On 24 Mar 2005 21:04:04 -0600, Dave wrote:
On 24 Mar 2005 16:44:52 -0800, said:
Though I am an endurance athlete into adreneline-junky sports, I have
little desire to circumnavigate (my family would not let me), but for
my sixtieth birthday (7 years hence), I would love to sail across the
Atlantic and back.
A suggestion. Get the boat you need now for the conditions you'll be sailing
in now. Given what you've said, I think you will be far happier for now if
your boat moves decently in light air, and when the time comes when you want
to range far afield get a boat designed for that purpose. There just isn't
that much of a learning curve in moving from one to another.
I'll second that recommendation and add to it. Try an older boat in
the 26-28 foot range and invest the rest of your cash against the day
you decide you want something bigger for bigger adventures. There are
a lot of them going very cheaply because people seem to have decided
that anything under 30 is *small*.
Also, ask yourself if you are looking for something that *is* fast, or
something that *feels* fast. My 35 is faster than my 26 was by about a
minute a mile, but the 26 often felt faster, and I could singlehand it
closer to the edge than I can with my 35.
Ryk