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Buckeye,
I am, as they say, in the same boat as you, and I'm telling you: you really shouldn't do it. I have an old boat (C30) that is sound, and I've been sailing her for nearly two years on the open Atlantic and Port Royal Sound off of HHI, SC. I sail A LOT -- like two to three times a week, and I'm as obsessed with sailing as you obviously are. Two weeks ago I sailed to Edisto Island, which is a mere 43nm from HHI, and I thought that was a big deal. It's big water out there... Even if I got a great deal on a bullet proof boat, I wouldn't so much as consider a sail from Sarasota to Honduras. However, if I got a great deal on that boat, and had sailed up and down the coast for a year or so, then I might think the boat and I are up to the challenge. Take baby steps, Cap'n. I hear you when you talk about the dream, and I hear you when you talk about your daughter. The REAL DANGER here is putting the two together to make something extraordinary. It could easily kill you should you prematurely attempt the voyage, and then what's your little girl to do? Buy the boat. Sail the boat. Fly to Honduras and see your daughter. Tell her that you'll be spending the next 12 months or so methodically preparing to sail to Honduras in 2009, maybe 2010. By the way, my only credentials for my opinion are that I own an old, inexpensive boat, and that we share the same dream. Good luck.
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