2011-07-21 Click here for the Final Update
Don’t have one yet!!!!! Actually we do but not one that is suitable, so we have to sell it before we head to Miami!!
Sailing in the Hauraki Gulf Auckland NZ
We originally planned on buying a sailing catamaran – this seemed the natural way to go given that I have been a sailor for as long as we can remember. However, having read many online logs and stories about cruisers sailing through the Bahamas and Caribbean, it came to me that most of their travels seemed to be head to wind and they ended up motoring.
I guess this is logical since the Trade Winds are predominantly east to south-east and when they hit the islands they veer to run parallel along the coast. So, if most travel is by motor against the wind, it seems more logical that we should investigate the alternative of traveling by motor-sailor or by launch.
So that’s what we plan to do. Buy a motor-yacht/launch/trawler, or whatever you wish to call it, for our great adventure.
So, what about the cost of fuel? This is a consideration, but not the overriding one. Think of some of the advantages – less time passage making for one. Think of the trip from Miami to Bimini – 50 nautical miles, give or take a few. In a sailboat, doing say 6 knots, the trip will take about 8 hours or so, In a motor yacht, doing say 15 knots, the trip will take only 3 hours or so!! This means that one can take advantage of shorter weather windows in a motor yacht!
Of course, had we been planning a circumnavigation we would still have gone for a sailing catamaran. I am still a sailor at heart!!
Final update
Well, we finally decided to buy a Bayliner 38′ She is a 1985 model and was repowered with Cummins engines in 2000.
