Astra - SOUTHERLY FOR SALE

June 2025 update: asking price reduced from $570,000 to $499,000, firm.

Astra is a ready-to-cruise bluewater sailing yacht with a variable‑draft swing keel. She benefits from numerous recent upgrades and a focused partial refit in 2023. This rugged 2009 Southerly 49 RS deck‑saloon monohull blends performance and poise, delivering three cabins and two heads for gracious liveaboard comfort—an ideal offshore cruiser and passagemaker for voyaging across Southeast Asia.

The Southerly 49 RS features twin helms, twin rudders, a skeg‑protected propeller, a robust grounding plate, and the signature lifting/swing keel. She can dry out upright in tidal zones. Draft is 2' 10" with the keel raised and 10' 3" with it lowered—opening up shallow‑water exploration while preserving deep‑keel upwind bite. A true performance cruiser and bluewater cruiser.

Astra is berthed at the premier Sutera Harbour Marina in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on Malaysian Borneo—an exceptional gateway to Sabah and a superb launch or finale for cruises around Malaysia and beyond. Access is straightforward via international connections through Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

• Ownership Document: State of Jersey Certificate of British Registry
• Official Number: 745024
• Port: Jersey
• VAT Status: EU VAT not paid

Description

June 2025 price reduction from $570,000 to $499,000, firm. Astra is a true turn‑key blue‑water cruising boat built for range, safety, and comfort, featuring Southerly’s hallmark variable‑draft swing keel for unmatched access to both deep and skinny waters. Fresh from many recent updates and a partial refit in 2023, this robust 2009 Southerly 49 RS combines excellent sailing characteristics with generous accommodations, offering three cabins and two heads—your elegant ticket to exploring Southeast Asia by water.

The Southerly 49 RS configuration inspires confidence offshore and freedom inshore, with twin wheels and twin rudders, a skeg‑protected propeller, a sturdy grounding plate, and the variable‑draft swing keel that lets the yacht dry upright in tidal zones. With the keel raised, draft is 2' 10"; with the keel lowered, draft is 10' 3"—a transformative range that unlocks anchorages others can only admire from afar.

Astra currently lies at the beautiful Sutera Harbour Marina, Boulevard 1, Sutera Harbour, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Perfectly positioned as the gateway to discovering Sabah, Sutera Harbour Marina is an exceptional starting or ending point for a voyage across Malaysia and beyond. Getting there is simple: fly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport and connect directly to Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

Ownership is clear and straightforward: State of Jersey Certificate of British Registry; Official Number 745024; Port Jersey; VAT Status: EUR VAT is not paid.

Overview

The navigation, communication, and control suite is comprehensively updated for confident passagemaking: 7 at the nav station pairs with a Raymarine Axiom 9R at the helm (2025), all tied together by a Seatalk NMEA2000 backbone and supported by ten ST60+ multifunction displays. Radar coverage comes from Raymarine Quantum (2020), while steering precision is delivered by a Raymarine AutoPilot Acu 400 (2024); notably, the Lewmark rotary autopilot sprocket drive, autopilot chain, and bar transmission were replaced in 2023. For connectivity offshore and at anchor, Astra carries Starlink high performance (2023) and IridiumGo (2020). Situational awareness and safety are enhanced by AIS em‑trak B924 (2024) and an EPIRB Global Fix V4 (2020). Close‑quarters handling is effortless thanks to a Bow Thruster (Lewmar 185 TT, new control box and new gearbox kit in 2024).

On deck and in the cockpit, comfort meets capability: the cockpit features deeply cushioned seating, cockpit cushions, a bimini top, and a spray hood, with twin wheels and rudders for superb control. An aluminum arch carries mounts for solar, radar, and the wind generator, while the Dodger and Bimini received new clear panels in 2024. Ground tackle is expedition‑ready, with an anchor roller featuring an attachment point for the downwind sail, and a Lofrans Tigre 12V/1500W windlass with a 2023 service kit feeding an 80M (262 feet) galvanized chain (2023); a primary anchor is onboard, complemented by a secondary Rocna with 49 feet of chain and 196 feet of rode, and a stainless steel stern anchor on an electric windlass (sleipner control box replaced in 2024). The coach roof windows are properly sealed and water‑tight, and the deck plan emphasizes ventilation and light with ten opening deck hatches, including four upgraded Goiot deck hatches, teak decks, seven deck hatches including four Goiot deck hatches, reflective glass coach roof windows, and eight hull windows. Safe movement is assured by lifelines with port and starboard boarding gates and integral handrails on either side of the coachroof. A transom garage with a fold‑down platform, ladder, and swim ladder makes water access easy and elegant.

Mechanically, Astra is powered by a Yanmar 4JH4‑TE 75 HP 4‑cylinder diesel, breathing through two diesel tanks and turning a stainless steel shaft and bronze three‑blade prop via a ZF gearbox overhauled in 2025; a spare ZF gearbox (new in 2025) rides aboard. In 2025 she also received a new damper, shaft seal, stuffing box, clear water pump, and injector tuning, with routine maintenance performed every 250 hours. Electrical generation under way is supported by an 80 amp alternator and an engine start battery (2024). The driveline is engineered for reliability with a GRP stern tube and a water‑lubricated stern gland. Close‑in handling is refined by a Lewmar 185TT bow thruster (serviced, new control box, and gearbox kit 2024) with a control at the port helm.

The plumbing and domestic systems are equally cruise‑ready: a Shenker Zen 12‑volt watermaker delivering 50 L/h was reconditioned in 2025; laundry is handled by a Soba Babynova 1150 rapid (2022). Two non‑metallic freshwater tanks feed a fresh water pressure pump (2025), while onboard drainage is managed by shower sump pumps, a manual bilge pump, and an electric bilge pump. Grey water management is robust with two grey water tank pumps and one spare (2025). Comfort and convenience extend to a Jabsco electric toilet with a new pump (2024) and a water heater.

The electrical architecture blends independence with shore‑side compatibility: a 12‑volt DC system and a 230‑volt system with shore power connection and cord are isolated by a Mastervolt Mass GI 3.5 transformer (2023). Renewable generation is abundant, with a SilentWind 400‑watt wind generator (2022) on the arch, a watt&sea 300‑watt hydro generator (2022), two 450‑watt solar panels on the arch (2023), and two 22‑watt solar panels on deck dedicated to the engine battery (2023). Storage and power conversion are handled by five 100‑watt Victron lithium batteries with an additional breaker (2023), an engine start battery (2024), three Victron charge controllers, and a Mastervolt Combimaster 12/3000‑volt inverter/charger (2023). Astra is not equipped with a generator; however, all required electrical and plumbing connections are present, and she was previously fitted with a Fischer Panda 5000i.

Southerly’s variable draft swing keel is a defining strength of the 49, delivering deep‑keel performance and shallow‑water freedom at the touch of a button: lower it to 10' 3" for powerful upwind drive and tracking, or raise it to 2' 10" to slip into lagoons and dry out upright in tidal zones. The swing keel is a substantial cast‑iron hydrofoil, carefully shaped for lift and low drag, pivoting on a robust stainless steel pin at its leading edge. It retracts into a reinforced trunk integrated into the hull, preserving strength and watertight integrity in any position. A significant portion of the ballast—11,530 lbs—is carried in a fixed iron casting that forms the grounding plate. The keel moves via a hydraulic ram powered by an electric pump, with a manual pump for redundancy. The grounding plate, swing keel, pulleys, keel pennant, and keel pump were serviced in 2023.

Further notes and safety equipment round out the offering: fresh bottom paint (2025); the grounding plate, swing keel, pulleys, pennant, and hydraulic keel pump overhauled (2023); Yamaha Enduro noted among the equipment; a Sea Safe 6‑person life raft (2022); and an outboard, the 8 HP Yamaha Enduro (2023).