Back when we were sailing around the Med and over to the Caribbean in the early 90's "Loose Moose 2" at thirty seven feet was just a bit bigger than the average cruising boat out doing it. Today it is not unusual for "So It Goes" at thirty four feet to be the smallest boat in the anchorage. My gut feeling is that the average cruising boat is somewhere around the mid forties and it is no longer a surprise to find yourself anchored next to a couple in their sixties on a sixty foot boat...Times have changed and not always for the better!
I'm not against big boats but I do find the pressure from people that bigger boats and more gear is the only way to go a bit misplaced.
Over at 70.8 Thomas has been doing a great series on Minimalist Cruising ( he also do a great one on Micro cruising) which should be read by anyone interested in going to sea and wondering just what you can get by with and that consumer yachting is not the only game in town.
Bruce+
22 hours ago
