First Passage

[Surftrip]

Hello cruisers! Ok rookie questions coming.I just recently bought a Columbia 26 MKII, I know there has been threads posted relating to these boats in the past but seeing as though I now have one I need a bit more from you in the know.
1.Is this size boat enough to do a Pacific or Atlantic crossing?
2.If so would you sail this boat on the open water for the time needed to make such crossings.
3.Which direction would you go if you were relatively inexperianced but up for a challenge/adventure.
Ultimate destination Maldives and Indo.
All input is greatly appreciated.

[robert sailor]

Well I guess if you pick your weather and the boat is n excellent condition then sure it would sail the easier offshore routes.

[svBeBe]

Regarding the question about your boat:
There are too many variables for any reasonable experienced person in this forum to be able to answer your question. You will get the answer that you want from someone. Remember the gray matter between your ears is an important variable in finding the correct answer. If you do cross oceans in that size boat you will be in the minority...my guess is less than 5% are that small.

Regarding The Maldives:
I assume that you have not been there. During our circumnavigation we visited The Maldives in 2011. Out of 50 countries we visited, The Maldives was the worst. They do not want yachts and make it very plain in fees and lots of other restrictions. The anchorages off the shore of the resorts are owned/leased by the resorts. You will find fees like $50 for 24 hour anchoring with the 24 hour beginning and ending at midnight. Fees to land your dinghy and in many cases being told that you cannot land at a resort. In 2011 The Maldives had 39 Somali pirates in prison. I doubt if you will find any news of this because they wanted to keep it secret as to not impact their tourist business. If you are Russian with pockets full of US cash, you should fly there...you will fit in with all the other rich Russians and have a good time. More information on our visit is here: S/V BeBe: Maldives be sure to scroll to the end for information regarding the friendliness of the Maldives.

Lastly:
You will get more misinformation in this forum (and other forums) than usable information. There are a few reliable sources posting in this forum that have not tired of the arm-chair experts that have read every book, but gone nowhere. I only visit this forum about once a month and usually visit for entertainment. Beware of the information you receive.

Bill

[laika]

Hey Surftrip,

You might find this site informative: Atom Voyages - Good Old Boats List

Definitely no easy answer.

[Surftrip]

Very intersting account of your time in the Maldives svBeBe thanks for the read. It does sound like a major pain to spend any time there but for me it would be worth it I think to spend 30/60 days there surfing.