Ketch or Sloop for Caribbean and ocean crossing ?

[Clemroc]

Hello forums!

I have sailed sloops, but have never sailed ketchs. My understanding is that sloops have cheaper maintenance cost for sails/rigging, and are easier to manage without crew or with just one additional crewmember. I also heard that sloops tend to be faster when sailing windward.

My instinct tells me that a ketch shouldn't be that much of a challenge - after all, despite more sails, they still work exactly the same. However, having never sailed a ketch, I am hoping to learn from your varied experiences.

- Is a ketch harder to sail than a sloop?
- Are the maintenance cost / costs of changing the rigging / costs of buying new sails for a ketch much more than for a sloop, or just barely?
- In your opinion, would you travel across the Caribbean with a ketch or a sloop? What about crossing the Pacific ocean?

Thanks in advance, looking forward to your opinion!
- Clemroc