Blue water boat vs modified coast cruiser

[argonauta1]

Racing design features should not be a preoccupation. The cruising vessel needs to be able to sail the passage without breakages. A beefed up rig on a production boat will do this as well as one can expect. Chafe, inappropriately rigged preventers, too much sail will nevertheless cause breakages but perhaps not catastrophic. We experienced all of the aforementioned except the latter category and we arrived! I recall upon departure from the Galapagos for the Marquesas those in our gaggle, with racing background got their spinnakers up by day two and many had blown them by day three. On a long passage, one knot is meaningful but in strong conditions rig survival means slow down and await lighter conditions to go for hull speed. Objective is to arrive!