Most of your decision(in my opinion) should be based on how well your
boat sails to windward. If you are trying to do it in a Westsail 32 or some other bluff bow
boat, you might rethink your plan or be prepared for a long frustrating trip. I was in the Marquesas in 76 when a boat left there for
San Diego. It was a beautiful old wooden boat that was badly neglected. We all thought that it was a suicide
delivery, but I ran into the
Skipper a few months later and he said that the boat went to
weather so well that the trip was not too bad. It was a 40 foot L Giles design that was narrow and low, and sailed wonderfully . He also said that they pumped about 15 minutes out of every hour for the whole trip. The
engine died a few days out and
batteries went dead for the whole trip, but the basic sailing ability of the boat(and crew) made it a good trip.____Just something to think about.____Grant.