I personally own a 45ft sailboat with a 2.5m
keel. With my brother, we are engaged in a
cruise around the world, via Cape Horn. This was a deliberate choice: not only you achieve much better performances under sail, but a retractable keel is for me an additional area to watch as potential problem source, especially for a long trip.
As usual, this is a matter of compromise: decide what exactly you really want...
A 2.5m keel will definitely not allow you to beach! But in terms of performance at see, there is no comparison: 180 NM per 24h is quite standard for us, even when
wind is coming from ahead...
We are now 12000 NM from home (France), crossed Atlantic and went around Cape Horn, and the channels of Patagonia, and never regretted our choice.
Again: everything is a matter of compromise. No bad choice: just decide where you are ready to compromise...
Note: excuse my
english (not my mother tongue!).