Say you're going to sail around the world...

[MalDeTerre]

Let's say you were going to cruise around the world. Ever occurred to you? GOOD!

Let's say you had a reasonable amount of money to spend on the sailing vessel for your dream cruise. How much? Well... no ordering a custom or semi-custom million-mega-lifestyles of the rich oil tycoon yacht.
That's cheating!

But neither do we want the bare minimum, I sailed the world in a kayak while praying for rain and drinking the blood of lost flying fish so I'm a real man, kinda vessel. Please!

Let's say you want boat that a small crew of 2 two 4 could sail for 5+ years in safety and comfort.

What boat would you choose and why? How large? What would it cost?
How would you upgrade it for the trip? What would the upgrades cost?

And finally, where would your ultimate cruising destination be?

Oh and if you already bought that boat, or you're doing the cruise, or just did it. Even better! Tell us!

[Chaunclm]

But she is small. Our Great Dane 28 displaces 9,000 lbs and is very efficiently laid out. We want to cruise her to Florida and then to the Bahamas. If we enjoy our trip we may try for Europe. If we feel too cramped on this boat but enjoy the lifestyle, we may move up to a larger boat. We want to have some blue water cruising before we head out for Panama.

Great Dane 28 Owners Club |

[cardiacpaul]

The choice would be easy for me.

A used Valiant 42, destination... anyplace but here.

[USCGRET1990]

Silly people..the earth is flat! You can't sail around it...

[LWinters]

Bought it and outfitting it. Allied Mistress Mk III (thats the aft cockpit). Great cruising boat for two that is sturdy enough for blue water and roomy enough to live comfortably on the hook. Older layout so no queen size birth and no AC when away from the dock, but works for me.

[jkheath]

Around the world. Too far for me. But would like to start out in a new hunter 49. Since I believe in pleasure boating, I found the Hunter to be most pleasing. Nothing like push button sailing as one grows older. Don't want to get into the old purist vs production debate, but if you haven't tried one recently, you might want to do so.

[chuck711]

Suggest you might crew on a cruising boat before you buy anything.
Its a lot different once you get out there. Then come back and buy
the perfect boat. Some boats should stay at the docks thankfully
only a very few.........

[Valiente]

Crew in order to cruise. I believe I have the near-perfect boat for our plans already, but my ideas run counter to those in the majority of Margeritaville. Budget on buying two boats: one boat to buy, and a near-equivalent amount to equip her for world cruising. That's one reason why I bought a custom boat...they are never actually finished, and some stuff is missing (and can therefore be bought new), and the original stuff is old enough that I don't mind chucking it.

I would recommend a multi-year approach that includes spending several months as a liveaboard in your home port. That will allow you to get rid of all the junk you won't need, and will identify what's important and what is still required in the way of tools, spares, systems and safety.

[toddrtownsend]

My Cape Dory 28 will be in the water next summer. I'm heading to Carribean and Central America first. I would really like to sail to Ireland. Around the world is an option; the CD28 also displaces 9000 lbs. The boat can take more than I can. I just need to get out there and test out how much it is that I can take.


Fred Bickum is circumnavigating a Cape Dory 28. He made some mods for the trip.
S/V FeNIX Main Page

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by toddrtownsend

Fred Bickum is circumnavigating a Cape Dory 28. He made some mods for the trip.
S/V FeNIX Main Page

Nice boat and nicer site. To get from Florida to Australia in a year in a 28 footer takes a lot of sailing time. I'll bookmark this one.