Cruising Days 'Lost' Relative to Length of Vessel

[surfmachine]

Good luck fewpossessions, time certainly slows right down once you strat living aboard!
Fair winds from Keith.

[CSY Man]

Few possessions, I bought a 31' sloop really cheap and took off cruising in thailand and fix it as I go, instead of gazing at the internet and dreaming about 40' bennys!
Anyhow, "love the one your with"?
Keith.

Wise words and the way to go.

In my case boat size is not the factor, but jobs and days off are.

I have singlehanded prevoius 44' as well as present 33', location of dock and traffic is more of a factor than the size.
(Busy Fort Lauderdale with bridge openings and channels and traffic will slow me down more on a 33' than wide open anchorage in, the Bahamas on a 66'.)

Money is usually a big factor also as Mr. Surfmachine mentioned:
Go poor, go now and go when it feels good.
A fancy air-conditioned gin-palace named Hylas or Oyster won't give adventure but will rather relive boredom...

[CaptStarboard]

Totally agree there is NO wasted time when your out sailing and cruising... no matter what the boat or length...

To answer your question from our experience these last 18 months of going from Mexico to Australia... ~10,000 miles we averaged 5.5 knots... in a C&C41... so we chose a cruiser/racer for speed, especially in lighter winds... BUT we sacrifice room down below... less over-all storage... so just get out there... nothing is perfect... it's all a compromise on a boat... just going out and living your dream is the key!

jeff

[hellosailor]

I'll take out a 32 in weather that I wouldn't take a 24 out in. And a 45 in weather that I wouldn't want the 32 in.

So maintenance and cleanup aside, bigger boats can also mean MORE sailing days. Assuming you're either singlehanding or have no problem getting crew together. (The bane of the bigger boat!)

[Bash]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I'll take out a 32 in weather that I wouldn't take a 24 out in. And a 45 in weather that I wouldn't want the 32 in.

When I first bought my 46-footer I took her out on a bunch of Wednesday-night beercan races just to see what she could do. One night, when I'd won the race against 30+ smaller boats, I found myself listening in on a conversation at the yacht club bar. They were all talking about how ferocious the chop had been on that particular evening, and I found myself wondering, "Chop? Was there chop out there tonight?"

When your spray dodger weighs more than the other fellow's centerboard, you're probably going to be less hesitant to venture forth in a blow.

[CharlieCobra]

No doubt...

[hellosailor]

Dodger? DODGER?!
"Real sailors don' need no steenken dodgers!"

Dodgers. Next it will be antimacassars on the salon furniture and saucers under the good china at morning tea, I suppose?

{WEG}