Roughly 40 boats were built during a ten-year production run in the 1970s and 1980s. Most came from Philbrooks Shipyards in Sydney, British Columbia, while a handful—including Francis Stokes’ Moonshine—were built by Tollycraft in Kelso, Washington. The design established its bluewater credentials early: Stokes sailed Moonshine to second place in Class 2 of the inaugural 1982–83 BOC Challenge, a singlehanded race around the world.
Design and Construction
Garden’s design philosophy for the 39 called for reducing deadrise to the minimum needed to avoid pounding under power into a head sea. He cut away the forefoot to reduce wetted surface and widened the beam to provide initial stability and sail-carrying power with proportionally less ballast and displacement.
The hull lines fair aft into a canoelike bustle that merges with the rudder skeg. Below the water, a performance-enhanced split-foil arrangement combines a moderately long, shallow fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder. Internal ballast—7,500 pounds of lead in later castings—fits precisely inside a molded keel cavity. Because the ballast sits within an FRP skin, the boat doesn’t require keelbolts.
The Fast Passage 39 measures 39'6" overall and 33'6" on the waterline, with an 11'10" beam and 5'6" draft. Displacement is 21,000 pounds, producing a ballast-displacement ratio of about 36 percent and a displacement-length ratio of 249. Those figures place it squarely in the moderate-displacement cruising category. The generous 12-foot beam contributes buoyancy and form stability, while sufficient volume below the waterline helps dampen motion in a seaway and improves tracking off the wind.
Philbrooks offered the original boat either as a hull-and-deck kit or as a shipyard-finished yacht built to a very high standard. Later versions from Noah Corporation, called the Millennium Fast Passage, used closed-cell Airex core in the topsides, solid fiberglass below the waterline, and rigid AirLite core in the deck. These boats were hand-laid with vinylester resins and given a Duratec barrier coat to resist blistering, all to ABYC standards.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
With a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of around 16.7, the cutter rig carries generous sail without being overpowering. It’s versatile and manageable across a wide range of wind and sea conditions.
Writing in Cruising World, Francis Stokes described the 39 as an excellent all-around sea boat. He noted that, even when sailing against a Valiant 40, he would shorten sail sooner yet always seemed to travel as fast. Despite the boat’s cruising character, he found the hull effective in light air. He also reported that the 5'6" draft worked well downwind in anxious conditions.
The large skeg provides structural strength and laminar flow, while the oversized rudder, set well aft, gives good helm response. Moonshine reacted quickly enough to keep square to steep following waves and remained directionally stable while surfing without a towed drogue.
Stokes did note one limitation: leeway became a problem when heel exceeded 20 degrees, so reefing the main was a regular drill. Going to weather, he often sailed with a double-reefed main, staysail, and storm jib.
Accommodations
The companionway is offset to starboard, freeing space for a generous owner’s double in the port hip. This private port-side cabin also provides ample storage. Just outboard of the companionway is a forward-facing navigation station; Garden’s original plan included space for a narrow navigator’s berth aft of the chart table.
Opposite, the traditional U-shaped galley faces outboard to port and is arranged for offshore work. A single head and shower are to starboard.
Forward of the mast, the saloon has an L-shaped settee to port, a drop-leaf dinette amidships, and a longitudinal settee to starboard. A 6'6" V-berth occupies the bow and is ventilated by a large offshore hatch. Garden described this forward area as a good two-berth coast cabin with lockers and a sit-around saloon.
Companionway ladder access is steep by modern standards. A woodstove was originally specified on the bulkhead between the head and starboard settee; in the Millennium version, a smaller Dickenson Antarctic replaced it to create more head space. Two interior arrangements were originally offered: the stateroom layout and a sunken-deckhouse option.
Known Issues
The tumblehome that gives the Fast Passage 39 its attractive lines also leaves the hull vulnerable, and optional rub strakes were suggested for protection.
The original forward fuel tank could become immersed and, when full, adversely affect trim. Later versions relocated it aft. On the original boat, using the emergency tiller was awkward because it required opening the after lazarette—an unacceptable arrangement in a seaway.
Some earlier exhaust installations allowed following seas to enter the manifold. A re-engineered vented loop using Vetus parts addressed the problem.
Millennium Updates and Ownership
The Millennium Fast Passage received a redesigned deck laminate that eliminated balsa core. This provided a more solid base for jib-track attachments and produced a stiffer, rot-resistant structure.
The mainsheet traveler moved from the cockpit to either the cabintop or aft coaming, reducing cockpit clutter. Hinges and slides on interior components made engine access easier, while an optional engine upgrade with a larger shaft addressed complaints that the auxiliary was underpowered.
Other changes included removable cabin-sole panels for bilge access, aft-swept spreaders for better support and tighter sheeting, and HF radio bonding built into the hull.
Surviving boats vary widely in rigs, engines, tankage, and interior appointments—a natural result of the mix of kit-built and fully finished yachts.
Verdict
The Fast Passage 39 is a thoughtfully evolved Garden cruiser. It traded Bolero’s full keel for a more nimble split-foil underbody and went on to prove itself in a singlehanded around-the-world race. It offers sea-kindly motion, directional stability, and a practical offshore interior, though the tumblehome and emergency-tiller access deserve a buyer’s attention.
Pros
- Garden-designed canoe-stern cutter with a proven BOC pedigree
- Moderate-displacement hull with dampened motion and good tracking off the wind
- Versatile cutter rig that works in light air and heavy weather
- Roomy port-side owner’s cabin and secure U-shaped galley
Cons
- Tumblehome hull is vulnerable without rub strakes
- Emergency-tiller access is impractical in a seaway
- Forward fuel tank imposes a trim penalty in the original layout
- Earlier exhaust arrangements are vulnerable to following seas
