This week’s boat review video (below) is a little different as its host takes us through a quick look at several blue water boats under $40,000, one of which he hopes will carry him on a solo circumnavigation. It’s great to dream big. But he’s looking to join a select group of voyagers who have already made great voyages in small boats. Think of John Guzzwell who circumnavigated in his 20-foot yawl Trekka. Or Patrick Childress who sailed around the world in a Catalina 27. Or Webb Chiles who circumnavigated in an 18-foot Drascombe Lugger and did the same in a Moore 24. Chiles has, in fact, completed almost seven circumnavigations in small boats. Sailing small boats offshore is not for everyone, which explains why so many small boat voyagers are singlehanders. But, it is possible to find a solid cruising boat on a small budget, work to make it as seaworthy as possible and then to set off over the horizon. The intrepid souls who follow this path, and there are quite a few, realize that it isn’t the size of their boats but the size of their dreams that really matters.
(The photo above is of John Guzzwell aboard 20-foot Trekka.)
