and, by August 2018, Firefly was safely back on her mooring in Salcombe.

We had a fantastic experience on the World ARC and, despite being one of the lower budget boats in the fleet, it never felt like a compromise. In fact we would sail along at the same speed as boats like the Discovery 55 and Amel 54 and on the longer passages, Firefly would often arrive days ahead of the other 40 to 50 footers. Clearly, good sailing performance is a very desirable feature of a yacht, but it also means you can avoid bad weather more easily and get more time at the rendezvous. Firefly also keeps sailing in lighter winds due to her weight and sail plan, adding to the enjoyment and reducing the fuel bills.

Due to Andrew Bray’s connections with the marine industry, Firefly was fitted with the very best equipment available and we have continued in the same way as items have gradually been replaced. When we were in Cape Town we had a brand new Sparcraft rig, Harken furler and all new standing and running rigging in 2017. At the beginning of 2021 we started using a new set of Hood Vectran Premier Offshore sails – this is her 3^rd set of Vectran sails from Hood, the design improved each time and they are superb. The mainsail is fully battened with single line slab reefing with a lazyjacks stack pack on the boom also from Hood, all control lines are led back to the cockpit. There is a large sprayhood with a zippable centre window plus a bimini and a host of other top and side panels for avoiding sun or weather.

The boat was repainted in Awlgrip in 2016 when in Malaysia by Prestige Marine, and in 2008 had a new teak deck at the Berthon Boat yard. Since being back in the UK the teak has been protected annually with Semco which looks great and avoids any degradation. The engine is a Yanmar 4JH3e with the highest spec gearbox, anti-vibration shaft drive with a feathering Varioprop. Instruments are all from Raymarine, with an SPX 10 autopilot and ST7002 controller which controls the precise steering exceptionally well. New batteries were installed in 2020 and there are 330 Amp hours in the house bank. The batteries are charged by a high power Balmar alternator, a bank of solar panels and when on passage, a towed generator. The Lofrans windlass was new in 2018 and there is a 2017 Rocnor 25Kg anchor on 80 metres of 10mm McDuff chain.

Down below, Firefly is well appointed and comfortable but was purposefully specified to be practical at sea. The finish is teak with cream painted bulkheads and has the lovely feel of a wooden boat. Well laid out Lewmar hatches and dorade vents provide good circulation to keep the temperature manageable when in the tropics. Cushions are Alcantara in mid blue, there are cream head linings and Corian finished surfaces in the L shaped galley. The forepeak is the master cabin with a double pocket sprung mattress. Going aft there is the head to starboard and a full size shower to port. The saloon is the traditional layout with a double to port and a single to starboard. There is a double aft cabin to starboard and an equipment/storage cabin to port for the watermaker and freezer. This cabin is also configured as an occasional sleeping cabin (8th berth) when cruising locally with the watermaker removed.

In summary, Firefly is a superb sailing yacht, fully equipped for cruising local waters and long distance trade wind sailing. She has been well proven on the ARC and World ARC rallies and is ready to go again. 

We are open to offers. We are planning to sell her with the inventory listed in the specification as a minimum. There is then a list of additional cruising equipment which can be added if required with the agreed price adjusted accordingly. 

Firefly is moored in Salcombe, Devon, just off Scoble Point at the entrance to the Bag. She has been out of the water this winter and has recently been antifouled and recommissioned.  If you would like to view her please contact Paul Ellis by phone or email and we can arrange a test sail.