UK Google searches for the Oyster 595 have broken out this month, so we turned to Oyster’s own figures for the 62ft 6in bluewater cruiser built to cross oceans with only a couple aboard.
There is a particular kind of November daydream that afflicts British sailors once the boat is ashore, the cockpit cover is on and the forecast is a procession of gales, and it usually involves trade winds, turquoise anchorages and a yacht large enough to make the whole thing feel effortless, which may go some way towards explaining why Google Trends shows UK searches for the Oyster 595 breaking out over the past 30 days. Nobody at Old Sea Dogs can say for certain what has set it off, although Oyster has had a busy autumn, showing the 595 at the Barcelona International Boat Show in October and launching its new P60 power catamaran on 29 October, so we did what any sensible person should do before falling in love with a 60ft yacht and went to the builder’s own specification sheet.
Oyster’s current version is the 595SII, and its numbers are those of a proper ocean-going home rather than a weekend toy. The builder lists her at 19.05m (62ft 6in) overall, with a hull length of 18.14m (59ft 6in), a waterline of 16.81m (55ft 2in) and a beam of 5.36m (17ft 7in), and with the standard keel she draws 2.68m (8ft 10in) and displaces 30,807kg, which is a very substantial amount of reassurance when the Atlantic gets lumpy. For those who prefer creeks to oceans there is a centreboard version that draws just 1.79m (5ft 10in) with the board up and 4.06m (13ft 4in) with it down, and the air draft is about 26.81m (88ft), which rather rules out any idea of exploring above the bridges.
The tanks tell you a good deal about how Oyster expects her to be used, with 1,345 litres of fuel and 1,004 litres of water, while power comes from a Yanmar 4LV-150 rated at 110kW (150hp) and an Onan 11kW diesel generator that Oyster says is almost silent thanks to its sound shield and anti-vibration mounts. Sail area is 167 square metres with in-mast furling or 177 square metres with slab reefing, and the builder makes a point of fitting push-button hydraulic in-mast furling, Seldén Furlex hydraulic headsail furling and electric mainsail and genoa winches as standard, together with Sleipner retractable bow and stern thrusters, all of which is precisely the equipment a middle-aged couple needs if they intend to sail a 60-footer without hiring a crew of strapping 25-year-olds.
Below decks, Oyster describes room for up to eight family, friends or crew, with its signature seascape windows in the saloon and owner’s cabin, an oak interior with walnut-veneered cabin soles as standard and a choice of walnut, maple and cherry, and a choice of layouts that includes an aft ensuite master cabin. The Humphreys-designed hull has twin rudders, and Oyster says each hull and deck moulding is built to Lloyd’s Register certification, with Lloyd’s surveyors signing them off during the build, while the options list runs to a hydraulic bathing platform, an extended transom with a larger lazarette and a 1.9m retractable hydraulic passerelle for those who like to step ashore in Antibes without getting their deck shoes wet.
The 595 has also become something of a test bed, because Oyster is currently trialling Frigomar variable-speed air conditioning aboard one, as we reported in October, and the builder supports owners with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, a worldwide service network and the Oyster World Rally, its fully supported circumnavigation, which goes some way to explaining the brand’s fiercely loyal following. The owners quoted on Oyster’s own page include Kari Rinko of 595-02 Karioca III, who singles out the craftsmanship and his customised requests, including a bespoke rum tank in the cockpit, which is the sort of detail that tells you more about Oyster ownership than any brochure.
Oyster does not publish a new-boat price on its 595SII page, and anyone tempted will be talking to the builder or to Oyster Brokerage about specific boats, but the figures alone explain why the 595 keeps turning up in the dreams of people who have spent a long summer squeezing into a 34-footer in a crowded Solent marina. It is, by any measure, a great deal of boat, built in Britain to cross oceans, and if the searches are anything to go by, plenty of us are at least pricing up the dream from the comfort of a warm sofa.
