[WHOOSH]

IMO Jeff''s suggestions are all very sensible and I especially like his suggestion to consider a ''transition'' boat where you can develop your preferences and prejudices (we all have them...) before making a somewhat irrevocable decision on a cruising boat. One reason this interim step makes sense is that you make only a small investment in money for a large investment in learning BEFORE you decide your fantasy is realistic enough to act on and plunk down lots of cash.

I also completely concur on learning on anything that''s small, unballasted and fun, whether the design is 1-person or 2-person. Just so you can handle it by yourself and aren''t a prisioner of finding crew when you have the time.

It''s quite interesting to see the large crowd of aspiring ''world cruisers'' are slowly whittled down by the basic stages thru which one must pass: a diverse, important range of skills to be developed, a workable/liveable boat to buy & outfit and come to know, a first overnight offshore passage to get under one''s belt, and then a multi-day offshore run that you make based on a route that''s efficient rather than one that offers the most anchorages along the way. At each stage, fallout occurs as cruising is clearly a more attractive lifestyle to imagine than to live with at times. But the stages (either my list or anyone else''s) are pretty inevitable and you see the fallout all along that path. E.g. one sees many boats congregate in G''town, Great Exuma or in Cabo or Z-Town on Mexico''s west coast, but which don''t go much further.

Jeff, where are you sailing your ''interim'' boat these days, and what is she? Thanks for the kind words...

Jack