Hi, Emily. Having sailed to Europe and back cruising with my wife on our 40'' Caliber RESOLUTE, I can only tell you if you wait till other people tell you you''re finally ready to go, you''ll probably never go. Only YOU can know if the time is right. That is not to make light of the rigors you''ll face and the stamina you''ll need to make the crossing; the ocean can be all the wonderful things people rhapsodize about and often she is, but one thing she is for certain is unforgiving. If your boat is sound and you''ve got good gear, you''ll make it for sure. Size mostly factors in speed, not seaworthiness. And in 28'', don''t think you''re going to be anything but SLOW, but that''s not what really matters (just make sure you''ve got enough stores to get to the Azores and you''ll be fine from there). More important is the desire and mental attitude on your part. Chances of encountering truly dreadful weather are very small, and more often than not, there''s insufficient wind rather than too much. Important to consider, I think, are both fatigue and compatability. With 3 on board you''ve got a big advantage in being able to reduce the hours on watch, but can you all get along? Your plan to spend some coastal cruising time together is a good one because it will test your ability to live and work together in the confines of a boat.
As a matter of interest, we shoved off from Bermuda to head for the Azores in June, 2000. It took 15 days to get to Horta. Those boats that left from New England or Canada encountered far rougher conditions than we did. You might want to think about heading to Bermuda as your first leg, which also serves as the classic shake down cruise for both crew and vessel.
As far as equipment goes, if you don''t already have one aboard, get an
SSB to take advantage of weather forecasts, both from NOAA via Weatherfax and Herb on SOUTHBOUND II who will talk you all the way across.
Lynda (my wife) and I are shoving off again this October, headed for the Pacific. Perhaps we''ll see each other out there?
I wish you the best of success and fair winds!
Howard Berger