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Dockhead · 22-06-2009, 01:47

What a romantic idea -- carefully prepare a $500, 20' lake boat (Carina and me), and set off on the deep blue to sail around the world.

Well, it can be done, and it has been done. If you don't value your life too highly, then that's a good way to do it. If you survive, it will really be something to tell your grandchildren about.

Going far off shore involves risks, no matter what kind of boat you're on or how many experienced crew you have, but the risks will be about 1000x higher with that setup, than with what people typically cross oceans with.

The problem is that the open ocean is not like a pleasant meadow you can just stroll across. It is thousands of miles across in places with nothing but emptiness all around, no food, no water, no shelter except your boat and what's in it. If some important part of your gear breaks, you can die. If you get caught in a storm, you can be swallowed up without a trace, in a boat like that.

So how small is too small? It depends on what risks you are willing to take. If you want to be "reasonably safe" -- that means, not totally safe, but with good chances of surviving most contingencies -- you'll want something at least 40' LOA (or if smaller, a heavy displacement boat made for the open ocean), and you will want to make sure it's in top condition, loaded with spares, and well equipped with a lot of redundant systems. Reliable self-steering is particularly important if you're going to be alone (which also adds a huge amount of risk). You will want to spend some time acquiring various skills including how to fix things when they bring, and how to handle heavy weather.

If "reasonably safe" is not required, then you can do it on whatever you like. Oceans have been crossed in dinghies, and in rowboats. Even on windsurfers, I think.

22-06-2009, 01:47	#70
Dockhead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 335	What a romantic idea -- carefully prepare a $500, 20' lake boat (Carina and me), and set off on the deep blue to sail around the world. Well, it can be done, and it has been done. If you don't value your life too highly, then that's a good way to do it. If you survive, it will really be something to tell your grandchildren about. Going far off shore involves risks, no matter what kind of boat you're on or how many experienced crew you have, but the risks will be about 1000x higher with that setup, than with what people typically cross oceans with. The problem is that the open ocean is not like a pleasant meadow you can just stroll across. It is thousands of miles across in places with nothing but emptiness all around, no food, no water, no shelter except your boat and what's in it. If some important part of your gear breaks, you can die. If you get caught in a storm, you can be swallowed up without a trace, in a boat like that. So how small is too small? It depends on what risks you are willing to take. If you want to be "reasonably safe" -- that means, not totally safe, but with good chances of surviving most contingencies -- you'll want something at least 40' LOA (or if smaller, a heavy displacement boat made for the open ocean), and you will want to make sure it's in top condition, loaded with spares, and well equipped with a lot of redundant systems. Reliable self-steering is particularly important if you're going to be alone (which also adds a huge amount of risk). You will want to spend some time acquiring various skills including how to fix things when they bring, and how to handle heavy weather. If "reasonably safe" is not required, then you can do it on whatever you like. Oceans have been crossed in dinghies, and in rowboats. Even on windsurfers, I think.