I think the smallest boat to sail round the world was under ten feet, i think it was about eight feet long. I know it was home built by a russian. Chay Blyth, attempted the 1965 round the world race, in a 30 foot production bilge keeler, got from the uk to south africa, and gave it up in the indian ocean, went back to south africa, he didnt even know how to sail when he left the uk, of course, he said, he thought the boat overturning, was just part of sailing. John ridgeway reached brazil in a 30 foot production boat, in the same race, he gave up, because the chain plates were pulling through the deck, well their were no chain plates on his boat, just plates under the deck, holding the rig up. Robin Knox johnson won that race, first ever to single hand round the world non stop, in a 32 foot boat. It was a heavy built wooden boat. some us kid sailed round the world in a very small boat called The Dove, a film was made about it, i think he was about 21, and the boat, wasnt more than 26 foot.
Oute a few oysters in the 20-25 foot range have sailed round the world, its not so much the size of the boat, but the component strenghth. It just so happens, bigger boats, tend to have stronger components. Bigger boats also, can sail, when smaller boats, cant, and in a smaller boat, you could find yourself stuck in a storm, and running on the bare poles, for a couple of days.
The thing a lot of people dont realise, is that windspeed near to shore, creates high steep waves, but out at sea, those waves, while still the same height, are less steep, a thirty foot wave, near the shore, would terrify you, it would be very steep, and at risk of breaking, out in the middle of the atlantic, a thirty foot wave can be a gentle up hill, then a gentle downhill, the biggest wave recorded in the atlantic, was around 120 feet, by The Reporter a weather ship stationed off greenland.
But if i wanted to go to the virgin islands from where you are, i would go down the inland waterway, to florida, then sail over from there. Island hop all the way over. Only problem is, as a you citizen, us gov wont let you stop in cuba, so you have to do the longer passage, via the bahamas.
Oute a few oysters in the 20-25 foot range have sailed round the world, its not so much the size of the boat, but the component strenghth. It just so happens, bigger boats, tend to have stronger components. Bigger boats also, can sail, when smaller boats, cant, and in a smaller boat, you could find yourself stuck in a storm, and running on the bare poles, for a couple of days.
The thing a lot of people dont realise, is that windspeed near to shore, creates high steep waves, but out at sea, those waves, while still the same height, are less steep, a thirty foot wave, near the shore, would terrify you, it would be very steep, and at risk of breaking, out in the middle of the atlantic, a thirty foot wave can be a gentle up hill, then a gentle downhill, the biggest wave recorded in the atlantic, was around 120 feet, by The Reporter a weather ship stationed off greenland.
But if i wanted to go to the virgin islands from where you are, i would go down the inland waterway, to florida, then sail over from there. Island hop all the way over. Only problem is, as a you citizen, us gov wont let you stop in cuba, so you have to do the longer passage, via the bahamas.
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