Koum, there's lots of good reasons why the overwhelming majority of
ocean crossing private boats are sailboats. Simply a matter that
wind is free, takes no space, is (relatively) reliable among the
trade wind routes, and doesn't weigh anything (on your boat, that is).
Ocean crossing power boats are expensive beasts and must be able to take on lots of
fuel. To take on lots of fuel, they must also be big. To move a big boat takes lots of power, which means more fuel -- and so on, and so on. Even "small" sailboats, though, can do it. That 16 year old a few years ago did a nonstop
circumnavigation on a 34 footer.
Learning to sail really isn't all that hard. You can learn how to move the boat with
sails in 20 minutes. Of course, you'll still be
learning 20 years later, but that's a lot of the fun! Your friend who will take you out for 4 to 6 weeks will be able to teach you a lot. Some
classes, or just going out with others will teach you, too. Much of the stuff you'd need to learn to run a power cat in such circumstances is just as applicable to sail. So, I agree with one of the others (Sand crab?) who recommended that you just go sailing and see how you like it. You might be very pleasantly surprised. Personally, I'd rather sail, any day. So much more pleasant, in so many ways.
By the way:
1. The
Leopard 37 power cat that went from S.
Africa to the
Caribbean did it in multiple hops and was loaded to the gills with fuel. They had very favorable
weather, which certainly helped. And, they only went 7 knots most of the way. (
BYM Product and Industry News) Note that they only took 32 gallons of
water. Eek! I wouldn't want to
head off into the S. Atlantic with only that much
water. A sailing cat would very likely have a considerably quicker crossing, with no where near the anxiety, in my humble opinion.
2. While your friend's
Lagoon 500 is a very nice, luxurious boat, they are definitely not unsinkable. Search right here at CF and you'll find a story of a new 500 that would have sank had the
skipper not intentionally run her aground, first. There is another story of a 440 or 500 that sank after a
hurricane, with pictures of just the bows sticking up out of the water. While many cats do have positive buoyancy such that you could cut them in half and both halves would still float, Lagoon isn't one of them. There was another new 500 up here in the PacNW that hit a buoy (first trip, what a bummer) and the
hull split open, almost sinking her. Fortunately, they were very close to Port Townsend and got her saved.
3. Getting in touch with Cat Man Do is a very good idea. That guy has spent lots of time researching power cats and knows his stuff like very few others around here. If you're serious about following that course, he can show you the way.
4. Finally, no matter what you do, boats are an exercise in balancing your compromises. Even with the incredible variety, you can't get it all. Figure out what's most important to you, prioritize, learn, re-prioritize, and then make a choice, knowing that there will be times when you wished you had compromised some the other way. Just the way it is.
But, most important of all -- have fun! That is what it's all about.
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