What You Wanted

In a haphazard study, we talked to boat builders, naval architects and people who had sailed long distances and lived aboard for extended periods. We came up with some pretty significant factors needed for an ideal blue water pocket cruiser:

• A smaller boat that could sail along a coast or offshore (and sailing along the coast is often more hazardous than offshore) has to have at least a 20 foot waterline.
• The boat also had to have some significant displacement, at least three tons or more.
• A sail area to push it along as we were told the average wind speed was five knots, which meant approximately 400 square feet of sail.
• It was felt a traditional design with a cut-away forefoot in a full keel was the safest and most stable, could take a grounding better, and be more comfortable to sail in various conditions.

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