So pleased that atoll didn't mention cricket...
Back to the OP tho...
Really...it's the height of ignorance (and arrogance, but we'll leave that for another South African thread...
) for anyone to claim theirs is the best
blue water boat. We hear something very similar here, along the lines of 'built Australian tough for Australian tough conditions', but that's nothing more than a catchy
marketing expression...even though yes, some of the vessels so marketed are indeed excellent
blue water vessels. The ignorance kicks in with the necessary assumption that Australian (or South African) conditions are somehow tougher than everywhere else...and then one looks around the world for places renown for tough conditions...and finds HEAPS of such places!
We saw plenty similar puffery during our 4yr vessel
buying search. We now
recall with amusement one
broker who stated as a fact that all Lagoons were basically unseaworthy for blue
water; that's a statement we now know first hand to be pure self-serving b------t.
Sure there are vessels that wouldn't be very comfortable (or even very safe) in blue
water for many reasons, but blue water ability cannot be determined by country of origin!
After ~20,000nm crossing the
Med, the Atlantic, the
Caribbean, the Pacific & the Tasman...and then up and down the OZ
east coast and Tasmania, we know our beloved
CatNirvana is a superb blue water
boat, proven safe in seriously rough conditions. We would never, however, suggest she is the 'best' at anything other than being the best boat for us!
Anyway, we say 'Hurrah!' for all
blue water boats...and for all the people who love sailing them!