Our Process To Research Live-aboard Cruising and a Cruising Sailboat

About eight years ago I happened to pick up a copy of Cruising World, a magazine about sailboats that people use to sail around the world and the resulting lifestyle. In the intervening years I would occasionally purchase and read an issue of the magazine. After our global travel by motorcycle from 2003-2004, I began to seriously consider a sailboat as a way to continue the exploration of the world via a means of transportation that would include a kitchen, bedroom, etc.

I attended my first sailboat show with an Australian friend, Peter Eck, a couple of years ago. Peter walked me through the boats and introduced me to the basic features important in a boat capable of passagemaking (crossing oceans). Since then I've been working on researching the entire live-aboard, cruising lifestyle and boats suitable for this purpose.

Steps so far have included (almost all 1/2005 through 12/2005):

• Read 40+ books for research & education

• Read scores of magazines & periodicals for research & education

• Visited 5 boat shows (San Diego 2x, Newport Beach, Miami, Annapolis)

• Looked at more than 20 used boats (physical reality of layouts, build quality, reality of what a 20 year old boat looks like and will require for refitting, etc.)

• Participated in several test sails of candidate boats

• Island Packet factory tour (education on build process)

• Sailing lessons and certification (Doug) (skills & experience)

• 2,500 mile offshore passage with John Kretschmer (over 225,000 offshore miles, Cape Horn, author, writer, etc.) (Doug) (The Ultimate Boat (TUB) consulting, offshore skills training, sea stories galore, etc.)

• Retained Bob Perry (renowned yacht designer, credited with inventing performance cruising, writer, etc.) for TUB boat selection consulting

• Met for two hours of consultation with Jimmy Cornell (over 150,000 offshore miles, multi-circumnavigator, founder of the ARC, author of definitive cruising route books, writer, etc.) at 2005 Annapolis boat show on cruising and TUB selection

• Attended Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine cruising seminar

• Spent 50+ hours as a couple talking with live-aboards, cruisers, circumnavigators, etc.

• Spent 100’s of hours researching the cruising lifestyle & realities, boats, etc., primarily online

• Spent >10 hours talking with manufacturers’ key execs (Bob Johnson, Bill Bolin, George McCreary, etc.) for perspective and education on the industry, build process, etc.

• Researched available boat design types, manufacturers and suitable models

• Narrowed design choices to center cockpit (to gain the large private aft cabin), raised saloon if possible (for lots of light below - this is a requirement - but note the typical candidate boat list anomaly of the relatively dark Amel still on our list - another example of the #1 rule: every boat is a compromise)

• Researched and examined several overall approaches, i.e. buy a 20 year old boat and refit it, buy a recent model used boat and add what we need or buy a new boat and add what we need

• Developed a set of boat requirements used to summarize research to date and as a vehicle to communicate with brokers, etc.

• Developed Total Cost of Ownership economic analysis model

• Compiled extensive research and analysis of Island Packet models

• Conducted Island Packet Owners Survey to ascertain typical cost, evaluation criteria and ownership experiences

• Compiled extensive research, analysis and comparison of “short list” suitable cruising models from six manufacturers

• Compiled Total Cost of Ownership comparison for "short list" boats

• Sailing lessons for Steph

• Two week charter of 48' center cockpit boat (IP 485) in the Virgin Islands

Most important lessons so far:

• John Kretschmer: "The most important factor for success is a boat with good motion in a seaway." (seakindly motion) (optimum example for us is the S&S designed Stevens 47/Hylas 49)

• Jimmy Cornell: "The most important factor for success is that Steph want to do this and enjoy it."

• Bob Perry: "If you can afford it, buy the HR."

• IP Owners Survey: 85% would buy a used boat.

• Me: "Passagemaking is the easy part."

• Steph: "I’m not on board with this yet." (pun intended)

Next steps:

• Go/No-Go on spending the next three to five year chapter of our lives exploring the world via boat

• Purchase and outfit boat

• Additional sail training & certification for Steph

• Re-certify for SCUBA for Doug

• Test cruises

• Adventure/Offshore medical training

• Final refitting & shakedown cruises

• Final provisioning

• Departure