Depending upon your
budget, the size of the boat you end up with, and if it comes with a tiller, or a
wheel, I would suggest getting both an
autopilot and a
windvane. I think you will find that the
autopilot is great for coastal sailing and motoring, but once
offshore the
windvane comes into its own. My experience with vanes in the
trade winds was wonderful. A 26 foot boat with a Quartermaster vane and a 44 footer with an
Aries. Dead down
wind was no problem with either boat at anything above drifting speed, up to very strong winds. Other boats or other vanes may not
work as well together. In the event of an
electrical problem (not uncommon on boats) the vane will keep doing its job, where if you only have an autopilot, you will be hand
steering into exhaustion. A question that comes up often on this forum is " Is my boat ready for a passage"? The
advice I give is to take a boat out of the marina and just
anchor for 2 or 3 days AND TURN OFF THE MAIN
BATTERY SWITCH. You need to be able to function with no electricity. Can you get
drinking water, can you still prepare hot
meals, does the
head still
work (macerator type?) is there enough back up
lighting below to function, do you have enough paper
charts to navigate? A few days without electricity will tell you a lot about your boats preparation. I am not recommending a spartan boat, just that you have simple, workable backups for the essentials. Many boats have sailed around the world without an
electrical problem, but many (probably more) boats have sat in harbors waiting for electrical
repairs, or worse yet, become exhausted on a
passage because the auto pilot packed up. You will find many differing opinions on this forum, so do lots of reading. Best of Luck. _____Grant.