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10 Affordable Cruising Catamarans

• By Phil Berman
• Updated: May 24, 2024

So, you want to get a catamaran , sail off into the sunset, and capture some magic with your lover or family for a few years. You have no ambition to sail around the world or to live aboard forever, but think a one- or two-year sabbatical might be life-changing. You’d like to sail the US East Coast, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, perhaps the Med—or up and down the West Coast and on to Mexico and Central America. You have $300,000 or less to spend and want a catamaran you can sell at the end of the journey without consuming a bottle of Tylenol to blunt the pain. 

The good news is that this is quite achievable. The bad news is that there is a vast wave of baby boomers who are all looking for the same thing—and for right around the same price. This makes finding a good deal on a great used catamaran a lot of work, even working with a broker. But, it’s possible. You just need to keep an open mind.

The other good news, which might seem surprising, is that an older catamaran, besides being more affordable, might sail just as well—or even better—than the same-size new cat that will cost considerably more. Yes, the older model might have less room inside and lack the latest condo-on-the-water styling, but it was designed and built before the current trend to supersize the newer generations of multihulls at the expense of sailing performance.

Here’s my advice to the cat hunter on a budget: Don’t get too hung up on the length of the boat. Instead, focus on the spatial and payload requirements you seek and which can be achieved within your budget. And best not get too focused on must-have features—what I jokingly call “surround-sound beds.” Catamaran designs and interiors have gone through massive changes in the past 10 to 20 years, and most older designs simply cannot compete with the new ones in terms of space and high-end amenities.

None of the cool cats I have in mind are over 47 feet. This is not because there aren’t bargain boats out there that are 47 feet and longer, but because any larger multihull that you can buy for $300,000 or less will most assuredly need a significant refit or is either very old or very odd. Buying a fixer-upper is, to my mind, the most dangerous thing a budget-minded consumer can do. It’s just too easy to underestimate the cost of yacht refits and repairs due to the extremely high prices charged in most boatyards. 

RELATED: 20 Best Cruising and Sailing Destinations

Nearly any cat you buy over 10 years old is fully depreciated. What we were selling a Lagoon 440 for eight or 10 years ago is nearly the same as what they sell for today. The difference between a good deal and a bad deal is tied solely to a yacht’s condition and refit history. As they joke in private-equity circles, “Any idiot can buy; you deserve congratulations only when you sell.”   

So, when your search gets underway, focus on ­condition—it is far more important than the year, brand or features you might crave. And when you find the cat of your dreams, the best way to remove financial-downside risk is to get a great survey and to choose the newest, smallest cat that will work for your agenda, not the oldest and biggest.

– CHECK THE WEATHER – The weather changes all the time. Always check the forecast and prepare for the worst case. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

And a word of caution: Your problem will be knowing a good deal from a bad one after the survey is over if you are not well-schooled in pricing. Besides steering you toward potential boats to consider, this is where a broker, working on your behalf, can provide knowledgeable advice. It’s been my experience that this is the point when so many yacht sales come apart: a dispute over the value of a given yacht when the survey results come in. All too commonly we see buyers reject yachts they should have accepted and purchase cats they should have rejected. Remember, a used yacht is a used yacht—not a perfect yacht. A catamaran need not be perfect to remain a perfectly good deal. Here, then, are 10 cool cats to ­consider in the ­$300,000-or-less range:

1. Fountaine Pajot Orana 44 (above)

Fountaine Pajot had the misfortune of tooling up this boat just before the global financial crisis, so not that many of them were built between 2007 and 2012. But these were the first of the larger-space charter cats in this size, but not yet so porky that they still could not sail decently. In the three-­cabin owner’s version, they designed the living space very nicely; even in the four-cabin version, the aft starboard bed was very well-done. 

During this period, Fountaine Pajot had problems with the resin it was using, which led to blistering on the hulls and undersides. Affected models therefore had new bottoms done at approved shipyards throughout the world. Make sure the one you are considering had this done or that it doesn’t show evidence of significant blistering. Honestly it is only cosmetic, but it will impact resale if not repaired. Many consumers think blisters are the end of the world; frankly, they are not.

2. Catana 431

Built in France by a long-­standing yard, the Catana 431 was always a very viable vessel because it is big enough to go anywhere, but not too large for a competent owner to handle. And because the 431 has good underwing clearance and daggerboards, it sails smartly to windward. 

That said, there are a few things to watch for. The primary bulkheads on many of these boats were not tabbed on the outer ends, and over time tended to distort. Often this led, or will lead, to a costly replacement of some bulkheads. So be careful to survey these areas properly. 

The 431′s furniture is all foam-cored and handmade, but the banding on the outer edges in some cases slowly starts to peel, which allows moisture to infect the wood veneer. This can create a somewhat unsightly appearance in the cabinets and drawers. It is only a cosmetic issue, but it can make the interior feel a bit worn out. 

During the period when the 431 was being built, Catana used a distributive electrical card system, and the boats had several modules, each a zone, to which electricity was run. If one thing in a zone stops working, the only solution is to jury-rig a wire from that nonworking item back to the main breaker panel. Replacing the modules or getting them repaired can be done, but it is getting harder by the year. For this reason, the best 431 is a boat that someone else had rewired at some point along the way.

3. Lagoon 470

If you need a larger escape pod, the Lagoon 470 is one of our favorites. This model of older Lagoons was built at CNB’s yard in Bordeaux, France, and the build quality was high. The 470 was the first design to have the more-vertical windows that are a Lagoon signature, and ample saloon headroom. The 470s are also old enough that the hulls were not so supersize that it compromised sailing performance. They have decent underwing clearance, so they are not persistent pounders to windward. Many were built with a galley-down layout, some in galley-up style. You will always pay more for an owner version of this or any model. 

The big thing you have to concern yourself with on Lagoons of this vintage is that the hulls and decks are made with a balsa core, so it is not uncommon to find moisture problems, especially around deck fittings or hatches. This can sometimes require rebedding or recoring areas, and this sort of repair, in North America, can be a costly undertaking. Make sure you get good moisture-meter readings near all deck fittings and, of course, on the hulls. Hulls, however, tend less often to have moisture issues because there are few fittings through which water can enter the core. Were that to happen below the waterline, it is a real mess that must be repaired immediately and properly.

– CARRY A BEACON – Satellite beacons such as EPIRBs or PLBs allow boaters to transmit distress signals and their exact coordinates from anywhere on the planet, no cell service required. It may be the best $400 you ever spend. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

4. Privilège 435

Back when the Privilège 435 was built, Privilège catamarans were constructed by Alliaura Marine in France, and they were truly the Mercedes of the multihull world at that time. While not a performance cat by any means, the 435 was a super-solid yacht, built with great care and the finest components. The 435 is large enough to go anywhere but small enough to handle easily. 

The largest negative of this model—and many cats of this vintage—is that the saloon windows slope dramatically, so the interior gets very hot unless the windows are covered most of the time. When they legalize growing pot on catamarans, here’s the perfect greenhouse for it! Seriously, if you should buy a used 435, you really have to get strong sunblocking external UV covers, as well as interior blinds or shades to inhibit heat buildup. 

Some of the 435s were laid out with the galley down in one hull, and these days most people want a galley-up arrangement, where cooking and food preparation are done in the saloon. A three-cabin galley-up owner version will be far more sought after and cost more than a four-cabin galley-down version. 

5. Leopard 46

This was the first of the Morrelli & Melvin collaborations with South African builder Robertson and Caine and the charter companies owned at the time by TUI Marine to create a catamaran that could be sold both into charter under the Moorings brand and also privately as a Leopard, so effort was made to design a boat with good sailing performance. Gino Morrelli did a good job creating a lot of underwing clearance, the 46 has a powerful rig, and yet its interior still offers spacious sleeping areas and nice flow from the cockpit to the saloon. These can be bought as ex-Moorings charter boats for less than $300,000 but are more costly in the sought-after Leopard owner version.

Because these are balsa-­cored boats, you must inspect deck fittings carefully for moisture incursion. Some of the earlier ones also experienced structural problems on the aft bulkhead and over-door-frame areas between saloon and cockpit. Also, during this period, the windows in the main saloon had a tendency to leak and, when they did, required rebedding or replacement. This was a costly job, so check this out carefully during survey.

6. St. Francis 44/Knysna 440

If you wish to spend under $250,000, the older Saint Francis 44 and Knysna 440 are worth a look.

Back in 1990, Duncan Lethbridge started St. Francis Catamarans in South Africa with the St. Francis 43. The boat was meant to be a fast, strong bluewater voyager—and it was. The 43 was made with foam core, keeping the structure light, and it was very strongly built, with a powerful rig. The 43 loved to sail. And so too did the St. Francis 44, an updated version of the original. 

The boat did have a couple of negatives, however, the first being its sloped windows that built up interior heat. And the boat wasn’t a great fit for tall people, having less than 6-foot-2-inch headroom in the hulls. Also, the engines were installed amidships, which made the boat noisy inside under power. It also made the amidships areas of the hulls too narrow to have centrally located heads and showers, which in turn meant the only layout available was a four-­cabin, four-head design. In the forward cabins, the heads and showers had to be far forward; in the aft cabins, the heads and showers were located far aft.

St. Francis sold the tooling for the 44 to Knysna Yachts in 2004, and Knysna raised the headroom in the saloon and moved the engines aft to each stern. The hulls remained fundamentally the same, but the design was improved nicely. 

The largest negative of both the Saint Francis 44 and the Knysna 440 is that they have very low underwing clearance. Things can get pretty noisy when pushing against ­washing-machine seas. 

But you cannot have it all and still pay less than $250,000 in a midsize cat; compromises must be made. And these boats do sail quite smartly compared with many in their size range.

7. Lagoon 440

This was the most popular catamaran ever made, and it started the catamaran flybridge craze, which helped to convert many powerboaters to sailors. 

What I like about the 440 is that it is an infinitely better sailer than some of its peers, and has decent underwing clearance, vertical windows, and nice cabins for sleeping and living. While the aft cockpit is rather small, the saloon is quite large.

Flybridges are a bit of a love-hate thing. There is no question that in a cat of this size, the windward performance suffers a bit due to the boom positioned so high off the water. When piloting, the skipper is separated from those on the bridgedeck. Part of the reason flybridges are so popular in charter is that most of the parties take place up there while sailing and at anchor. In private ownership, however, it is seldom that everyone is hanging out on the flybridge during a long passage. 

As always with Lagoons, these are balsa-cored boats, so a careful survey is in order. Pay attention also to bulkhead ­tabbing to make sure they have not separated from the hulls.

Because so many of the 440s were built to go into charter, there are a lot of four-cabin, four-head models for resale. These will sell for considerably less on the ­brokerage market than a ­coveted three-cabin, ­private-owner model.

– CHECK THE FIT – Follow these guidelines to make sure your life jacket looks good, stays comfortable and works when you need it. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

8. Leopard 40

When you get into the 40-foot size range, a four-cabin layout can become pretty cramped and claustrophobic below, but the three-cabin owner version of the Leopard 40 is a very nice pocket cruiser. A Morrelli & Melvin design, the 40 has good underwing clearance and nicely shaped hulls. Not a large cat, per se, and less-suited for significant distance sailing than others because its payload is limited, the 40 is still well-suited for a couple and a child or two for near-coastal and ­island-hopping action.

9. Manta 42

If you are searching for a cat in the $200,000 range, the Manta 42s were well-built in Florida, and their electrical systems were very well-done compared with many other multihulls of that era. While many of the features on the boat are quite dated, these Mantas sail very well, and easily, and have been popular with coastal cruisers for two decades. 

The largest negative of the Mantas is that people taller than 6 feet will find the saloon headroom right on the edge, and the berths are not especially large. Also, forward visibility from the saloon windows is not particularly panoramic, so the interiors are a bit darker inside than current-­generation catamarans.

10. Lagoon 410

The Lagoon 410 was quite a popular cat in its prime, and for good reason. It offers lots of visibility thanks to its vertical windows, good headroom for a cat of its size, nice berths, and a workable, though smallish, galley-up design. The 410 has decent underwing clearance, can sail nicely over the waves, and its singlehanded operation is super easy. In the three-cabin owner’s configuration, it’s just a very cool little cat.

As always, a balsa-core boat must be surveyed carefully, especially on deck, for moisture incursion near fittings and hatches. It can be costly to repair rotted core and to rebed deck fittings. But find a dry one, and it should definitely be counted as a contender for a buyer with a limited budget. 

Phil Berman is the president of the Multihull Company and the founder of Balance Catamarans. He has managed the sale of more than 900 catamarans.

• More: catamaran , lagoon , leopard , multihulls , print june july 2020 , Sailboats
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5 Most Affordable Sailboats

When searching for sailboats , “affordable” takes on many definitions. An affordable, world circumnavigating sailing cruiser can be in the millions of dollars while a dinghy racer can be had for a few thousand new. The best way to define affordable is to consider the value that is offered per dollar spent, and the specific function and target market for the boat.

Let’s look at some of the most affordable sailboats in their class.

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1. Beneteau 30.1

An entry-level model and a perfectly capable pocket cruiser , the Beneteau 30.1 has much to offer for the daysailing and weekending crowd. The hull design is by Finot-Conq and the overall aesthetic follows the “.1” series that started with the Oceanis 51.1 in 2017. The foam core sandwich hull is svelte at the stem but runs wide aft with a hard chine just above the waterline. There are three choices of keel: a fixed shoal keel at 4’3”, a deep version at 6’2”, or a swing keel for easier beaching and trailering. Twin wheels are set on slim pedestals and there are integrated footholds to help keep the driver upright when heeling.

The standard (and only) interior layout includes a master stateroom in the V-berth and a guest cabin aft to port. Both cabins have doors for privacy. Beneteau managed to pack in the necessary amenities for coastal hopping and weekending so a couple can enjoy comfortable cruising on a compact and affordable platform. Expect to pay $175,000 for a well-equipped version.

Visit Beneteau to learn more.

2. Catalina 275 Sport

Something a bit more sporty and perfect for club racing, the Catalina 275 Sport offers GenXers an affordable landing place when they graduate from bare bones racers. The 275 will race mid-week but comfortably cruise on the weekends for around $75,000. The single-spreader rig rises 39 feet above the waterline and below, there’s a choice of keel (3’5” or 4’5”).

The emphasis is on the cockpit which dominates the exterior where a tiller does the steering. Below, this boat is loaded with smart details like a compact galley including a sink with manual water pump, a pull-out drawer that holds an Igloo cooler, and a one-burner butane stove. To port is an enclosed head with a Jabsco manual toilet and sink. Forward are two 6’5” berths that double as seats around a drop-down table and aft is a second berth long enough to store a stand-up paddleboard (SUP). A unique feature is zippered storage bags into which you can pack your clothing and necessities when at home and then slide them into tracks along the hull sides.

Visit Catalina Yachts to learn more.

3. Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349

There’s a lot to love about the diminutive Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349 that feels much bigger than its dimensions suggest. It makes a great entry level vessel for young families or a downsizing option for empty nesters wanting to do more with less. The Marc Lombard design has a sleek profile with a tapered hull that has a positive sheer for increased interior volume and a hard chine to add stability. Due to its beam of 11’ 3”, the 349 uses twin rudders to keep a grip on the water at all angles of heel.

The Selden fractional rig supports double aft-swept spreaders and a total sail area of 613 square feet with a classic mainsail and a 106 percent genoa. The large, manual drop-down transom provides bonus exterior living space on the swim platform while two or three cabins and a single head (with a stall shower) wrap up the accommodations below. The 21 HP Yanmar diesel engine makes easy work of motoring at six knots and the boat is a kick under sail. This is a versatile design that comes in at $150,000.

Visit Jeanneau to learn more.

4. Leopard 42 Catamaran

For multi-hull sailing catamaran enthusiasts, the South African builder, Robertson & Caine, offers some sizable options. The price tag reflects the fact that a catamaran is, in some ways, two boats—with twin hulls, two engines and redundant systems. Leopard builds for a number of charter companies and the  Leopard 42 Catamaran , redesigned for 2021, is currently the baby of their fleet.

The steering station on the 42 is on the flybridge where guests love to hang out. Another favorite spot is the aft cockpit with a full outdoor dining area and easy access to the swim platforms on either side. Available with three or four cabins (all with island berths), the 42 offers en suite heads for all staterooms. Naval architects, Simonis & Voogd created a model that feels bigger than its 42 feet and since you can test her out for a week in charter, you can decide if this is the cat for you before committing to the half million dollar price tag.

Visit Leopard Catamarans to learn more.

5. Walker Bay 10 with Sail Kit

Walker Bay is a renowned builder of rigid dinghies , often used as tenders by motor yachts and power cruisers . However, these small boats, made of rotomolded plastic, are durable and can be rowed, motored or sailed with a conversion sail kit. The Walker Bay 10 sail kit combines a high-aspect battened mainsail with an aluminum daggerboard and retractable rudder to optimize speed and minimize leeway when sailing upwind. This versatile design can be rigged quickly, so it can be stored, sailed and transported.

The dinghy itself is $900 with the sail kit adding another $1,000. Kids learning to sail will love this boat as will cruisers who add an outboard for commuting or row to get exercise. The best part is that the Walker Bay 10 is light on needed maintenance and virtually indestructible so it will bring years of fun both sailing and otherwise.

There are dozens of boats like inflatable beach cats with racing rigs and daysailing trimarans that are priced significantly below the models above but as stated in the beginning, affordability is a moving target when searching for the perfect sailboat.

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Better Sailing

Best Small Sailboats To Sail Around The World

While there are plenty of 30-35ft blue water cruising yachts currently on the used sailboat market, many of them are tired and need new standing rigging, sails, engine, etc. That said, there are good boats out there that have been loved and looked after. Those that are well used have most likely been well maintained, too, so don’t be put off by yachts that have crossed oceans or even circumnavigated before, as their owners will have had to keep them properly seaworthy. Sailing around the world is no easy task, so these boats should be in tip-top shape. 

Some might consider 30-35ft too small for bluewater cruising or for a circumnavigation (sail around the world), but that has been disproved over the years. Bigger might be better for coastal cruising with friends, but maintenance costs rise exponentially with every extra foot. A small sailboat should be more than enough to carry a couple off on the adventures of which they dream.

Nicholson 35

Now somewhat legendary, the tough and dependable Nicholson 35 first appeared in 1971, and between then and 1985, some 228 boats were launched. Built to Lloyds’ specifications with a hand-laid solid GRP hull, she boasts a fully encapsulated lead fin keel and full-depth skeg. She has an alluring sheer with nicely balanced overhangs, giving her bows a powerful go-anywhere look, while her low-profile coachroof blends pleasingly into the decks.

Compared to today’s modern cruiser, the Nic 35’s accommodation is somewhat limited due to her relatively narrow beam and pinched ends, but what there is has been used intelligently and makes for a good working environment on long passages. The need to pass through the heads to reach the forecabin can be inconvenient with guests on board. Still, for two people cruising, these minor irritations are more than compensated for with the high quality and solidity of the fittings and joinery and the availability of safe sea berths on passage.

The main saloon is comfortable with 1.88m/6ft 2in headroom. A U-shaped dinette makes a narrow but long double in port, and the 1.92m/6ft 4in-long starboard settee a great sea berth. However, many were fitted with one or two pilot berths above the settee backs instead of lockers. The galley boasts a huge coolbox, full-size gimballed cooker, deep sink, and plenty of stowage. A crash bar, bum strap, and bulkhead pole make it a great working galley at sea. Opposite is a large aft-facing chart table with instrument mounting space on a half bulkhead separating it from the watch seat and wet locker further aft. A few boats had a forward-facing chart table and roomy quarter berth instead.

The water tanks are under the sole above the keel, not under the saloon settees as with many modern crafts. Small portlights and hatches mean natural light and ventilation might not be so plentiful as on a newer boat, but then there is less opportunity for leaks. Her cockpit is business-like – not over wide but with high coamings to support the crew securely and keep them dry. She also has a high bridge deck to stop water going below should a wave find its way into the cockpit and very deep cockpit lockers. The mainsheet track is within reach of the helmsman, just forward of the pedestal, but getting to the primaries entails climbing over the seats from behind the wheel. Her masthead sloop rig has a keelstepped mast. It is stout and uncomplicated, with twin lower shrouds and a removable inner forestay for a storm jib.

Post-1975 models had a taller mast option (51ft as opposed to 45ft), increasing the sail area considerably. No doubt most will now have the control lines led aft into the cockpit for safer shorthanded sailing. Under sail, the Nic comes into her own. She has a very positive helm, although she can be prone to weather helm if overpressed. Her performance under sail is well mannered and drama free. However, her large (145%) genoa can take some sheeting in (don’t leave the inner forestay on). Her high bows part the waves with a gentle motion, and her deep, longish keel keeps her tracking dead straight in a following sea. She won’t break any speed records, averaging around 5 knots on a long passage, but she’ll always get you there safely and in comfort.

Nicholson 35 Specs

>>Also Read: Best Sailboats Under 30 Feet

The Sadler 34 evolved from the 32, and while the 32 was a tough, capable seaworthy sailboat cable of sailing around the world. The 34 offers much more in the way of accommodation thanks to her wider beam. Apart from being pretty, the most notable feature of the 34 is her double-skinned hull, sandwiched with thick closed-cell foam, making her unsinkable and eliminating condensation thanks to the added insulation. She came with a deep fin, shoal fin, or bilge keels, and the post-1990 models had a Stephen Jones-designed, foiled fin keel with ballast bulb that upped upwind performance. Under sail, she is responsive and vice free with a comfy motion and predictable handling. While her pinched (in modern terms) stern might limit the width of the aft cabin, it works well at sea, allowing her deep full skeg-hung rudder to keep a good bite on the water.

The Sadler 34 is quite a powerful performer and, despite having a fairly high displacement, achieves excellent passage times due to her ability to soldier on through foul weather and rough seas. Her deep and secure cockpit is perfectly dimensioned so as not to get thrown around at sea, and yet it provides enough clear seating for dining alfresco with mates. Stowage is also good, especially in the full-depth locker to port. There are harness points in the cockpit, but the mainsheet track runs across the bridge deck, which can catch out the unwary if the traveler isn’t locked in place.

On deck, the layout is practical, and the side decks uncluttered. Her foredeck is set up ideally for regular anchoring with a twin roller stemhead fitting and big anchor locker. Her accommodation is spacious enough for four. Though it was called a ‘double’ aft cabin, it only really works as a single, roomy quarterberth. She has an excellent U-shaped galley where pretty much everything can be reached with ease. The chart table opposite faces forward with its own seat, and there’s room aplenty for instruments and pilot books. Her saloon is roomy, and the table and seating are large enough for six to dine in comfort.

To port, the heads have a basin and its own door, allowing access to the forecabin. But in shower mode, the entire compartment runs athwartships, which isn’t ideal, especially as the hanging locker is in the same enclosure. There’s a decent-sized vee berth forward, which makes an ideal owner’s cabin at anchor. Stowage is reasonable, although the water tank is under the starboard settee.

Sadler 34 Specs

>>Also Read: Best Sailboats Under 100k

Not unlike the Nicholson 35 in both hull lines and reputation, the Rival 36 is a tough, solid yacht designed for passagemaking in virtually all weathers and sea conditions. The 36 slotted between the slightly cramped 34 and the larger 38 ketch, with 78 in total being launched. Possibly a squeeze on such a tight budget, but you get a lot more space in the R36 than the older R34, and there’s a good chance you could find one that’s already equipped for bluewater cruising. She was offered as a masthead sloop or with a cutter rig option. Keel choice was between a deep lead-ballasted fin, a shallower Scheel keel, or a centerboard (R36C).

Under sail, she’s predictable and easily handled, although, like her predecessors, she’s not the fastest boat around. As with most heavy displacement cruisers, she’s designed more to get you safely across oceans than to race around the cans. Wheel or tiller-steered, she has a large, deep cockpit with high coamings and excellent stowage for deck gear. Access along the wide side decks is good, assisted One of a range of solidly built and well-found cruising yachts built by Northshore Yachts, the Vancouver 32 was designed specifically for serious passagemaking.

Full hull sections and short overhangs offer a high-volume yacht with excellent load-carrying abilities. Her fully encapsulated shallow keel contains nearly 3 tonnes of lead ballast, giving her an enviable ballast ratio of nearly 45%; a keel shoe extends aft to support the rudder and protect the prop from floating debris and lines. Only available with tiller steering and transom-hung rudder, she has an easily manageable masthead cutter rig with full shrouds and twin straight spreaders.

A smart teak-capped bulwark offers extra security going forward while large scuppers ensure rapid deck drainage. The interior is surprisingly spacious and comfy. The long quarterberth and port-side straight by high teak-capped gunwales and long handrails on the coachroof, and the foredeck big enough for handling the headsails and ground tackle, which can be securely stowed in the large, deep anchor locker when sailing. Below decks, she is warm and woody and retains the trademark Rival ‘keyhole’ bulkhead separating the superbly designed and well-appointed galley and navigation areas from the saloon. The twin-leaf saloon table has fiddles and can seat six for a meal, while the settees are straight and make comfortable 1.91m-long sea berths with lee cloths. Most had a pipe cot above as well.

Maximum headroom is 1.91m/6ft 3in, and stowage is good, thanks in part to the water tank being above the keel. With no double cabin aft and only a quarterberth, the forecabin provides a comfortable vee berth with ample floor space to dress, plenty of lockers to stow your clothing, and even a dressing table. The heads/shower compartment is also roomy, and Jack and Jill doors offer access from both saloon and forecabin.

Rival 36 Specs

>>Also Read: Best Sailboat Brands

Vancouver 32

One of a range of solidly built and well-found cruising yachts built by Northshore Yachts, the Vancouver 32 was designed specifically for serious passage making. Full hull sections and short overhangs offer a high-volume yacht with excellent load-carrying abilities. Her fully encapsulated shallow keel contains nearly 3 tonnes of lead ballast, giving her an enviable ballast ratio of nearly 45%; a keel shoe extends aft to support the rudder and protect the prop from floating debris and lines. Only available with tiller steering and transom-hung rudder, she has an easily manageable masthead cutter rig with full shrouds and twin straight spreaders. A smart teak-capped bulwark offers extra security going forward while large scuppers ensure rapid deck drainage. The interior is surprisingly spacious and comfy.

The long quarterberth and port-side straight settees make excellent sea berths, leaving the U-shaped starboard saloon settee (converts into double berth) and roomy vee berth forward for sleeping at anchor. A half bulkhead separates the galley/navigation areas from the saloon, with a support pillar on either side providing excellent handgrips. It’s a bonus having the quarter berths behind the ch

art table as it allows the off-watch crew to keep one eye on the instruments and chart. However, having the heads forward can result in a lot of water dripping off your oilies when going below in wet weather.

All that lovely solid hardwood adds to her weight (nearly twice that of a modern 32ft Bavaria). Most owners are more concerned with her superb oceangoing abilities, though. She sails predictably and undramatically, her high bows and fine balance ensuring she parts the waves with little spray and no slamming – ideal for long passages where many lighter boats can throw you about.

Vancouver 32 Specs

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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Cost To Sail Around The World

‍ Key Takeaways

• Expect to pay around $10,000 or more per person to sail around the world modestly
• The monthly average will vary based on many factors including food and maintenance
• A boat purchase is the biggest of upfront costs for preparing for circumnavigation
• Excursion costs can add up quickly when exploring the land in various locations
• You should circumnavigate with a bigger boat around 35 feet or more

‍ Many sailors dream of sailing around the world and seeing everything in between. But what is the cost to sail around the world?

The cost to sail around the world can range between $10,000 and $100,000 or more. You can expect to pay anywhere between $1,500 a month on average in expenses in addition to the cost of your boat. Prices also vary quite a bit depending on how many people are on board.

Through a detailed analysis, the cost  to sail around the world can be cut significantly if you sail in less popular areas or choose alternative methods to get there. The amount of people on board and size of your boat will also play a huge role.

Table of contents

‍ The True Cost of Sailing Around the World

If you have the time and resources to sail around the world you might be surprised at the true cost. Keep in mind that everyone’s situation is going to be different and having a boat that can handle the voyage will be key.

The United States is one of the most expensive countries to sail but others may come close depending on where you visit. Monthly expenses can be toggled based on how many resources you typically use or how many people are involved.

Average Cost for Circumnavigation

You can expect to pay between $25,000 to $75,000 to circumnavigate. This does not include food or any other expenses. Monthly costs can vary if you are able to conserve resources and never leave your boat.

Cost of Sailboat

This is going to be the biggest cost of all when planning to sail around the world. A quality sailboat meant for circumnavigation can range up to $50,000 or more. Others have been able to sail on much less expensive boats but that is completely up to you.

You could also spend money refitting an older boat which could cost up to $20,000. If you do not have the money outright to buy one with cash you are likely going to need a boat loan and pay monthly payments.

Food costs can range up to $500 a month or potentially less depending on how many people you have on board. Different regions you visit will have fluctuations in prices so this cost can dramatically go up or down.

Eating out will also cause the price to go up in spending. Be sure to bring fishing gear so that you can eat along the way.

Maintenance Costs

Boat maintenance is something you should do routinely regardless of traveling around the world or not. Maintenance costs will likely eat up parts of your budget up to $700 a month. Buying spare parts will also take up room and some of the budget for this.

A good rule of thumb is to account for 15% of your boat’s value and use that number for boat maintenance. If you have a newer boat then your boat maintenance will likely be a lot less. Just remember to plan the best you can in advance and do the maintenance by hand if you can without hiring the need for a professional (unless it requires it).

Internet and Phone

If you are wanting mobile internet and calling solutions you are likely going to spend around $100 a month. This is assuming you are using a cost effective mobile phone or satellite phone.

If you are attempting to install a long range radio it can cost you around $6,000. While these costs vary it it important to have some way of communication in the event of emergencies and with navigation.

Boat Insurance and Health Insurance

Some boaters opt to not have boat insurance to save money. Whether or not you believe that is a good idea is up to you and your budget goals.

You can expect to pay up to $200 a month for insurance on your boat especially since you will be navigating around the world and premiums might rise. As for health insurance the same idea applies to saving money. You can expect to pay around the same amount but it matters on how many people you have on your plan.

The cost of fueling your boat could significantly vary over or under $100 depending on how much fuel you use and the current prices upon refueling. If you are able to rely on wind most of the time then you should be able to save money here.

Administration Costs

If you plan to stop often along the way in places such as the Panama Canal or Ecuador then you will have to pay fees just to enter. Going through the Panama Canal for example will cost up to $800 for boats that are less than 50 feet.

Docking and Mooring Fees

Docking and mooring fees will vary quite a bit also compared to other variables you have read so far. On average you can expect to pay around $200 a month in this category.

That is a lowball figure since you are likely going to find places that you can anchor or moor for the night. If you have to stay at marinas along the way this will greatly increase the price. Different countries will also vary greatly in price.

Exploring at Stops

You can ultimately spend a ton of money or as little as you want in popular sailing locations around the world. Most people that want to sail around the world typically want to visit places on land that are known tourist attractions. You could spend $200 or more a month easily if you plan to travel a bit on land or eat out before heading back to your boat.

How to Sail Around the World with Little Expenses

If you do not have the money or the proper boat to sail around the world then you could look for alternative ways to make it happen. You also do not have to have a lot of sailing experience in order to complete the journey but having some is recommended. In some cases you can sail around the world for nearly free.

Solar Panels

Having enough solar panels can help give you power to the battery and other parts of your boat. This means you do not have to stop as much to charge or power your devices.

Volunteer Your Time

If you have valuable sailing experience you could look to join a crew that is planning to sail around the world or close to it. The fact that you are volunteering labor could help your case if they offer you free food and travel. You could also join a friend that has a boat or someone you know that wants to sail around the world and make the experience easier.

Split Costs with Friends

While the costs of sailing around the world could be high it can help if you split costs with others. You will likely need anywhere between $10,000 to $15,000 per person as a good rule of thumb.

Work for a Ship

A lot of research ships or companies need various workers to keep a ship running smooth. These could be a cook or a deckhand and you might even be paid a decent salary to travel the world.

Pay to Join a Crew

Some crews might be looking for an extra hand and need someone to help split the costs of sailing. The costs over the long haul could become expensive but it is considerably cheaper than buying a boat to handle the job.

These cruising fees associated with joining a crew could range up to $70 a day. Make sure you are not paying too much more than that because you are likely getting scammed or giving the crew a profit.

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Daniel Wade

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Yearly Catamaran Cruising Costs

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ OUR DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

Last Updated on September 23, 2021 by Amy

We (and every other blogger/vlogger/participant in online forums) see a ton of questions about cruising costs. Answers can vary so widely, but we thought we would at least share some basics of what our first years of cruising looked like financially.

Note: all amounts are in USD!

Table of Contents - Click to Jump

I’ve been a big fan of Mint for many, many years (longer than I’ve known David actually).  Mint works incredibly well to help us track our spending.  Plus, it really helped us track our savings prior to cruising and help us save for our trip!

While we can use our credit card a lot, often it makes more sense to use cash.  David and I each keep track of our cash expenses in our phones or by keeping receipts.  Typically, before we leave a country, I go through and reconcile our notes with Mint.  A cool thing Mint does is take our cash spending and deduct it from the ATM withdrawals.  If we track correctly when we leave a country, we will have no more of their foreign currency left, and the ATM withdrawal category will be $0.

What About the Rest?

We don’t share costs outside of this perspective.  The remaining costs – like health insurance, food, travel – are 100% based on personal preferences.  In this lifestyle, you can eat out as much as you want, or as little as you want.  You can travel home three times a year, or not at all.  You can take outside, land-based trips, or not.  Health costs are going to be very dependant on an individual’s age and health.

What Does it Cost to Sail Around the World?

As you’ll see below, our average yearly costs for all the marine items was $36,250 . That includes repair & maintenance, boat insurance, dockage, customs & immigration, gas & fuel, and communications. Our world circumnavigation took us four years and three months.

$36,250 x 4.25 = $145,000 total

The only thing missing is factoring in the cost of our boat. We will take a fairly large hit since we bought our boat new. Someone who’s bought a used boat is going to fare much better financially than we did.

Docking Around the World

Here’s a look at a breakdown of how we spent our nights while sailing around the world. Keep in mind that we are a 44′ catamaran.

It’s also really interesting to look at a breakdown by year for our docking costs:

We spent way more time at the dock in 2019 than we did any other year. Most of that was in Seychelles and South Africa. Also, these long stays meant we could pay a monthly rate instead of a daily rate, which significantly drops the per night price.

In Seychelles, we got stuck. The winds shift in July to come from the SE, which means the conditions to sail to Madagascar are really unfavorable. They didn’t shift back until late September. This also coincided with some personal difficulties and overall malaise over the cruising life, and we were very happy to sit for a few months in a very cheap marina (~25 USD/night).

In South Africa, there are very few protected anchorages and some extreme weather conditions. Most cruising boats marina-hop the coast. We spent almost six weeks in Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront Marina, a glorious stay in one of our favorite cities and another very cheap marina (~$40 USD/night).

So how much does a nightly marina cost for a boat of our size?

We were quoted $200 by two different marinas in Nassau Bahamas (Lyford Cay Club Marina and Atlantis Marina) and one in Sydney (d’Albora Marinas Cabarita Point). In both cases, we were able to find free anchorages and take taxis or public transit as needed.

One 15 Marina in Singapore was $120 a night, but also one of the best marinas we’d ever been to. To be on Sentosa Island with so many amenities was amazing. We had free transport to central Singapore, a huge Western grocery store, a pool, a gym, beautiful shower facilities, and anything else we could need.

Alternatively, we paid around $100 USD a night for some marinas that were totally not worth it: Royal Phuket Marina in Thailand, St Francis Marina in South Africa, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Australia. These places tended to be too far away from town and minimal amenities. This usually is because they just aren’t catering to transients.

On the other hand, moorings were typically incredibly cheap. Most of the time we flew home, we left Starry Horizons on a mooring where it was much cheaper and easier access to land didn’t matter as much.

Formalities Around the World

Here is what we wrote down for our formality costs around the world. Please note that this is NOT perfect. Often if we paid in cash, we forgot to write it down. The best source for information is Noonsite .

Cruising Costs Year 1

The locations.

Location plays a big part in every single category. For this first year, July 1st, 2015 through June 30th, 2016, we started in the Bahamas, sailing to Canada, Maine, Bermuda, spent three months in the Caribbean, went through the Panama Canal, and then sailing through French Polynesia. June 30, 2016, found us in the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia.

Repair and Maintenance – $16,500

We are surprised by how high this number is for a new boat, but not surprised that it is the biggest category for our cruising costs. About $4k is the bottom job in the BVIs , which we will have to do every year. The other major expenses were fixing our spinnaker in Canada , fixing the leaking mini keel in Nanny Cay , and our prop that fell off in the USVI . Half the money ($8,250) is smaller charges of less than $400.

Vessel insurance – $10,000

When we left France we were using Pantaenius for our vessel insurance, at $4,800 a year. However, that covered the Atlantic only, so we had to change our policy to cover the Panama Canal and Pacific. Pantaenius was going to cost $14,000 instead, so we shopped around and switch to Jackline at $8,400 a year.

Read about our vessel insurance .

Customs – $4,000

There is no charge for clearing into some countries, like French Polynesia. We paid $5 in Dominica, $52 in St Lucia, $40 in Grenada, $47 in St Martin. The Galapagos was $1,355.  This category also includes our canal transit at $1,970.  These two stops really increased our overall cruising costs for our first year.

Docking – $3,500

Moorings in the Caribbean are typically $25-30 a night. Moorings in Tonga are $6 a night. Dockage in Maine and Bahamas was $200 a night. Most of the Caribbean was $75 a night for a slip. Tahiti was $71 a night. Shelter Bay marina in Panama was $78 a night. Halifax $68.

In one year we spent 51 nights in a mooring (14% – including two times we left the boat to fly back to the states), 31 nights at dock (8% – 14 of those in Shelter Bay, Panama) and 7 nights on the hard (2%) for a grand total of 89 nights (24%) paying for our location.

This is higher than we thought it would be.  Our biggest error in planning this expense out was we didn’t think about where we would be storing the boat when we left it.  It’s easy to think that when we are onboard, most of the time we will be at anchor.  When we are gone though, we want to feel secure with where we leave Starry Horizons.  Thus, docking expenses becomes a higher part of our cruising costs.

Diesel, Petrol, and Propane – $3,700

We are not one of those boats that refuses to turn on the engine.  While we prefer to sail the entire way, we turn our engines on in order to arrive during daylight or when the wind dies and our autopilot can no longer steer.  We also run our generator at least every 5 days to run our watermaker.  With our 125 gallon tank, plus our 50-gallon fuel bladder and 4 jerry cans (20 gallons), we’ve topped up/filled up 11 times in that year, with our most expensive being close to $500 in the Bahamas.

Communications – $2,000

This covers our expenses for our satellite phone, our InReach tracker, and running our website and email for Out Chasing Stars.  For a more in-depth look at communications expenses, check out our blog post  Communications .

Total Cruising Costs & Boat Expenses: $39,700

Cruising costs year 2.

Here’s a summary of our second year, covering from July 1 st , 2016 to June 30th, 2017.

July 1 st  of 2016 we were in French Polynesia.  We made our way through the South Pacific and spent cyclone season in New Zealand.  We took a trip back home and then did a 35-day road trip in New Zealand.  This year also includes the time we spent away from Starry Horizons crewing on S/V Julia, about 35 days where our expenses were covered.

Repair and Maintenance – $16,500

As expected, the repair & maintenance section is the largest part of our cruising costs.  The difference between R&M this year and R&M our first year is a mere $88!  This includes 2 haul outs – one in New Zealand where we did a ton of projects including a bottom job and one in Tonga to fix a leaking thruhull and corrosion on our sail drives.  Again, half the money ($7,950) is smaller charges of less than $400.

Vessel insurance – $8,300

We are still covered by Jackline for the Pacific region.  Read about our vessel insurance .

Customs – $370

The fees for entering countries this year were small – $25 for New Zealand, $50 for Niue, $100 for Tonga, and the most expensive, Fiji, was $160.  A big change from our cruising costs last year!

Docking – $2,900

Most of this category is docking in New Zealand.  We paid usually about $30 USD for a dock in New Zealand, which is pretty amazingly cheap.  Starry Horizons was docked at the Bay of Islands Marina in Opua, at the Whangarei Town Basin, and part of our storage in Norsand falls into this category as well.

We did not pay for any docking in French Polynesia during this year (but the previous year we paid for docking in Tahiti).  We did pay for a mooring in Niue, and also paid for moorings in Tonga.  The Beluga Dive moorings in Neiafu are $15 TOP ($6.75 USD) a night in the peak season and $12 TOP ($5.40) a night in the offseason.  This made Neiafu an incredibly cheap place to leave our boat for 7 weeks while we crewed on Julia ($330 USD for all 7 weeks).

Diesel, Petrol, and Propane – $2,300

Starry Horizons didn’t move as much this year as she did in our first year.  She was sedentary for over 4 months, so as expected our diesel costs were significantly lower than the previous year.

Communications – $2,350

This covers our expenses for our satellite phone, our InReach tracker, and running our website and email for Out Chasing Stars.  For a more in-depth look at communications expenses, check out our blog post Communications .

Total Cruising Costs: $32,720

Cruising costs year 3.

Here’s a summary of our third year, covering from July 1 st , 2017 to June 30th, 2018.

July 1 st  of 2017 we had just arrived in the Ha’apai group of Tonga.  We spent the rest of the season in the South Pacific, especially in remote locations, which means we didn’t spend much money.  In December we arrived in Australia, a country that has a cost of living comparable to, if not more than, the US.  Also in this time frame is nearly three months at The Boat Works in Coomera near the Gold Coast.  For a majority of that time, we spent 6 weeks traveling around Australia while Starry Horizons stayed on the hard.

Repair and Maintenance – $13,000

We saw a significant decrease in our Repair & Maintenance expenses this year.  Our first and second years were nearly identical at $16,500.  This year outside of our battery project , we spent $13,000 dollars.  This includes the haul out at the Boat Works and new bottom paint and a majority of the projects we tackled there.

If we’d chosen to just replace the AGM batteries instead of going to Lithium-Ion batteries, the cost for the batteries would have been roughly $4,500 instead of the $27,500 for our electrical refit.

Vessel insurance – $9,500

We are still covered by Jackline for the Indo-Pacific region.  Read about our vessel insurance .

Customs – $1,200

The biggest expense for customs was our Australian Visa and clearing into Australia.  The visa was expensive because we had to travel to get our medical exams done.  The clear in itself was roughly $400.

Docking – $3,250

From July 1, 2017, to December 1st, 2017, we did not stay the night on a dock at all.  There are just so few marinas in the South Pacific, and even if we wanted to, they were full. We stayed on moorings for a total of 14 nights in the South Pacific.

In Australia, being at a dock has become much more common.  This category includes storing Starry Horizons on the hard during our 6-week Australia trip and storing her in a marina during an 8-day trip back to the states.  While we tried to get a slip in the marinas near Sydney around the holidays, they were all full.  If we’d been able to find one near the city center we would have paid roughly $200 a night.  Instead, we anchored for free.  Elsewhere, docking has cost us less than $60 a night, with the exception of Hamilton Island Marina, which was nearly $100 for one night.

Diesel, Petrol, and Propane – $3,000

We filled our diesel tank 6 times this year, three of which were in Australia.   Part of this was our decision to motor in light winds (like from Lake Macquarie all the way to Southport) and running the generator more often (our watermaker was at half production for a while).

Communications – $2,500

Total cruising costs: $32,450, cruising costs year 4.

Here’s a summary of our fourth year, covering from July 1 st , 2018 to June 30th, 2019.

July 1 st  of 2018 found us in Cairns, Australia, getting ready to join the rally and depart for Southeast Asia.  We cruised through Indonesia , Malaysia , and Thailand , all of which are very inexpensive places to visit.  We had a short stay in Singapore and Sri Lanka , and then  two months in the Maldives , the most expensive cruising ground we’ve been to.  We ended the year in Seychelles .

Repair and Maintenance – $16,000

Well, if we are anything….we are consistent!  Our first two years of cruising, our R&M cost was just over $16,000 – this year it’s almost exactly that number.  This includes two haul outs in Thailand, one at G&T Ship Yard and one at PSS.  The haul-out at G&T included a bottom job.

We are still covered by Jackline for the Indo-Pacific region.  Read about our vessel insurance .

Customs – $2,660

Half of our customs cost for the year was the Maldives.  It is a very expensive place to cruise (and a bureaucratic mess).  Most of the other countries were a few hundred dollars each.

Docking – $4,100

Our docking expenses were unusually high this year because we made three visits back to the states (two being for family memorial services).   Starry Horizons stayed on a mooring in Lombok (the only dockage we paid for in 100 days cruising Indonesia).  In Thailand, we left her at Royal Phuket Marina, and in Seychelles at Eden Island Marina.

Our most expensive marina was One 15 Marina in Singapore for roughly $120 a night, which we absolutely loved.  Looking at the cost of hotels on Sentosa Island with comparable amenities, clearing into Singapore and staying at the marina was the right call for us.  We did pay for docking a few times in Malaysia and the Maldives at the town wharf for roughly $25 a night.  Royal Phuket Marina was overpriced for the amenities and location at nearly $100 a night.

In total, we paid for docking/mooring 70 nights (19%).

Diesel, Petrol, and Propane – $5,200

As expected, crossing the Indian Ocean and cruising around the equator so much blew a lot of diesel.  We filled up three times in the Maldives alone (at over $500 a pop), plus big fills in Singapore and Seychelles.

Communications – $2,700

This covers our expenses for our satellite phone, our InReach tracker, and running our website and email for Out Chasing Stars.  For a more in-depth look at communications expenses, check out our blog post Communications .  This year our expenses went up as we have had to upgrade our website hosting service (good problems to have!).

Total Cruising Costs: $40,160

Looking to the 5th year.

I’m not sure if I will post the 5th year costs – it depends on how the year shapes out for us.  You can read about our 2020 plans .  I hope that this information is helpful to you!

46 Comments

Thank you for sharing! I was honestly shocked, hoping we could do on 3-4k$ a month avg with 2 adults 2 kids including food etc. Now I read that is what it takes without having eaten a bite.

BTW, you paid for repairs of a throughhull and saildrive in your first year of a brand new boat? What about warranty?

Hi Daniel! The corrosion on our sail drives was an environmental issue. As far as the thruhull, we didn’t feel like it was worth the hassle as it’s a cheap part, an easy repair, and we were hauling the boat out anyway.

Boats are not cheap!

I’m surprised by the insurance premium. I’ve been looking at boats in the Helia 44 range and brokers tell me 2-3% of the cost for insurance.I just had quote on a 2021 Leopard 45 of 5k and was skeptical but your $ makes me feel much better. Thanks for sharing!! Plan to sail east coast US, Maine to Florida and Bahamas

Yes, our insurance is global. There are a lot of plans you can get that’s only cover certain areas for cheaper.

One quick question, how difficult did you find locating dockage on the East Coast US for a catamaran? We’re you able to find availability when/where you wanted or was it difficult due to your beam?

We’ve always been able to find a dock when we want one, although we don’t look for them very often since we prefer to anchor.

This is a great post! My husband is very concerned about the maintenance costs and how much to budget for them. Did you do most of the work yourselves or did you pay to have it done?

You know, we didn’t realize how much work we do ourselves until you talk to other boaters who are unwilling to tackle many of the projects we have. We do a lot of work ourselves.

I published an article linking your post about cost of living on a catamaran.

I invite you to add one of your pictures, updates to the budget, or add additional context to my quote. Feel free to contact me via email and I can add your content.

Always good reading your inspirational and informative articles.

Respectfully,

Marco Sison

My article: https://www.nomadicfire.com/sailboat-life/ Your article I linked to: https://outchasingstars.com/cruising-budget-first-year-new-catamaran/#Cruising_Costs_Year_4

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Super helpful to see your numbers, thank you! We are in our first year now currently hauled out for bottom paint and saildrive repairs (there goes the maintenance budget). Very helpful to see what is realistic for docking/mooring. We are also eating our way too much in our first year 🙂

I struggle with that sometimes too….I love trying local food! Thankfully after we left Australia dining out has been really cheap.

Hi Amy are your figures in Australian Dollars?

No, everything is USD! I will update the post to clarify.

Wonderful info thanks you.i just started an excel document to begin tracking live aboard costs. We hope to be live aboard sooner than later

You are welcome! Good luck, and happy saving 🙂

Thanks Amy and David, we love your posts and your video’s. Very informative. We hope to sail in 2 or 3 years with our 3 children. Looking forward to being on the water. What an adventure your are having. Enjoy.

Thanks yall! We are glad you are enjoying them.

My name is Jan and I love your stories and videos …

Looking myself to buy a Helia very soon but need to split cost with 1-2 moore persons. Just will use it like 3-4 month a year… If you know anyone ….

Anyhow my question is does it cost anything to lay by anchor when you are outside the islands ?

Take care ,,,

Hi Jan! Good luck finding people to share the boat with. That’s got to be challenging.

Most places, anchoring is absolutely free.

This was short, sweet and informative! Thanks for the breakdown – helped me start thinking of a couple categories I didn’t consider before.Can’t wait to follow y’all and see what 2017 brings! Safe travels!!

Thanks Becca! Glad it was helpful.

Thanks David and Amy, we are awaiting our new Helia Evo at the end of Feb . we plan to continue living aboard in Newport RI for 2 years, while working/saving and fitting out the boat – Solar, Hydronic Heating, and ocean prep. It’s great to have your expenses itemized and allow us to budget for our trip. we hope to cruise “till we drop”. we live for you blogs and videos which keep us focussed and excited.

Aw thanks guys! That’s so sweet of you to say. Congrats on your Helia, drop us a line if you have any questions!

So, what was the total? I didn’t see it listed znfdoung the rough math myself it looos like ~$40K/year but I think I’m missing something?

I didn’t want to post a total, I think everyone has different things they would pay for. We have a lot of yearly expenses we didn’t list because they are not expenses every cruiser would have. For examples; doctors, storage units, other insurances, etc.

Hi there, I think those expenses would be great to list, i.e. doctors, storage, insurance, ect. Those are all perfectly legitimate expenses that can easily be over looked. My husband and I are 42 now and will be 46 when we start cruising. We will still be relatively young but health insurance is a huge concern since we will no longer be employed and way to young for Medicare. Does medicare even carry over in foreign countries?? In summary, if you could include the full spectrum of your expenses, that would be that much more helpful! And thank you so much to take the time to write this. It is a great help in the planning stages.

Greetings Admiral Amy, Captain Dave and the star of the show Starry Horizons. Thank you for such an informative coverage of your travel expenses. And thank you, Amy, for answering my similar question earlier this week. If it helps to make you feel any better, my wife & I privately own & operate a “Beechcraft Kingair 350 twin-engine turboprop aircraft. I like to average around 10 to 15 hours flying each week. But at $2700 per hour, well what can I say, it’s like sailing, once you’re hooked it’s difficult to stop! Cheers.

That is an expensive hobby! I’m glad you found the post helpful.

Great roll up of the expenses. I am surprised about the maintenance too. We have a 2002 Hunter 326, so about half the size of Starry Horizons, and spent 14K on maintenance for 2016. Hopefully now that you have worked out the bugs this year will be much kinder to your wallet.

Thanks for the numbers. This info always helps those of us still waiting to finally get away for good.

Thanks! I am feeling pretty good about maintenance being less this year. Plus we haven’t had many major things happen. I think we are past broken in and into smooth running. Knock on wood!

Love your blog and videos. Thank you for letting us “tag along”.

Aw thanks!! We are glad you are following along!

Thank you Amy and David! Somehow, these figures and comments are good news. After reading so many stories where people mostly says that whatever your budget, you will spend more, the projections I made were much higher than what you got (fuel, maintenance and insurance)! With 2 engines and genset, looks like you did good on fuel (i believe the number was for main engines and all related dinguy oil and gaz)

Thanks again for this great 1 year read point !

Thanks Cyrille! You are right on the fuel. Hopefully this will help you plan a bit and I will update you once we finish this second year of cruising!

Wallet…Grave…turning…ouch!!!

Great detailed report you two! Hope to cross paths again. Cheers Nils S/V Aggressive

Thanks Nils! We will be keeping up with you via Facebook and it may be a few years, but I’m sure paths will cross again.

That was great info to have, my wife and I are planning on making the leap in the next 9 years so getting a feel for true(within reason) cost of living is some great knowledge to have. Especially the insurance side of it. That is the one area that I can’t get good info on. Like where the boat can be and for how long and hurricane season etc. The one question I have is- With it being a new boat was none of those needed repairs covered under any kind of warranty? I keep seeing people buying “new” boats and then having all kinds of stuff breaking, like Chase The Story/Cheeky Monkey’s ice maker and the auto pilot. All of this is making me start to lean more towards a used/BROKEN in boat.

Hi Mark! A couple things:

Here’s a blog post I wrote about the insurance issues:

https://outchasingstars.com/insurance-for-cruising-boats/

The contract covers warranty time lines, but the best bet is to ask a broker (talk to Frank!).

Cheeky monkeys issues have not been from the factory. I think that after a “break in period” on our boat, we are having very minimal issues. Keep an eye out for a post in march about the projects we have tabled till NZ. I think there are plenty of blogs out there hat detail costs while cruising on a used cat.

Thank you for this info. I have not found a blog with this much detail. Very helpful for our future planning!

BTW – My wife and I have been following your videos since before you left France. Very informative.

Thanks Joaquin! Glad you found it helpful!

Look for s/v bebe- also very informative while Amy’s details are super valuable as applying to a new cat.

Thank You! This is beyond helpful for those that are interested in following your footsteps.

Thanks Ben!!

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Home » Blog » Travel » So you want to sail around the world. Now what?

So you want to sail around the world. Now what?

By Author Fiona McGlynn

Posted on Last updated: November 20, 2023

Sailing around the world is a major undertaking, but you don’t have to be super rich, athletic, or have salt water running in your veins to do it.

I know bluewater cruisers and round-the-world sailors from all walks of life: young couples,  single women ,  families with kids , and an  85-year-old Reverand .

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When I was in my late twenties, my husband, Robin, and I spent three years sailing 13,000 nautical miles from Vancouver, Canada to Mexico and then across the Pacific to Australia in our 35-foot sailboat.

We didn’t complete a full circumnavigation of the world—our goal was to reach Australia—but that’s pretty common for cruisers our age (I’ll talk more about routes and timelines below).

I grew up dinghy sailing and Robin had no sailing experience at all. We had office jobs, average incomes, and knew almost nothing about bluewater sailing when we started. 

It was two years from buying our boat to casting off the dock lines and setting sail. However, we did 95% of our preparation in the year before we left. This just goes to show how quickly you can go from “dreamer” to “doer”.

How to sail around the world

For every bluewater cruiser I know, I can think of dozens of “armchair sailors” who dream of sailing around the world but never get out and do it.

Why? There are some big hurdles to overcome before you set sail: getting offshore experience, finding the right boat, outfitting it with all the right gear, learning how to be self-sufficient, and fixing things that break. 

Not to mention finding a way to finance it all.

There’s also a strong psychological and social element: “What will my parents, friends, and colleagues think?” “Will I be able to find work again with a big hole in my resume?”

Going bluewater cruising is a radical departure from the norm and an entirely new way of living. You’ll be faced with challenges, but that’s what makes it such an incredible experience.

If you want easy travel, get a camper van. Sailing around the world is a life-changing adventure. 

So, I wanted to share how we made our transition from landlubbers to bluewater cruisers and share a few resources to help you on your way.

1. Get some offshore sailing experience

Sure sailing around the world sounds romantic—the freedom of the open ocean, sunsets on a beach in Bora Bora, sipping fresh water from a coconut you picked yourself (words of caution: climbing a palm is much harder than it looks!).

But are you willing to put up with  the not-so-fun stuff  that comes with it?  Seasickness , scary conditions, sleep deprivation from  sailing at night , repairing your boat when it breaks (which it will), and being thousands of miles from friends and family?

Some of the best moments in my life were on the boat, but I’ve also had experiences that put me way out of my comfort zone.

It’s not simply a matter of being  mentally tough  (though that helps), some people are just never going to enjoy the sailing life.

The question is: is it right for you? What about your partner, your kids, or whoever else is coming along for the ride? 

Bluewater sailing can blow up relationships. I’ve heard many stories about sailing couples investing tens of thousands in their boats, only to set sail and discover that one or both of them hate it. 

So, before you buy a bluewater boat, quit your job, or give up your studio apartment, you (and your crew mates) should  go and get some offshore sailing experience . 

Spending a week on an offshore passage will not only teach you valuable skills, but it will also give you a taste of the challenges and joys that come with bluewater cruising.

There are plenty of ways to get experience if you don’t already own a boat:

• Take a course at an  offshore sailing school
• Try  sailboat hitchhiking
• Look for crewing opportunities (or pay for a spot) on a rally boat in the  ARC  (Atlantic Ocean crossing),  Pacific Puddle Jump  (Pacific Ocean crossing), or  Baja Haha  (San Diego to Cabo). 
• Become a crew member on a friend’s boat 

2. Find your community and immerse yourself in cruising culture

If you want to go cruising, you’re going to need a support network of people who’ve been there and done it.

We received so much help leading up to our trip (and along the way). Our liveaboard friends and neighbors in Vancouver helped us fix up our engine, rewire our boat, and find a great deal on a new set of sails, just to name a few. 

There are lots of ways to  find your sailing community , either online or in person. I highly recommend mooring your boat in a  liveaboard marina , where you’ll likely be surrounded by other bluewater cruisers.

You can also learn a lot from other people’s stories. Immerse yourself in bluewater cruising culture: read the  classic sailing books , subscribe to a magazine like  Good Old Boat  or  Cruising World , listen to  sailing podcasts , and follow a few  sailing Youtube channels  or  sailors on Instagram .

3. Make a plan

There are many different routes for sailing around the world. Most cruisers sail the easier legs—following the trade winds across the Atlantic and Pacific, transitting the Panama Canal —and spend their time exploring beautiful places and cruising grounds like the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, and New Zealand. 

Only a few cruisers take on the harder routes—transiting the Northwest passage, Southern Ocean, or Indian Ocean (perhaps you’ve heard of the infamous Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope?).

For route planning, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Jimmy Cornell’s  World Voyage Planner  which shows you how to sail from anywhere in the world to…well, anywhere in the world.

How long does it take to sail around the world?

The current world record for sailing around the world is 40 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes (IDEC 3, skippered by Francis Joyon). But unless you’re going for the speed record, you’re going to want to visit the different countries you sail to.

I know cruisers who’ve circumnavigated in as little as five years and others who spend decades making the big loop. 

In my experience, it doesn’t pay to be in a rush because inevitably things don’t go to plan.

Your boat will break down and need repair which often means spending time in a boatyard. 

You may find yourself waiting weeks if not months for crucial parts. 

You may need to fly home in the middle of your cruise (as we did) when a relative is ill or dies. 

Or, you may just fall in love with one of the remote places you visit and want to stay for a while.

Bad weather and hurricane season will dictate when and where you sail. For example, we had originally planned to cross the Pacific in 2016, but we didn’t feel ready. So, we waited a whole year for the right conditions and crossed in the spring of 2017.

My recommendation is to give yourself a minimum of three years to trial the cruising life . Make a plan but don’t be disappointed if you have to throw it to the winds.

4. Make a cruising budget

When people learned that we were traveling the world on our sailboat, they often assumed that we were independently wealthy, which couldn’t have been further from the truth!

We’ve cruised for as little as $1000 a month, but when it comes to cruising budgets, the sky is the limit. It all depends on:

• Your boat . Smaller boats cost less to buy and maintain.
• Destinations . We found places like Mexico and Fiji very affordable, while places like French Polynesia and Australia were quite expensive. 
• Your timeline. Most of the young cruisers we knew were on three-year timelines (because that’s what they could afford). The retirees and families we met often had the financial means to cruise for longer (sometimes indefinitely). Some had houses that they rented, and others would take breaks in places like New Zealand where they worked regular jobs.
• Whether you’re willing to work along the way. We wrote for sailing magazines while we were cruising, but it wasn’t enough money to fund our trip. We mostly relied on savings. With technology like Starlink and the post-pandemic remote work boom, it’s probably easier today to  earn money while cruising . However, cruising is a full-time job. It can be challenging to cover ground while keeping up with work commitments
• Your lifestyle. As I mentioned, it’s possible to  sail around the world on a budget . But we lived pretty rough: no air-conditioning, no freezer, no hot water—at one point, we hadn’t taken a shower for 8 months!

When making your budget, I’d suggest perusing a few  sailing blogs  where cruisers post their monthly expense. 

Also, there are plenty of  creative ways to finance a sailboat . Some people even manage to  travel the world for free by buying and selling their boats in the right markets . 

5. Buy a bluewater boat

You can’t sail around the world in any old sailboat.  Bluewater boats have specific design characteristics  that make them appropriate for offshore sailing. 

I love data, so I made a list of the  best bluewater sailboats  by looking at 2,000 boats that were entered in the Pacific Puddle Jump, a cross-Pacific rally, over the last decade. We also have a list of  smaller boats  which I recommend if you’re on a budget.

Once you have your list, you can get busy searching YachtWorld, Craigslist, and these other  great places to buy used boats . 

Keep in mind that a bluewater boat isn’t necessarily a seaworthy boat. It may have structural damage, unsound rigging, or need an expensive retrofit. Uncover any lurking issues (and know what they’ll cost to fix) before you sign on the dotted line.

We had a very in-depth  boat checklist  that we used to inspect every boat we considered buying. We also hired an accredited marine surveyor, twice, to survey every detail of our boat. The first time was for the purchase, the second time was when we were preparing to go offshore.

For more on how to search,  understand boat values , and close the deal, check out our series on  how to buy a boat .

6. Live on your boat

The next big step on your cruising journey will be moving onto your boat.

We lived on our boat for two years before we set sail and it taught us so much about the boat (read: what needed to be fixed) as well as ourselves (and whether we could handle close-quarter life).

By moving aboard you’ll learn if living on a boat is right for you  and your family. You can also save a bunch of money for your trip. After two years of living aboard, our rent savings paid for the purchase of our boat.

7. Prepare yourself

Preparing yourself for going offshore is a major undertaking. You’ll need to learn advanced navigation, weather, and excellent seamanship, among other things.

It’s not enough to know the theory. Get out and practice with your gear and become comfortable with maneuvers like reefing,  heaving to , sailing downwind with a pole out genoa , and  anchoring under sail .

In addition, you should become intimately familiar with your boat’s systems. Sailboats break down at sea (here are the  most common problems ). So, you have to be capable of fixing your boat when you’re hundreds of miles from shore. 

Become an expert in your boat’s electrical system , propulsion, rigging, sails, and plumbing, before you go.

When the pandemic hit, a lot of sailing education moved online. Now there are plenty of great  online sailing courses  covering everything from learning the parts of a sailboat to celestial navigation.

That being said you can’t beat on-the-water instruction and offshore experience (see #1 for offshore sailing courses). 

8. Outfit your boat

Preparing your boat for offshore will take dedicated effort and money, especially if it’s an older boat that’s not been previously equipped for bluewater sailing.

In addition to fixing existing issues and replacing old equipment, you’ll want to add offshore gear like a  watermaker , a boom brake , downwind sails , self-steering wind vane, life raft,  satellite phone , AIS, solar panels, and inverter. 

Not to mention all the spare parts you’ll need to keep these systems running. 

Needless to say, outfitting can get pretty expensive but you can save money by buying used boat parts and second-hand sails .

We spent six months in the boatyard, working full-time on our 1979 Dufour 35 to get her ready to sail. We built a solar arch , installed panels, replaced our rigging, added a roller furler, replaced our anchoring setup, removed 30 years of antifouling paint, and much much more. 

9. Do a shakedown cruise

Next, it’s time to test your boat (and yourself) by taking it on a shakedown cruise. The idea of a shakedown is to test your boat’s performance after any major changes or repairs. The goal is to find any issues (and fix them) before going farther afield. 

We circumnavigated Vancouver Island for our shakedown cruise. It took us a little over a month and allowed us to test our systems in a variety of conditions including ocean swell, fast currents, and light and moderate wind speeds.

Despite checking and fixing every system on our boat over the preceding months, we still had issues. Our engine quit, we struggled to get our wind vane working, and we had to make a few adaptations to our brand-new sails. But that’s the whole point of a shakedown cruise!

10. Go now!

“Go small, go simple, go now” is a popular cruising philosophy and one that we adhere to.

Life is short and we’ve seen poor health and other life situations bring cruising adventures to a halt.

There’s no ideal time to go cruising. You can be young or old, with or without kids, retired or working. 

Certainly don’t wait until you can afford a larger boat. A  small boat  was our ticket to cruising early in life because it made it more affordable. 

If your dream is to sail around the world, start working towards your cruising dream NOW. You won’t regret it.

Let us know how we can help you on your bluewater journey and what topics you’d like to learn more about by leaving us a message in the comments.

Fiona McGlynn is an award-winning boating writer who created Waterborne as a place to learn about living aboard and traveling the world by sailboat. She has written for boating magazines including BoatUS, SAIL, Cruising World, and Good Old Boat. She’s also a contributing editor at Good Old Boat and BoatUS Magazine. In 2017, Fiona and her husband completed a 3-year, 13,000-mile voyage from Vancouver to Mexico to Australia on their 35-foot sailboat.

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• Navigating Dreams: A Comprehensive Guide to Sailing Around the World

Sailing around the world is an epic adventure that offers unparalleled freedom, breathtaking vistas, and an opportunity to test your limits like never before. It's a journey that takes you through calm waters, stormy seas, and everything in between, allowing you to experience the beauty and diversity of our planet in a deeply personal way. Whether you're drawn to the romance of the open sea or the challenge of navigating through unknown waters, this guide is designed to help you prepare, embark, and thrive on your round-the-world sailing expedition.

Preparing for Your Journey

Choosing the right sailboat is paramount to a successful voyage. It's not just about size and comfort but also seaworthiness and ease of handling. Equipping your vessel with essential gear and supplies, from navigation tools to emergency rations, cannot be overlooked. Moreover, possessing a solid foundation in sailing skills, first aid, and weather forecasting is crucial for your safety and enjoyment.

Navigating the Seas

Understanding weather patterns and mastering navigation techniques are vital for plotting your course and making informed decisions at sea. Safety protocols, including regular drills and maintaining your vessel, ensure that you're prepared for any situation, whether it's a man-overboard incident or equipment failure.

The Best Routes to Sail Around the World

Choosing the best route for your sailing adventure depends on various factors, including the time of year, your sailing experience, and what you want to see and do along the way. Popular routes take advantage of prevailing winds and currents, making your journey more efficient and enjoyable. Timing your adventure is key to avoiding extreme weather and making the most of your port calls.

Life at Sea

Life at sea is a unique experience, characterized by daily routines that keep your vessel running smoothly, managing provisions to last between port calls, and dealing with the mental challenges of isolation. It's also a time for personal growth, reflection, and connection with nature.

Port Calls and Culture

One of the most enriching aspects of sailing around the world is the opportunity to make port calls in a myriad of different countries, each with its own unique culture, traditions, and landscapes. These stops are not just necessary for resupplying your vessel but are golden opportunities to immerse yourself in the local way of life, learn from the people you meet, and experience the world in a way that few other forms of travel can offer.

Read our top notch articles on topics such as sailing, sailing tips and destinations in our Magazine .

Check out our latest sailing content:

Challenges and how to overcome them.

Sailing around the world is not without its challenges, from unexpected weather conditions to mechanical failures and health emergencies. Being prepared, staying calm, and having contingency plans in place are essential for overcoming these obstacles.

Stories from the Sea

The sea has always been a source of tales that stir the imagination and inspire the soul. For those who choose to sail around the world, the ocean becomes not just a path but a place where stories of adventure, endurance, and discovery are written in the vast expanse of water under the endless sky. These stories, shared among sailors and with those they meet on their journey, carry the essence of the sea and the spirit of exploration. There are tales of narrow escapes from danger, whether it be from the wrath of nature or the challenges posed by mechanical failures far from help. Then, there are stories of serendipitous encounters with marine wildlife, reminding us of the wonders of the natural world and our place within it.

Returning Home

After months or even years at sea, returning home can be a bittersweet experience. You'll likely find that you've changed in many ways, and adjusting back to life on land can take some time. Reflection on your journey and sharing your experiences with others can be a rewarding way to close this chapter of your life.

How to Get Started

Embarking on a round-the-world sailing trip requires thorough planning and preparation. Start by gaining as much sailing experience as possible, familiarising yourself with different types of boats, and deciding what kind of journey you're looking for. Budgeting, route planning, and preparing your boat are next steps. Don't forget to consider visa requirements, insurance, and the potential need for a crew.

So what are you waiting for? Take a look at our range of charter boats and head to some of our favourite  sailing destinations.

I am ready to help you with booking a boat for your dream vacation. Contact me.

Denisa Kliner Nguyenová

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

6 ways of preparation to sail around the world, from the planner to the opportunist

• June 15, 2015

There are many different ways to sail around the world. Toby Hodges talks to World ARC crews in Colombia to find out how they prepared for the adventure

Photo: Tor Johnson

The World ARC is a 25,000nm whistlestop tour of the globe, equivalent to cramming a lifetime of cruising into a year, and the organisers smooth the way with paperwork and guidelines and a planned itinerary. But it’s still a circumnavigation and each boat is on its own out at sea.

It was an ideal opportunity to find out how skippers prepare for such intense liveaboard cruising on a sail around the world. What extra equipment did they need? What spares did they carry? And what made them decide to go in the first place?

Here are six very different case studies, from the thoroughly prepared to the last-minute entry. Skippers offer their advice to those who might aspire to do the same.

1. 25 years in the planning

Oyster 575, juno.

In the chart table of the Oyster 575 Juno there is a faded brochure of a 1986 Holman & Pye Oyster 55. Since Paul Frew picked it at the Southampton Boat Show he has dreamt of sailing an Oyster round the world. “So you could say I was planning this for 25 years,” he declares.

“It helps to have a boat in mind as it becomes something you imagine and focus on,” Paul’s wife, Caroline, adds. “It makes it more tangible.”

The Frews have owned a series of cruising yachts, from a 22ft monohull to a 52ft Catana catamaran, but Paul Frew insists these were just a “dress rehearsal” for his Oyster. They purchased Juno a year after her launch in 2011.

Frew is one of the most meticulous and well-prepared owners you could hope to meet. He has a spare for almost everything on board, “to the Dyson and Nespresso machine,” he says. He mentions an entire auxiliary autopilot, for example, including course computer and pilot drive, ready to “bring on at the flick of a switch”.

Paul Frew with his 1986 brochure for the Oyster 55

His advice for those preparing to go long-distance cruising is to spend as much prep time as possible. “I wrote everything down: lists and lists, so that I knew I had done as much as I could,” he explains.

Frew’s meticulous preparation of Juno can be linked to his career; he was a venture capitalist and ran a software business. “I have applied myself to this as I have to my job in the past,” he says. “I do all the jobs I can on board myself so I know if something goes wrong I can fix it.” I heard similar advice from several owners. “I worked my way through all the main systems and carry spares for everything – really because I’m not an engineer so I want to be prepared.”

These words will resonate with many. As yachts and their systems get larger and more complex they may actually put people off going long-distance sailing. But Frew gets a kick out of fixing things, proudly explaining how he changed the top swivel and bearings on his inmast furling.

He cites crew as the most complicated logistic to arrange. Juno will be crewed by five most of the time, all good friends. “We know them and know we won’t fall out,” says Frew. “It’s not all about sailing experience, you must be able to get on with your crew.”

Frew says he wouldn’t have done anything differently. “ Juno is the right size and I know her inside-out. There is masses of space, but we can handle her with two. I worked my way through all the systems so I’m as prepared as I can be without being complacent.”

2. Loaded with technology

Metz has an impressive array of equipment in his navstation

Amel 54, A Plus 2

A Plus 2 had to be one of the most lavishly equipped of the World ARC yachts I saw. Owner Jean Metz had loaded his Amel 54 with equipment. His navstation is like a meteorology centre; there are eight different independent chart systems, with eight GPS receivers, plus paper charts and a sextant. “I think I have every one on the market,” laughs Metz. He carries three computers, two spare laptops, three iPads, three routers, a wi-fi booster, and three different satphones including Fleet Broadband and an Iridium handheld.

His reasoning is intriguing. “I don’t want to be bored by electronics,” he says. “When something goes wrong I get out another one and come back to fix the broken one another time.” Fair enough!

Jean and Christiane Metz are French nationals who live in the Swiss mountains. Semi-retired from the pharmaceutical industry, they are keen skiers. Jean also races prototype cars in endurance events around Europe. They are sailing the World ARC by themselves. “Endurance car racing and off-piste skiing helped me prepare for it,” says Metz. “I like so-called risky things, but if you are really prepared for that then you know more or less where the main risks are.”

Christiane and Jean Metz aboard A Plus 2

“We worked on safety a lot,” he adds, showing me how he made up a series of short inboard jackstays for safety on deck. “I’m critical of normal-length jackstays, because they extend enough to allow you to hang overboard. So like in the mountains we use two lines on short inboard wires, so that you are always clipped on by one.”

Before the ARC in Las Palmas, Metz was surprised how unprepared some yacht crews were. “You don’t take your car and go and do Le Mans straight away.” For his preparation, Metz spent six hours a day for a year.

The principal things he added were twin poles and a hydrogenerator. “Now we can pole out the genoa and gennaker and do up to 15 knots downwind – and comfortably go 15° each side of 180°.” As well as the Watt & Sea generator Metz also added six 100W solar panels which, when combined, supplies half the energy they need.

“But with three computers and three satphones, the genset still runs six hours a day!”

3. The traditional ocean cruiser

Julia Horner and Eric Faber aboard Luna Quest

Rival 38, Luna Quest

It was the eve of Eric Faber’s 72nd birthday when I spoke to him and he told me he had always dreamt of doing a circumnavigation. When his wife died two years ago he decided it was time to set sail.

He planned to sail across the Atlantic and back solo, but on meeting Yorkshire-born Julia Horner in the Caribbean, Faber found a partner who wanted to continue west with him.

“I wanted an ocean-going boat that was not too large to prevent me from doing it alone,” he says. An encapsulated keel and tiller steering topped his list and he found Luna Quest in Turkey ten years ago. The running rigging was replaced, new sails added, the engine fully serviced and the boat rewired, so she now looks in mint condition.

Faber carries a Hydrovane, a wind generator, solar panels and two towed generators so he need never run the engine for power.

• 1. 1. 25 years in the planning
• 2. 4. DIY on a budget

7 Best-Known Routes for Sailing Around the World (with Maps)

Route planning is among the most crucial bits of preparation, especially when it comes to circumnavigation. This article will give you seven of the most commonly used routes for sailing around the world. Some routes have been sailed many times by many people, others are obscure or even dangerous.

• The Fast Route - for the minimum time
• The Pleasure Route - for the maximal pleasure
• The Traditional Route - the road most taken
• The Arctic Route - for the rough ones
• The Dangerous Route - without regards for piracy
• The Cheap Route - with a budget in mind
• The Coast Lover's Route - never going far from the coast

Since circumnavigation is quite a complex matter, let's go through this list one by one below.

On this page:

How to choose a route for you, route for speed, the pleasure route, the traditional route, the arctic route, the dangerous route, the cheap route, the coast lover's route.

What route you will take depends on what kind of journey you are looking for. If the goal is to do it in the least amount of time possible, you will be choosing a different path than if you don't care about time and put emphasis on sightseeing.

Similarly, if safety and convenience are at the top of your priority list, you will choose a route that might differ greatly from that of a person ready to spend more on security and cut corners through tricky territories.

If you have specific locations in mind, you will take turns that are, logistically speaking, quite impractical, while if efficiency is what you want, there are certain places it would make little sense to visit.

And finally, if you are after comfort, you will avoid some bumpy places and times of the year, as opposed to somebody who won't mind venturing into the corners of the oceans that require a hell of a warm jacket.

There is no right or wrong answer here; don't feel some approaches are better than others. Just look at what you want from the journey, read through this article, and then choose what best suits you.

21 Places to Avoid Sailing Around the World (In Order)

Let's kick this off with a racing spirit. This is the route taken by those competing in Vendée Globe, a circumnavigation race. It takes a bit under three months...

...that is if you are a racer and so is your boat. If you are a cruiser kind of person, it will take more time, but the point is that this route is as straightforward as it gets.

So what waypoints does it touch? Vendée globe racers start in France, then head down towards the Cape of Good Hope, circle Antarctica as close as the rules allow, and after getting to Cape Horn, head up to France again.

Of course, based on where you start from, your route might differ. But the idea is as follows:

• head south towards the Southern Ocean
• sail around Antarctica through the Southern Ocean
• after reaching the point where you met the Southern Ocean for the first time, head back up

The Southern Ocean is not a breeze, the cold waters mixing with the warmer ones coming from the north, plus the danger of icebergs, as well as the cold temperature, isn't how your typical holiday dream looks. That being said, it's up to you how close to Antarctica you will want to be when going around it.

This route doesn't touch down at any land, so you must be prepared for months on the sea as far as provisions, spares and mental capacity goes. Of course, this is variable, you can easily make landfall in Azores, South Africa, South Australia, or South America, and some of the South Pacific islands, if you need to. Either way, it is demanding logistically, so be sure to have your checklist in check .

It is among the most straightforward routes. Not just because it is probably the shortest one or the fastest one, but all the hassle with visas, check-ins, going through canals, and other lengthy land creatures' business will be foreign to you.

If you make it through the Southern Oceans unharmed, you will certainly have one hell of a story to tell.

Now let's go on the opposite side of the specter.

Let's suppose you theoretically have unlimited time. Instead of doing things quickly and efficiently, you want to take it at a leisurely pace while admiring all that there is to see.

This route will begin and end in the Mediterranean, but that's just because that's where I am based, sailing-wise. Wherever else you are, just pick the point of the route closest to you and begin there.

We will begin in Croatia, because it has beautiful shores and islands, travel around Greece with even more islands, the south around Italy, through Gibraltar. After that:

• head south to the Azores
• west to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal
• west to Hawaii
• south to French Polynesia
• west to New Zealand, then Australia and Papua New Guinea
• northwest to Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, India
• south to Madagascar, then along the African coast to Cape of Good Hope
• north to the Azores and then through Gibraltar back home

This route takes time since it aims to explore all it can even remotely touch. It's not just that the route is long, because the aim is to visit pretty places. You might also find yourself having to wait months at some places for the bad weather season to clear before you can make your next crossing. Have a look at our article about things to think about when planning for a long trip .

Because of that, this route is more demanding when it comes to planning, visa hassle, check-in research, more ports and anchors, more provisions planning. Also, your boat will need to be a solid liveaboard , since you will spend so much time on it. Logistically, it will be demanding.

But for all that hassle, you will literally get to see the world. You will visit many fantastic cultures, get to taste the cuisines from all over, and the long times waiting for the winds to calm down will be spent on exploring the place you are 'stuck' at.

What more does one need...

...except perhaps some middle ground. Now that we've been to two extremes, let's look at something in the middle: the route most commonly taken when circumnavigating.

It is rather similar to the Pleasure Route above except for skipping the Mediterranean, Pacific, and Southeast Asian stops.

Thus it goes as follows:

• From Europe, head south to the Azores
• west to Australia
• west to Cape of Good Hope

This route accomplishes the circumnavigation while stopping at beautiful places but doesn't necessarily explore everything that happens to be around. Its strong suit is the variability. If you like the Caribbean, you stop and cruise around there. If Australia excites you, you do the same there. If you want to see Madagascar, well, it will be almost on your way. And so on.

It has been a traditional route to take because it is relatively painless and does not go through any hazardous areas.

It has been traveled by many before you, so there is a lot of info floating around if you want to do your research on specific parts of the journey.

On its own, it has a lot of long legs where you will not see anything but the ocean on the horizon. So for those of you who mind this, you gotta make it your own, customize it a bit, so that you spend more time at places that you like.

This planning really is important. Some of those legs can't be made during certain seasons if you want to be careful, so to make sure you don't get stuck somewhere you don't particularly like, you should plan well.

With that, let's get crazier.

For those who want to do things the hard way. Perhaps you really like the scenery, perhaps you want to test yourself, or maybe you've done every other passage, and now it is time for the icy one.

There is a circumnavigation route that leads through regions so far up north you mostly don't encounter them even on a map. Because why would you look up there.

Now I don't know how long this article will survive on the internet, but note that this route is rather climatically contextual. Given enough time, it might freeze over and become unavailable.

For me, it would begin in one of the northern ports of Norway and then:

• continue west to Iceland
• west to the south of Greenland and then up its western coast to the Baffin Bay
• south of Devon Island and through the archipelagos to Beaufort and Chuchki Seas
• west along the northern coast of Russia under the Lyakhovsky Islands
• west under the Yuzhny Island to the Barents Sea and back to the north of Norway

To this, you will have to add the most straightforward route north from wherever you are to any point on the route above.

Cold. Thus this requires clothing, equipment, and a boat that can withstand the polar temperatures along with chunks of ice floating around.

How much more adventurous can you get? Circumnavigation has been accomplished by plenty of people. This, not so much.

With the above, the major sailing routes have been covered. So what follows are mostly variations. Important ones, though.

Imagine this one mostly as the Traditional Route, except with a few twists. One of them leads through the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal.

Why take it? Because if you look on the map, you will see that when going from the general direction of Australia or Southeast Asia west, meaning you are probably aiming for the Azores or further for the Caribbean, it will save you a lot of time.

Money, not so much. You will have to pay for security. Because although you will save yourself the long southern route around the whole continent of Africa, which is nearly a 10,000-mile detour, you will have to go through the aforementioned areas that are famous for piracy and require professional armed company if you want to be on the safe side.

Not that it hasn't been done without it, but you know… Furthermore, many insurances won't cover you there since the risks are just too high.

Similarly, the area around Malaysia and the Philippines, which you might encounter during your Southeast Asia travels, bears the same story. No coverage by many insurances for piracy reasons.

Then again, exploring Southeast Asia while avoiding these regions means a few detours and no-go zones.

So if you want to explore the world on your sailboat and don't mind the risk, add these to your route plans.

Obviously, the risk or costs related to security. You will find plenty of sailors arguing that there is no real danger unless you are a cargo ship or a kidnapping worthy target. You will also find plenty who would rather travel in a fleet through there. And plenty who would never set sail towards those places.

Then there is the insurance issue.

With Suez, the upside is the saved time as well as not having to go around the treacherous South African cape waters.

With the Philippines and Malaysia, it's the convenience of being able to go wherever you want to in one of the most beautiful regions worldwide.

See this one as a variant of the Traditional Route and the Pleasure Route.

Some places are cheaper than others. And some places straight up make very little sense to go to.

Going through the Panama Canal is at least a $1,300 expense. Or, there are countries, like Ecuador, where check-in can cost you a $1,000 fee. And last but not least, prices of resources, like food, vary too. The Caribbean is famous for its steep prices in the provisions area.

The prices change, so it would not be bulletproof to give you a precise circumnavigation route exclusively through cheap places. Still, the moral of the story here is that when planning your route, do have a look at the local prices when it comes to check-ins and visas, food and various passes.

The result should be a route you are comfortable with financially. Avoiding the Panama Canal means a detour around the whole of South America, so it rarely pays off. Avoiding Ecuador, on the other hand, won't hinder your progress and save you money. Stocking up on food before getting into the Caribbean is also a sound logistical choice - unless you plan to stay for longer than your stocks can take you.

Saving money can mean detours, inaccessibility of various places, and more thought put into logistics. So it can result in a less elegant route.

On the other hand, being smart about it can result in a much lower bill overall.

Let me start this one by admitting that I don't believe anybody will actually take this route in its entirety, as delineated here. But it serves as an inspiration to those who are perhaps a bit unsure or simply like to combine two different sailing styles.

Some like to cross vast oceans and love to see nothing but the horizon for months. And then some like to stick to coastal waters for most of their journeys. Nothing wrong with that; at least it gives you something to look at any given moment.

And then there is the benefit of relative safety, a port or an anchorage close by most of the time, the ability to resupply whenever you like, to pick up and drop off people, and last but not least the lack of need for a really ocean-worthy boat and equipment.

I'm talking about the coastal cruiser's dream of circling all the world's continents, whereby effectively circumnavigating the globe. Eventually. This is the longest route ever.

The idea is pretty simple. You can go around the world sticking to the coast with no crossings, except for the Norwegian Sea and a few short stretches in Southeast Asia.

Or, if you feel up to it (and want to avoid the freezing northern places), you can cross the Atlantic, the Pacific and keep close to the coasts otherwise.

As mentioned in the beginning, not many will actually take this entire route. But it is not uncommon for circumnavigators to have weeks or months where they do exactly this - stick to the coast and enjoy the country.

Lots and lots of time and resources are needed.

You will constantly be checking into countries and solving visas.

Understand the required paperwork for sailing the world This is an article on the topic of check-ins and paperwork, so have a read through it Read up on global licenses

Some areas are arguably less hospitable than others - the coast of Yemen as an example. So you might want to skip a few.

You don't need a proper ocean exploring boat - an island-hopping model will suffice. Many of the modern ones are capable of long crossings if needed here and there.

You don't need as much equipment as power, water, food, and all that jazz will be available most of the time.

The logistics will suddenly become a whole lot easier. Fewer provisions planning, less spare parts planning, broken stuff won't be a disaster… you get the point.

This is the true world tour.

I liked your article; it raised a lot of good points. I think the article could have benefitted from some maps.

I also think that, throughout the article, you have confused the Canary Islands or Madeira with the Azores. The Azores are not south from Gibraltor or France or Europe. They are 1/3 the way across the Atlantic Ocean, almost due west from Lisbon. The Canaries are south from Gilbrator, France and Europe and most people turn west there for the Caribbean.

Again, I liked the article.

Best wishes.

Leave a comment

You may also like, 41 sailboat cruising essentials for long trips.

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England's World Cup wait is nothing next to British sailing's quest for the America's Cup

Spain america's cup preview.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — English soccer fans have been waiting almost a lifetime to win another World Cup. Just imagine what British sailing fans feel when the America's Cup rolls around.

Their best yachtsmen have been trying — and failing — for 173 years to conquer the Holy Grail of sailboat racing.

The schooner America won the race's very first edition back in 1851 in a loop around the Isle of Wight, where Queen Victoria herself was in attendance as the Royal Yacht Squadron was bested off the English coast. Since then, no country has challenged to win the Auld Mug as many times as Britain — only to always come up short.

And this for a country that holds a record 30 Olympic medals in sailing and whose ships used to rule the oceans in the times of empire.

Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history with four golds and a silver, heads the latest British effort to end the wait for the oldest international trophy in sport.

“It’s massive for us because we’re a proud sporting country and our maritime heritage is massive for us as an island nation,” Ainslie told The Associated Press after a race in Barcelona. “The America’s Cup is the one international sporting trophy Britain has never won. And it originated in the UK.

"So that’s a big motivator for us to try, as we say, and get the America’s Cup back home.”

Ainslie's description of the weight of history on his team's shoulders echoes that of England's soccer team, whose anthem, “Football’s coming home,” sums up the mission of trying to lift its first title since winning the 1966 World Cup.

While the country is soccer crazed and its wealthy Premier League the envy of the sport, Britain's history has for centuries been closely linked with its nautical might.

The 47-year-old Ainslie has the unique role at the America’s Cup in his dual position as INEOS Britannia's skipper and its team principal. That means he runs the team in every facet and calls the shots on the waves from his starboard cockpit on the 75-foot foiling monohull.

Britannia has made a promising start and topped the challenger standings in the opening round-robin phase , which included beating a strong Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli of Italy twice.

That gave the British team the right to select its rival for the challenger series semifinals, and on Friday it picked Switzerland's Alinghi Red Bull Racing. That meant Luna Rossa was paired with NYYC American Magic in the other series to be decided by the first boat to score five victories.

The last boat standing after the playoffs will win the Louis Vuitton Cup and face defending champion New Zealand in the America’s Cup finals.

Ainslie already knows what it feels like to win the America’s Cup, albeit for the Americans.

He was on the 2013 winner Oracle Team USA. After the Americans fell into a large early deficit against New Zealand, Ainslie, a tactician, was promoted from the backup crew to the race crew. New Zealand expanded its lead to 8-1 and match point, but Ainslie helped the American-flagged crew pull off one of the greatest comebacks in sport, winning eight straight races to become the first British sailor to win the America’s Cup in 110 years.

As to why the cup has proven so elusive to a nation that excels at sailing, Ainslie insists that it is just “incredibly hard” to dethrone a sitting champion in a winner-takes-all event like no other — the champion sets the rules, picks the venue and gets a ticket to the final of the next edition.

“(So) much goes into the competition, the technicality, the boats and the competitive nature of it," he says. "And the fact that we know that the defender is really in the hot seat. They’re rewriting the rules for the next event and are in the final. So if you have a strong defender, like the Team New Zealand that we’ve seen in previous America’s Cups, it’s very, very hard to beat.”

Britannia has the backing of billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS who bought into storied soccer club Manchester United this year. His sailing outfit also shares a technical director and design expertise with the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

Ainslie first challenged for the cup in 2017 in Bermuda. INEOS came aboard the following year and they made a run at the cup in 2021 in Auckland. Both times New Zealand won.

The America’s Cup was born some four decades before the modern Olympic Games, and only four countries have even won it. The Americans successfully defended the title 24 times until that incredible 132-year run ended in 1983 at the hands of the Australians. The Swiss were the last country to join the select club.

The first step for the Brits is emerging as the best challenger. They haven’t reached the match final since 1964.

“The only thing we have in our mind is trying to win the thing. I think we can win it,” Ainslie says. “If we can keep that momentum going, we can be dangerous. Are we going to do it this time or not? Only time will tell.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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