The ultimate performance cruising yacht… this is an accolade, which has been bestowed upon the Starlight 39 by press and public alike. Here is a yacht, which exudes power and whose sleek lines and distinctive styling make her one of the most handsome boats afloat. Launched in 1990 as the first of the new generation of Sadlers, the 39 instantly received wide acclaim, representing as she did a major step forward in the design and construction of performance offshore cruisers.
This is a yacht, which effortlessly swallows mile after mile, which shrinks oceans and covers the ground more quickly and comfortably than most yachtsmen ever thought possible.
Under sail, her powerful hull lines and efficient rig, combine with a choice of fin or the exceptional wing keel, to give her the feel and smoothness of motion of a much larger yacht.
Under power, she handles like a smaller yacht, displaying outstanding manoeuvrability, complete predictability and total obedience.
The Starlight 39’s seaworthiness and ease of handling on a long passage were subjected to a stringent test early on, when the owners of the first boat successfully completed the gruelling 1990 two-handed trans-Atlantic race from Plymouth to Newport, USA. A third of the fleet was forced to retire, but the husband and wife team of Hugh and Angela Farrant survived the continuous onslaught of gales and “Spring Gold” became one of the few production boats to finish, along with two Sadler 34s! This Starlight 39 completed the return crossing soon afterwards, clocking up a regular 200 miles per day, with the spinnaker firmly stowed in its bag!
On a more local scale, one boat on passage to the East Coast of England found herself off Brighton, within seven hours of leaving Poole – a distance of 80 miles! Only plain sail was flown and the cruising owner was not trying to break any records, though he did admit to rather enjoying surfing at sixteen knots down the front of waves with the boat under perfect control!
The Starlight 39 provides a degree of choice rarely found in production boats and equipment options are selected to suit each owner’s needs. However, the standard specification is comprehensive, allowing the boat to be put in the water and sailed away with a minimum of additions. Self tailing winches all round, fully battened mainsail with lazyjacks, and roller furling genoa all came as part of the standard package. This enables the power of this highly efficient rig to be easily controlled by just one or two people, without the need for additional equipment.
Sadler were able to offer a degree of customisation with the 39 and within certain constraints imposed by the positioning of major bulkheads, a number of variations could be incorporated. The majority of Starlights were however delivered exactly as they were originally designed – this is a boat whose design is difficult to improve upon.
The Starlight 39 has proven once and for all that a cruising yacht can be fast, and that a fast yacht can be comfortable and easily handled. When all these qualities are blend together in one craft, which also displays a level of design flair and build quality second-to-none, is there really a need to look any further?
| Principal Dimensions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| L.O.A. | 40′ 5 “ | 12.32m | |
| L.O.D. | 39′ 1″ | 11.91m | |
| L.W.L. | 31′ 4″ | 9.55m | |
| Beam | 12′ 6″ | 3.81m | |
| Draft | (fin keel) | 6′ 9″ | 2.05m |
| (shallow fin) | 5′ 5″ | 1.65m | |
| (wing keels) | 5′ 3″ | 1.60m | |
| Displacement | 17,500 lb | 7,937 kg | |
| Ballast | 7,300 lb | 3,312 kg | |
| Ballast Ratio | 42% | 42% | |
| Fuel | 40 gals | 182 litres | |
| Water | 58 gals | 263 litres | |
| Sail Areas | |||
| 100% Foretriangle | 714 sq ft | 66.30 sq m | |
| Main | 346 sq ft | 32.00 sq m | |
| Roller Reefing Genoa | 550 sq ft | 51.15 sq m | |
| No. 1 Genoa | 562 sq ft | 52.00 sq m | |
| No. 2 Genoa | 500 sq ft | 46.00 sq m | |
| No. 3 Genoa | 375 sq ft | 35.00 sq m | |
| Storm Jib | 150 sq ft | 14.00 sq m | |
| Spinnaker | 1,180 sq ft | 110.60 sq m | |
| Rig Measurements | |||
| I | 50.00 ft | 15.24 m | |
| J | 14.70 ft | 4.48 m | |
| P | 43.25 ft | 13.18 m | |
| E | 16.00 ft | 4.88 m | |
