I noticed that your boats keep getting bigger and bigger. What do you consider the best minimum size for cruising? My dream is to sail down the coast of California to Mexico, Panama Canal, Caribbean, and then Greece, Italy, France, and England. Thanks for writing what looks like a wonderful book. Sincerely yours, Sal
Hi Sal: It is not as much the boat as the crew. In the 60s and 70s many ocean voyages were made in the Virtue, a 25-footer, and SetSail correspondents Dave and Jaja Martin circumnavigated in a Cal25. The main thing is to have a basically sound boat, keep it simple, and go sooner rather than later. And when you are trading off boat size and its cost vs. complexity and systems, always buy waterline first. You will have more fun and be more comfortable on a bigger, simple boat, than a smaller, complex vessel. Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
