[skipmac]

Ahhh...gold is heavy...could be used as ballast in the keel instead of lead.
Big problems:
30 years ago...no electronic navigation. Would need to use sextant and charts.
Can single hand a boat that large...say 35-40 feet full keel sloop...but need experience in sailing at least smaller boats to even attempt it.
Also need to be sailing in the right direction at the right time of year which may influence your plot.

If yer gonna do it...don't make a botch of it like Patterson recently did with SAIL!!

Well actually one less problem, there was an electronic nav system that started up in the early seventies called Omega. World wide coverage with 8 land based transmitters. Did need to buy paper charts with Omega nav lines on them.