James, sorry for your loss; you have a lot on your plate and sound as though you know your mind and what you are capable of handling. I was
Navy trained as a Quartermaster and served on LST 1167 in Viet Nam in '64 and '65, then joined the Merchant
Marine as a AB in '66 and returned to 'Nam at the end of '66 to get an objective look around. At 22, I was unlicensed 2nd Mate for Red Stack Tugs in
San Francisco and so on for about 38 years on every type of vessel. At 27, I got my sixpac in
Miami which was grandfathered to 100 tons in '75. As to ATLANTIC Crossings experience, I crossed from Grand Canary to
Antigua in '86 in my 36'
steel Tulla, 'Thalassa' by Van de Stadt in 26 1/2 days. I crossed from Cabo San Lucas, Mx. to Hilo,
Hawaii in my 32' Challenger in 22 days and missed my landfall by 12 miles. I did it with only a
compass,
VHF and AM
radio reciever. I've been to
Europe by ship a bunch on ships and once as crew on a 127' Feadship. Crossing the Atlantic on a well-found vessel is a matter of seamanship, not chicken little thinking. I just turned 67 last Sunday and can't say I'm the same solo-sailer I was as a youngster but I'm fit enough, experienced enough and can still stand my watch. I prefer to go to sea with seaman.