Sailing advice

[Sandero]

My advice (worth nothing) would be to get a bunch of good books about the cruising lifestyle etc... they will really give you lots of background. Read as much as you can.

The I would go to a really knowledgeable broker to find you a good boat since there are many possibilities and a knowledge broker should be able to steer you to the best boat for your future plans.

I started with a 36 from the get go so you can do a 40 and you can dock it too! Next you will have to get lots of experience with your boat both its gear and sailing her. I would strongly recommend that you fit her out with all the goodies so that you know how everything works. You can't pull into a service station so you will need to really know you boat like the back of your hand... and everything in it.

This will take hundreds if not thousands of hours. And then you need to sail her in all sorts of conditions.

Today we have incredible navigation equipment, but you should always be prepared to revert to the old stuff, paper and dividers and so forth.

Try to find some competent sailors to sail with you in the beginning to help with sail trim and so forth and soon you will be completely in control of your boat.

A boat is not like a car or a plane. YOU create the boat, the gear and so forth. It is more like a blank canvas then a car or a plane and you make it fit to you.

There are many beautiful yachts in the 40 foot range, take your time and become an expert at fitting one to you.