best sail yacht for sailing around the world

10 Best Sailboats for Sailing Around the World

With the sailboats available today, sailing around the world is easier than ever. Finding the perfect boat for the job, on the other hand, can be a daunting task. So, what are the best sailboats for sailing around the world?

We’ve narrowed down the top ten sailing around the world boats. The following are our top ten picks:

• Beneteau Oceanis 46.1
• Island Packet 349
• Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 42
• Figaro Beneteau 3
• X-Yachts X4.9
• X-Yachts Xp55

These sailboats offer dependability, comfort, and performance, all of which are important features for your trip. Read on to know more about the best sailing around the world boats, including their dimensions and major features.

Inflatable paddle boards are also a great way to enjoy the water when anchored if you plan on sailing around the world:

Click here to see it on Amazon.

10 Best Sailing Around the World Boats

1. beneteau oceanis 46.1.

The Beneteau Oceanis 46.1 is the most popular Beneteau boat model that has been produced, thanks to its stepped hull shape. Not only did Beneteau deliver the best features of their previous masterpiece, the Oceanis 45, to the Oceanis 46.1, but they also improved the boat’s overall performance, design, and craftsmanship.

The Oceanis 46.1 has a larger mast and a deeper lead-bulb keel, which provide a total of 28 percent extra sail area. In addition, the company released a ‘First Line’ edition that offers both speed and comfort. The Oceanis 46.1 allows you to sail in luxury and comfort, with a wide and functional cockpit and an enormous forward owner’s stateroom – ideal for sailing around the world.

The LOA and LWL of the Oceanis 46.1 are 47’11” (14.60 m) and 43’5″ (13.24 m), respectively. It has a 44’9″ or 13.65 m hull length. Its base power engine is a Yanmar diesel with 57 horsepower, with a Yanmar diesel with 80 horsepower available as an option.

This version is available in five different layouts: three cabins with two heads, three cabins with three heads, four cabins with two heads, four cabins with four heads, and five cabins with three heads. You may sail short-handed with this model, and you can handle the winches from aft.

The rooms below deck are finished in brushed light oak veneer for a stylish look. Wide sunbeds with separate shower and head compartments are also available. It has wide hull portholes that let natural light into the saloon, making it feel big and comfortable below deck.

A walkthrough of the Beneteau Oceanis 46.1 is shown in the video below:

2. Island Packet 349

The Island Packet 349 was hailed the “Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Ft” by Cruising World. [ 1 ] Regardless of the weather, it provides passengers with a safe and enjoyable long-haul sailing and cruising experience.

The IP 349 is a two-cabin boat with a separate shower compartment in the single head. This is unusual for boats under 38 feet. It includes refrigerators, a pull-out spice rack cabinet, under-counter dry goods storage, and several SS overhead and bulkhead mounted handholds, among other things. The saloon also contains an L-shaped built-in sofa to port and a dining table that you can fold away to save some space when not in use.

The LOA and LWL of the Island Packet 349 are 38’3″ (11.65m) and 31’5″ (9.58m), respectively. The beamwidth is 12’6″ (3.81m), with a 4 ft. draft (1.2m). It has a fuel capacity of 55 gal and a water capacity of 100 gal. It is powered by a Yanmar diesel engine with 45 horsepower, capable of covering 500 miles at a cruising speed of 6 knots.

With a 32-foot waterline, the IP 349 has a nominal hull speed of 7.5 knots. This model is safe and easy to navigate in sea conditions, thanks to its full keel, 20,000 lbs. displacement, and a ballast-to-displacement ratio of 39 percent.

The Neel 51 ranks third on our list of the best sailing around the world boats. After the success of the Neel 45 and Neel 65 flagships, this trimaran gained popularity among its customers. The majority of people prefer this model because of its large deckhouse. The Harken 52 winches manage the double headsail rig, which is conveniently accessible from the helm.

However, the headsail limits view from the helm, which is a typical problem with multihulls. There is a wide and comfy lounge space adjacent to it if you want to hang out and rest. Two center-hull cabins with separate head/shower are located below deck. The trim of the Neel 51 is made of Alpi wood, while the flooring is made of hard-wearing polyester materials.

This boat measures 51 ft. (15.6 meters) in length and 29 ft. and 18 inches in width (9.2 meters). It features a live-aboard space of 90 square meters and a tender garage technical room of 18 square meters. It has a Volvo diesel inboard engine with a sail drive that produces 75 horsepower.

It has a water capacity of 160 gallons (600 L) and a fuel capacity of 160 gallons (600 L). The Neel 51 is easy to drive and has outstanding directional stability. It has little trouble sailing in winds ranging from 6-7 knots to 10-11 knots, increasing its boat speed .

4. Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 42

The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 42 is the fourth monohull model in the Wauquiez Pilot Saloon series and the smallest one. The sleek and semi-minimalist design of this model stands out. Its interiors are mostly white, giving it a light and airy feel, while brightly lighted LED lights surround the saloon. The design is intended for long-distance cruising, such as from one country to another or even around the world.

The Wauquiez Pilot Saloon 42 is powered by a 57 horsepower Yanmar diesel engine, which also comes with an 80 hp Yanmar diesel engine as an option. The Pilot Saloon 42 has an overall length of 42’6″ (12.99m) and a beamwidth of 14’2″ (4.34m), with a sail area of 973 sq. ft. (87 sq. m) when fully rigged. This boat has a fuel capacity of 110 gal (416 L) and a water capacity of 162 gallons (613 L).

It has an excellent water grip because it is equipped with a double rudder system at the stern, allowing passengers to effortlessly control and steer it on upwind routes. On onshore wind, the Wauquiez PS42 can sail up to 12-16 mph and rarely dips below 7 knots.

5. Arcona 435

The Arcona 435 was designed using the same blueprint as the Arcona 430, which was a huge success for Arcona Yachts. The Arcona 435, a monohull offshore cruiser-racer sailboat, outperforms its predecessor with its improved, up-to-date design and performance. It proves to be a fast and easy-to-manage 43-ft. performance cruiser and one of the best sailing around the world boats. It has a lead bow and a wider stern, more saloon space, and a large cockpit, all while ensuring improved stability.

The Arcona 435 was created to provide outstanding performance without compromising comfort below deck. It boasts a conventional, light Scandinavian layout with fine woodwork beneath the deck. Its big saloon and spacious kitchen let passengers move freely, while three comfortable double rooms (one front and two aft) provide ample sleeping and storage space.

The LOA and LWL of the Arcona 435 are 43’4″ (13.2m) and 40′ (12.1m), respectively, while the beamwidth is 13’1″. (4m). It has a maximum fuel capacity of 47.6 gallons and a maximum water capacity of 79.3 gallons. It has a 45-horsepower Yanmar JH45C inboard diesel engine and a hull speed of 8.48 knots.

6. Figaro Beneteau 3

The Figaro Beneteau 3 is the world’s 1st foiling 1-design monohull. And like its predecessor, the Figaro Beneteau 2, the FB3 is a game-changer. The FB3 is primarily designed for those looking for a traditional single-handed race. For its size, this model is extremely light and sensitive.

The FB3 is built with a light helm in mind, which is ideal for lengthy offshore races as well as single-handed or double-handed racing. The Figaro Beneteau is designed for speed, but it may also be used to sail around the world, especially if you want to do so quickly.

This model is a monohull single-handed racing sailboat that measures 35’7″ (10.89m) in overall length and 31′ in waterline length (9.46m). It has an 11’5″ (3.48m) beam width and an 8’2″ waterline beam width (2.50m).

It covers a total of 752 square feet on the upwind sail area and up to 1,555 square feet on the downwind sail area. It can carry up to 11 US gallons (40 L) of fuel and has a hull speed of 7.28 knots. It is powered by a 21-horsepower Nanni Diesel N3 inboard engine.

7. X-Yachts X4.9

The X-Yachts X4.9 , the third model in the new ‘X’ series, comes in at number seven on our list of the best sailing around the world boats . This model attempts to provide an attractive and comfortable cabin without sacrificing performance. Its interior design combines great aesthetics with practicality.

Pinstripes of full teak run the length of the deck from bow to stern. This yacht is easier to operate thanks to its four electrically powered winches. The four winches are all located at the back of the cockpit, leaving the lounging area free of ropes.

The X4.9’s below deck is particularly well-designed. It appears pleasant and inviting to live in, right down to the Nordic oak finish and U-shaped sofa. Additionally, it has white Corian worktops with a stove cover, a double sink, and space for a fridge, microwave, and espresso machine on the L-shaped galley.

The forward owner’s stateroom has hull windows at bed level and a minimalist design with a huge island bed and a thick mattress, as well as a separate shower compartment.

It has an overall length of 49’7″ (15m) and a waterline length of 44’5″ (13.58m), with a beamwidth of 14’7″ (4.49m). It has a sail area of 1,290 ft2 (129.1m2) and can carry 66 gal (300 L) of fuel and 68 gal (310 L) of water. The X4.9 is powered by a 57-horsepower diesel engine (42.5 kW).

8. Hylas 48

The Hylas 48 has been rated the ‘Best Full-Size Cruiser Under 48 Ft’ by the magazine Cruising World. [ 2 ] It’s designed and equipped for the long haul, with a robust stainless-steel stem fitting and two anchor rollers. It also has a lead fin keel and is made of solid hand-laid fiberglass. A self-tacking jib for upwind sailing and a mounted-forward Genoa for off-wind sailing are included in this model.

The H48 has a classic configuration, which includes a cockpit in the center, a large dining table in the saloon, U-shaped seats to port, and a cushioned bench in the centerline. Depending on the customer’s needs, the H48 offers a variety of customization choices. Teak, light oak, and maple are the interior finish options.

The Hylas 48 is powered by a Yanmar 75 HP turbo diesel with dual Racor fuel filtration. At 2,400 rpm, this model can hit 8.1 knots and 8.9 knots at 3,100 rpm. It is 48′ (14.6m) long overall and 42′ long at the waterline (12.8m). It has a 14’6″ (4.4m) beamwidth and a 6’6″ draft width (2m). It has a fuel capacity of 290 gallons and a water capacity of 119 gallons.

9. Lagoon 50

The Lagoon 50 , a catamaran sailboat, is number 9 on our list of the best sailboats for sailing around the world. In the 40 to 50 ft. category, it has been rated the best multihull cruising boat. It has a sporty style to it, as well as an easy-to-handle rig and improved performance. This model provides outstanding performance without sacrificing comfort. The hulls also have a lot of space and are very comfortable.

The interiors, designed by Nauta Design, feature a homey feel with unique architecture. It boasts a retractable panoramic windscreen with a wood finish that can be customized, as well as plenty of natural light that floods the aft cabin, making it bright and spacious.

The Lagoon 50 has a beamwidth of 26’7″ and an overall length of 48’5″ (14.75m) (8.10m). It has a capacity of 263 US gallons (2240 L) of freshwater and 2137 US gallons (2520 L) of gasoline. It is driven by a Yanmar 4JJH57 diesel engine that produces 57 horsepower.

10. X-Yachts Xp55

Our list of the best sail around the world boats includes another X-Yacht. This article also mentions the Xp55 , which is a sister of the X4.9. The Xp line focuses on the boat’s performance. The hull structure of this Xp model is made up of a blend of fiberglass and carbon fiber, which absorbs rig and engine loads. A regular 9’4″ (2.84m), a deep 10’6″ (3.2m), and a shallow 8’2″ keel are all available (2.49m).

The Xp55 comes with two different layouts for the owner’s cabin, as well as a choice of double or triple heads. The basic interior finish is teak furniture with a touch of holly floors. On the other hand, a touch of brushed oak wood on the furniture with walnut floorboards is a choice for a different style of interior design. A big U-shaped sofa in the saloon, which can accommodate up to 8 people, is found on many sailboats.

The Xp55’s LOA and LWL are 56′ 6″ (17.23m) and 48′ 9″ (14.87m), respectively, with a beamwidth of 15′ 8″ (4.77m). The Xp55 is powered by a 110 horsepower diesel engine (81 kW). It has a fuel capacity of 123 US gallons (465 L) and a water capacity of 159 US gallons (600 L).

• Post category: Sailing
• Post author: Charlie Green

• BOAT OF THE YEAR
• Newsletters
• Sailboat Reviews
• Boating Safety
• Sailing Totem
• Charter Resources
• Destinations
• Galley Recipes
• Living Aboard
• Sails and Rigging
• Maintenance
• Best Marine Electronics & Technology

Best Sails for Sailing Around the World

• By Bob Pattison
• Updated: November 27, 2013

General Overview

The Valiant 40 and Passport 545 are separated by almost 30 years of design evolution, yet their needs and goals in circumnavigation remain similar and constant for both: Value, durability, safety, and flexibility of sailing range during the wide range of conditions they will see during their voyages. Both boats are ‘cutter’ rigged but it is here that the 30 years of evolution really shows differences.

Though the differences between the two are striking, the compelling reasons that cutter rigs are preferred by world cruisers are twofold:

• reduction of overall sail sizes for ease of handling and
• flexibility of sail choices and reefing options. Both of these points make sailing easier and safer.

Differences

The Valiant 40 is what most would call a traditional cutter; fit with a Yankee (high clewed furling foresail with small overlap) and an inner staysail that is small and robust for design to fly under the Yankee in most conditions and excelling as a heavy air / storm sail. The staysail might be attached with hanks on the inner forestay or on a furler so we will need to look at this. The mainsail is also ‘traditional’ in that that it was originally designed with conservative roach and short leech battens. The reefing system is traditional jiffy reefing with the clew reef lines led aft, but may have been updated to incorporate the luff reefs leading aft as well, but either way it is a very functional system. The mast will be without a contemporary track system and may or may not have auxiliary track for a storm trysail.

The Passport on the other hand illustrates contemporary design concepts and engineering. The ‘cutter’ part of the sail plan consists of a full size furling jib that is non-overlapping for ease of use and is used as the primary upwind sail in most conditions and a large overlapping Furling ‘reacher’ or ‘screacher’ that can be used as the light air upwind genoa and an across the board reaching/downwind sail.

The mainsail is an in-mast (Selden) furling mainsail, which gives the owners ease of use and an unlimited reefing capability. It is a testament to these systems and their improved engineering over the years that we now take it for granted that they will work reliably for something as trying as a circumnavigation.

Design Approach

Our work with the Valiant owners will be more comprehensive in the sense that we will review and most likely recommend some rigging upgrades that will enhance safety, sail longevity and ease of use for the owners. We would suggest upgrading the track system to an aftermarket track and slide system. The range for these is great in cost, so our recommendations for a specific track system would be based on their budget. A track system allows the mainsail to go up and down easily which helps when reefing and stowing the sail and also allows us to comfortably fit 2 or more full battens to the mainsail that will add sail control when handling the sail and improve the longevity of the sail by reducing or tempering the tendency for the leech to ‘flog’ during hoisting, dowsing and normal use. We would also discuss the pro/cons of converting the staysail to furling if the budget allows for it. In addition, we will want to add a storm trysail track if the boat is not currently equipped with one.

The Passport owners benefit from having a newer boat that is rigged in a more contemporary fashion…so really we just need to discuss options for sails and additional sails for offshore work.

Any time we discuss sails for world cruising we always make sure that we include our Tradewinds Specifications in the mix. This is a group of finishing techniques that we developed for the rugged Hawaiian Charter fleets, where wind, use and loads are extreme. We transferred this to our offshore sails as an option and do some serious finishing enhancements such as extra point loading reinforcements, double edge tapes, extra heavy thread throughout, all designed to further the life of the sails and reduce mid-cruise maintenance. This is almost mandatory for our world cruising clients.

A must for all world cruisers is space onboard and the need for room below can’t be understated, for this reason we always look to build and provide the fewest number of sails that have the widest possible range of use . So given both boats are cutters, we are already well on the way to keeping the inventory in a minimalist/maximum mode. The few auxiliary sails we will recommend to both clients is a downwind sail (nylon) and the required storm trysail and storm jib (if needed). Both will need storm trysails. The Passport Selden mast comes built with a slot on the section for this need and the Valiant will need track for this sail if it isn’t so equipped.

You might ask, why a trysail? It is important to remember that the storm trysail is a purpose built sail that is designed for tough conditions when you might have to heave to…say in 55knots or more or when the sea state and/or condition of the crew require setting the boat for a more restful motion. By letting this small rugged sail do this work, the primary mainsails are stowed or furled and out of harm’s way and you will know that they will be ready to go once the weather clears. In the case of the Valiant main, we would recommend two deep reefs AND the trysail combination instead of 3 reefs…for this reason alone. The trysail can be fitted to the mast tracks with sheets and downhaul line already fixed to the sail, stowed in the bag and lashed to the base of the mast. In this fashion, it’s ready to go and not stowed down below.

The other storm sail required is the storm jib. The options are a bit more fluid here. The Valiant could easily be set up with a heavily built staysail with bronze hanks and a reef which then could be used as a storm jib or conversely, if the staysail is furling, we can build it extra rugged and it can be reefed to storm jib size.

The Passport is trickier; as the large furling and self-tacking jib will be difficult to make heavy enough and not alter its all-around performance and importantly, with the athwartship track, it will be difficult to have it sheet correctly when furled to a storm jib size. In this case we would look to alternative storm jib options such as the ATN ‘Gale’ sail or our own ‘Tempest’ storm jib. Both system work in concert with the furled headsail, allowing the user to hoist a somewhat independent storm jib without having to take the furled genoa down.

The last auxiliary sail on the list would be a cruising asymmetric spinnaker. Most are familiar with these now and how they are flown and used. Sailing lower angles in the trades and in light air sailing in general they can’t be beat for boat speed improvement. Design evolution over the years has led us to a sail that can be effective at wind angles of 50-170 degrees and even sail at 180 when wing and wing. Sailing angles for the asymmetric dictated by wind strength… in other words sailing at 55 degrees in 6 knots of breeze is impossible but not in 12 knots of breeze and conversely you won’t sail low angles in light air.

In recent years there have been developments with furling systems of various types. (top down, auxiliary line, and inline systems) After significant use and testing of the different types, we would still recommend the now traditional ‘dousing sock’ approach to asymmetric sail handling. For offshore work most will find the sock less cumbersome, lighter and they take up less space. The handling of both the sock and furling systems are similar in terms of setting up and taking down, they differ in the actual ‘dousing’ technique, one furling and one being ‘doused’ by the sock. The furling system actually requires more physical effort than socks which come down will relative ease when the spinnaker is collapsed. The furling systems require much more physical effort to spin either the sail/torque rope combination or the external top down torque rope systems.

Regardless of system, the sails are a must and if there is a word of caution to be mentioned I always remind sailors how big and powerful these sails are and as such the following three rules should be followed:

• Know if the wind is building. Take down early and go to your conventional sails to be safe
• Always have 3 or more wraps of the spinnaker sheet on the winch. These sails can exert tremendous forces on the sheets should the sail collapse and fill as happens during a gybe. Keep your fingers!
• In passagemaking do not be tempted to fly the spinnakers at night unless you have a full crew and are very aware of the weather. Bad things happen at night and they are difficult to deal with in the dark, making it unsafe for all.

Our general cloth recommendations for world cruisers are still woven polyester sailcloth as this material represents great value, durability and longevity. We have woven polyester sails on world cruisers go in excess of 80,000 nautical miles in the southern ocean which is no small feat.

Woven goods come in different styles and there are not ‘bad’ fabrics and ‘good’ fabrics, rather there are correct fabrics for specific applications and some not so right for a given job. A good example of this would be the Challenge Sailcloth 8.03 low aspect / high modulus fabrics versus their 8.3 high aspect / high modulus fabric. The 8.03 will make great cruising sails in part because of the balanced nature of low aspect fabrics which get a lot of bias (off threadline) stability from the mechanics of the weave (and not relying on resins as much) and because the yarn types in both directions are of similar size, they present a balanced rate of U.V. degradation. While the 8.03 may have a bit more stretch over time, they will last for years and years in the harsh U.V. conditions they will be exposed to. The 8.3 on the other hand is a very unbalanced product, with yarn sizes in a 3.3:1 ratio. The larger yarns are in the fill direction (along the leech of the mainsail for example) which makes for great strength and stretch resistance, but the warp yarns, which encapsulate the fill yarns, are 3 times as small…and these yarns see the brunt of U.V. and chafe. The result is a great fabric for a high aspect club racer, but not really a good fabric at all for a world cruiser. This knowledge of fabric construction, finishing and use, will be outlined and understood by a good sailmaker. They will work to direct customers to the right fabric…not just for budget, but for the practical long term interest of the sailors.

But this isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of other great fabrics and build techniques that can be applied to all of these sails. However the price differential of higher end fabrics and composites (sometimes 4 times the cost) can make a sailors budget explode. We would approach this on a case by case basis as clearly there are owners who have higher aspirations and bigger budgets and are willing to make the investment in some of the higher end constructions.

Upgrade woven fabrics such as HydraNet, Warp-Drive (for example) and composite sails all offer the sailmaker the opportunity to better engineer sails and reduce the weight somewhat as well. Sails made with these fabrics/constructions also tend to hold their original ‘design’ shape longer than woven polyester, and in the case of HydraNet or Warp drive they will last just as long as traditional woven fabric. Composites generally do not have as long a ‘physical’ life as the woven goods. It is important to remember the performance value of shape retention and weight aloft that the higher end fabrics and constructions will provide, but keep this in mind; these boats are heavy displacement monohulls, sailmakers are not magically going to coax more top speed out of these hulls…we may improve the performance (the need to reef will be further up the wind range or getting up to hull speed sooner in light air as examples) but once you’ve reached a balance between hull speed and wind velocity, your speed is your speed. The other critical component to consider is that some 70% of cruising and maybe more in the case of these two owners sailing the trades, will be off-the-wind. Boat speed and performance differences off the wind really minimize as you sail lower. The boats will easily reach hull speed when reaching and sail materials and sail cuts have less importance than the sheer size of the sails you put up. (That’s why we have spinnakers!)

Here the boats are most different and approaches quite different. The Passport mainsail construction and size are defined by the mechanical system of the furler. The only new contemporary option for furling mainsails is to increase the area by giving the mainsail a bit of positive roach that is supported by vertical battens. Although these systems have now been around for many years and proven to be relatively hassle free, we would recommend staying away from any battens for a world cruiser… as the potential for increased maintenance (chafe on batten pockets) from going in and out of the mast as well as the off chance that there is a furling mishap or override the addition of battens to this sail make will make it more difficult to clean up.

The one really big benefit of furling mains is that you have an infinite reefing system…so your ability to balance the helm through sail size can be adjusted for wind, sea, boat weight, comfort. With conventional jiffy reefing you have 1,2 or 3 reefs and the area reduction is fixed.

Fabric choices would include: Challenge 10.11WarpDrive polyester, HydraNet 433 poly/dyneema or the Contender 10.6 Fibercon Hybrid poly/dyneema for radially constructed sails and the Challenge High Mass weave for the cross-cut application.

The Valiant mainsail is restricted by rig size…and we generally do not recommend pushing the roach past the backstay to save the chafe and hassle of clearing the leech in light air. Maximize the area based on the rig and move on.

But given the age of the boat we can still make some really solid improvements…the most important will be going to an aftermarket track system and fitting the new main (regardless of material choice) with full battens. We love full battens in cruising applications…they stabilize the sail which makes it easier to handle whenever it’s going up or down and the damping effect of the battens extends the life of the material significantly. They are a low cost investment in making sure the sail has a long life.

Fabric choices would include: Challenge 8.11WarpDrive or HydraNet 343/ Contender 8.65 Fibercon hybrid for radially constructed sails and the Challenge 9.88 High Mass weave for the cross-cut application.

The Passport primary furling jib size is restricted by the self-tacking/athwartship track system, whereas the reacher we have more latitude in size and design. The Reacher should be fairly high clewed (think boom height) and could be as large as a 150%. The higher clew will reduce the need to play with the genoa cars when conditions or angles change as they are more forgiving in this way. It also gives you good visibility under the sail when you are charging around the seas.

Materials for this sail can be lighter and I would prefer to see a radial cut as loads change and move around quite a bit as this sail will see many different angles and wind strengths.

In this format, we would offer a mid-weight radial Dacron like the Challenge 6.51 Radial Weave and as an upgrade fabric the Challenge 6.11 Warp-Drive. I don’t see any benefit to going to a high end construction or fabric in this instance. As a light air upwind sail and reaching sail the loads don’t warrant the need for expensive yarn types. Both sails would be fit with Acrylic U.V. or maybe Weathermax as a lighter but stronger alternative to the heavier acyrlics.

I would stay away from light weight U.V. coated Dacron cover materials as they won’t have the lifespan required for this type of sailing.

The Valiant headsails have a bit more flexibility. As I mentioned, if we continue to use brass hanks on the staysail, we could build a ready bag for it to stow in on the deck when not in use and fit the sail with a reef that would allow the owners to use it as a storm jib. And if the staysail is on a furler, we would bump the construction details up a bit, to ensure it can be used as storm jib as well.

We generally make staysails of this type the same weight as mainsails…as they have to perform in the upper wind conditions as do the mains. In cross-cut woven goods we would look at the Challenge 9.88 or the Contender 9.4 as very good balanced materials with good U.V. properties. In a radial configuration; the Hydranet 343 or 8.11 WarpDrive would be good choices.

The yankee will remain a high clewed sail with an overlap of 95-110% only. It will be built ruggedly as well, as typically a boat with this configuration will use a small Yankee up into the 20 knot range of wind before partially reefing or going to the staysail. Therefore, fabric choices would be heavier than you might expect.

Cross-cut fabrics would be the 8.5oz range and again, balanced construction is key here. With radial cuts you could step down to the HydraNet 303, the Challenge 7.11 WarpDrive or the Contender 7.65 Fibercon Hybrid.

U.V. materials would be as with the Passport…emphasis on durability and less on weight savings.

Auxiliary Sails

Spinnaker: The choice here as I mentioned is an asymmetric. This sail for both boats will be built in 1.5oz nylon as it has much better tear resistance, U.V. life and strength than .75oz. nylon. The heavier weight of the .15 is not a liability because when these sails are used, the apparent wind is always built up in order to get the boat moving…so they are always ‘pressed’ and the weight of the fabric is not an issue in its ability to fly. Construction details for offshore work should include ‘felled’ seams with no raw edges and plenty of reinforcement and the cross-seams, staggered radial patches. A good construction upgrade is to go to ‘soft’ clew corner, eliminating the large stainless ring. Less metal flying around in space is always a good thing when sailing.

Storm sails

The Passport as mentioned will need to rely on an aftermarket sail to fit around the furled headsail. The Valiant can go with a purpose built storm jib that hangs on to the inner forestay or use the staysail as a storm jib.

Both will require storm trysails as mentioned.

Having outlined their use a bit already, I’ll just comment on construction and size.

The areas of storm sails are normally governed by the ORC formula for maximum storm sail area. In practical experience we find that this area is too big and generally recommend the storm sails to be 20-25% smaller than this.

Storm sail construction is NOT a place to go cheap. Build it right; build it in the right material with the right hardware. If you are hunkered down below riding out a full gale or more and 25’ seas, you do not want to worry about the integrity of your storm sails. You’re going to keep your eye on the radar and go topsides to check chafing gear on sheets, but you needn’t worry that the sails are not up to the task.

This means large seams and stitching, it means big patches and extra reinforcement at all point loading spots. It means large foot and leech-lines that can be tied to stainless eyelets and not cleated to plastic cleats.

And we always make them in heavy duty rugged woven polyester with the one option of using distress orange color which improves the visibility of a vessel using them in cresting/foaming seas. In these conditions, a white sail coming up out of trough is hard to see when the wave tops are white and spraying. Having the storms sails in orange really can help others see you.

Storm jibs should always be flown on a tack pennant as it will help with proper sheeting but importantly get the sail up out of the way of the green water that is sure to roll across the deck from time to time.

Storm trysails should have two sheets permanently attached to the clew and designed to go to the spinnaker blocks. The clew position is then triangulated between the two sheets. They also must have a downhaul line so that you can float the sail up and down on the trysail track effectively adjusting your lead position in this manner. All of this should be tested, pre-set and marked, so deploying it requires little thought and can be done quickly!

• More: Gear , sails , sails & rigging

C-Map Updates North America Charts

Setting course for a more sustainable future, raymarine expands lighthouse charts, push-button convenience, one mile offshore with christian williams, winds of change, how to protect your spars from corrosion, sailing totem refit series: the forward head makeover.

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Email Newsletters
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Oyster World Rally

An enriching circumnavigation of discovery, of magnificent experiences and exhilarating ocean crossings

Imagine embarking on the sailing adventure of a lifetime. Exploring remote destinations of rare beauty, unique places to immerse in new cultures and captivating ecosystems. A unique opportunity to experience a sense of freedom and wonder that many dream of, but few ever realise.

Experience unparalleled levels of luxury, comfort and safety, with the reassurance of uncompromising, personalised service and support from Oyster’s world-class Rally team.

Rally Live 2024-25

Engaging, enriching, empowering

OYSTER WORLD RALLY ROUTE MAP

The Oyster World Rally – the ultimate circumnavigation of the world.

Entries open 18 June 2024 for the Oyster World Rally 2028-29. Don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

Find out more

Rally Information

Rally packages.

For everyone taking part in the Oyster World Rally, the Adventurer package comes as standard and provides everything required to enjoy the voyage of a lifetime.

Relish the magnificence of every destination and beyond with the Explorer package. Enjoy unparalleled concierge service and personalised luxury experiences.

Indulge in the sailing adventure of a lifetime with the Voyager package. Every comfort and convenience precisely composed, every detail considered.

RALLY INFORMATION

Discover what sets the Oyster World Rally apart

Experience the sailing adventure of a lifetime in real-time. The Oyster World Rally 2024-25

RALLY STORIES

Inspiring stories and adventures

Oyster yachts

Explore our award-winning, rally-proven fleet of luxurious bluewater sailing yachts

THE VOYAGE OF A LIFETIME

Join Formula 1 legend Eddie Jordan as he relives his voyage of a lifetime on the Oyster World Rally.

FIND OUT MORE

Frequently asked

Yes, you must own an Oyster Yacht to enter. If you are not yet an owner, we would be delighted to build you a new boat or help you find a brokerage Oyster.

We do not allow chartered yachts to enter the Rally, you must own your Oyster yacht.

The Oyster World rally is an event that sails around the world. All entries must sign up for the whole rally.

The rally entry fee is calculated according to the length of your yacht. Details of costs can be found in the Notice of Event.

Yes, due to event logistics and average yacht speed, the minimum yacht length that can enter the Oyster World Rally is 45 feet.

The next Oyster World Rally sets sail on 18 January 2026 from Antigua.

Yes, once your entry has been accepted, there is an extensive pre-rally training programme run by our events team and suppliers, as well as regular interactive meetings and social get-togethers.

The World Rally lasts for 16 months and is designed to make the most of global weather and wind patterns.

Yes, a member of the Technical, Logistics and Concierge team will greet the fleet at all major destinations, offering services and support.

Yes, Oyster’s dedicated support team is included in the entry fee and they will be on hand to help you from the moment you sign up, to the day you become a circumnavigator.

Oyster have run three successful World Rallies in 2013, 2017, 2022. The Oyster World Rally 2024-25 is currently running. There are future rallies scheduled for 2026 and 2028.

Oyster Brokerage for the Rally

OYSTER 625 - 2018

€ 2,250,000 VAT Paid

Oyster Palma

OYSTER 625 - 2016

$ 2,350,000 US Duty Paid

Oyster Newport, USA

OYSTER 655 - 2008

£ 900,000 VAT Paid

Barcelona, Spain

Sign up to our newsletter

Be the first to hear about new launches, exclusive events and all things Oyster

© 2024 OYSTER YACHTS

OYSTER WORLD RALLY

The Oyster World Rally 2028-29. Embark on the sailing adventure of a lifetime. Entries open 18 June 2024

The new 565 Series II

The pursuit of perfection continues

Explore the benefits that come with taking ownership of a new Oyster, and becoming part of the family

GRAND TOURING

The new oyster 885gt revealed. watch her in action.

LUXURY CHARTER

Experience exhilarating sailing, luxury and style on an oyster charter. personal, exclusive and uniquely oyster.

Join Oyster Brokerage at the Palma International Boat Show, 25-28 April 2024. Book your tour today

Entries open for the Oyster World Rally 2028-29. Embark on the sailing adventure of a lifetime

Follow the Oyster World Rally 2024-25 fleet live

Winner of European Yacht of the Year 2023. She sets a new 50 foot bluewater benchmark, offering a stunning combination of sailing performance, comfort, safety and luxurious living space.

Heralding a new generation of Oysters, this 60 foot bluewater cruiser is a sailing yacht for all oceans. Practical and well-provisioned for long distance sailing or cruising in coastal waters.

The much-anticipated Oyster 595 is well-proportioned and extremely versatile. Offering exciting, customised build options with no compromise, she is capable of great things.

A versatile sub-70 foot sailboat offering the perfect balance of size and practicality. She can be sailed shorthanded effortlessly or take a full crew and up to eight friends and family.

This long range 75 foot cruising yacht is designed for very big adventures. A joy to sail yourself, she also boasts dedicated crew quarters.

Oyster 885SII

An exhilarating 90 foot sailing yacht, delivering comfort and safety with uncompromising performance. She is capable of taking you anywhere in the world effortlessly, in luxury and style.

First name *

Last name *

Phone number *

Country/Region *

Attach CV *

Attach covering letter

Current occupation

LinkedIn profile

16 Best Trimarans For Sailing Around The World (And a Few For Daysailing)

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions if you purchase products from other retailers after clicking on a link from our site.

Trimarans are growing in popularity worldwide, due to their light construction and high stability these multihulls are even faster than catamarans. Trimarans are still one of the lesser-known boat types so in this article ill be checking out some of the most popular models.

The best trimarans include: 

• The Neel 43 
• The Neel 47 
• Dragonfly 28 
• The Pulse 600 
• Corsair 37 

These tris are built with your safety in mind while also packing powerful speed and a wide array of comfort features to optimize your sailing experience , some are even foldable making them possible to load on a trailer and transport to the sailing destination of your choosing.

In this article, I have created a list of the 16 best trimarans in the market and their unique features. You’ll also learn the best options for different purposes such as circumnavigation, weekend sailing, racing, and more. 

Table of Contents

What Is a Trimaran?

A trimaran is a multi hulled sailboat with three individual hulls; the main hull ( vaka ) and a pair of outrigger hulls ( amas ). These smaller outrigger hulls are attached to the main hull using beams. 

While trimarans have a rich history dating back nearly four millennia, these types of sailboats have only gained popularity in the late 1900s and early 2000s. 

Trimarans are primarily used as personal boats for sailing enthusiasts or racing. These sailboats draw their versatility from their lightweight design, making them faster and easier to handle at sea when compared to single-hulled boats (monohulls). Additionally, the three hulls also contribute to better stability, making it very hard to capsize (although more likely than a cat according to this study)

Trimarans come in various sizes, and some can be as small as 19 feet (5.8 meters) in length, while others go up to 60 feet (18meters). They’re also used for different purposes. Most trimarans are used for racing and recreational purposes, although some units are still used as ferries.

As with all things, to find out which is the best we need to understand what it will be used for. There is a big difference in requirements between a boat used for day sailing compared to offshore around the world sailing.

The list below highlights the best trimarans for different purposes.

Best Trimarans For Cruising, Liveaboard and Sailing Around The World

The Neel 43 is a French trimaran best suited for cruising. Its key features include: 

• Easy maneuverability on the open sea by only a small number of crew members 

This unit is also built for comfort, ideal for more extended travels. This 43-feet (13-meter) trimaran is also made with recyclable and bio-sourced materials, highlighting the manufacturer’s commitment to environmental consciousness. 

This trimaran has a base price of  €329,000 excluding VAT. This translates to approximately $370,138. 

2.Neel 47 Possibly The Best

Named the best full-size multihull for 2020, the Neel 47 is a strong contender for one of the best trimarans in the market. This 47-foot (14.3-meter) long trimaran features optimized exterior and interior ergonomics for a unique design and look. 

Still on design, the Neel 47 is ideal for couples looking to take a weekend off or spend some time as liveaboard. It has a spacious owner’s cabin and two bedrooms. It also features a spacious living room and kitchen and is optimized to ensure comfort for a couple. 

The Neel 47 also has two basic guest cabins so your friends or children can tag along on your sailing adventure. Accordingly, this unit is ideal for those looking to explore the sea for the sheer joy of sailing. 

The Neel 47 comes at a 571,139 euro ( $643,600 ) price tag, excluding VAT. 

3. Rapido 60 The Fast and Comfortable Circumnavigator

The Rapido 60 offers a blend of performance, safety, and luxury, making it one of the best options for bluewater sailing. Measuring 59.3 feet (18 meters) in length, the Rapido 60 is an imposing unit. It’s made from lightweight sandwiches and carbon materials that provide speed and strength, allowing it to stand up to strong ocean currents. 

The Rapido 60 also has spacious living spaces and is built for comfort at all points of the sail. Its design also optimizes safety. While it’s an ideal option for circumnavigating, it’s also an excellent choice for racing due to its speed. 

This is also the same boat that The Youtube channel La Vagabond just purchased.

The Rapido 60 retails at $1,400,000 . 

4. Rapido 40

The Rapido 40 measures 39.4 feet (12 meters) in length and is ideal for cruising around the world. The Rapido 40 features twin “C” foils, which provide added lift, enhancing its speed and performance whether you are sailing downwind or upwind. 

Because it has C foils, this trimaran doesn’t have a central daggerboard, increasing interior space. Accordingly, it’s an excellent option for couples looking to cruise and enjoy great performances .

The Rapido 40 is made from high-tech all-carbon materials for a lightweight yet sturdy design. This material is also used for the countertops and furniture, and the cork flooring adds a touch of style.

This trimaran retails for $595,000 , making it a cheaper option than the Rapido 60. 

5. Dragonfly 40

The Dragonfly 40 measures 40 feet (12 meters) in length. It features high-comfort standards, making it one of the best trimarans in the market for taking your family for a cruise. Because of its larger size, it has a better capacity, being capable of accommodating six to eight people, so you can bring your family and friends along. 

It’s easy to navigate and extremely safe. With a maximum speed of 24 knots (44.5 km/h), this trimaran also provides fast speeds to make your cruise even more exhilarating. 

The Dragonfly 40 retails from €509,000 exclusive of VAT, which rounds up to $572,000 . 

6. Dragonfly 32

The Dragonfly 32 is a high-performance cruiser. Like the Dragonfly 28, this unit features a contemporary design for racing. This trimaran can accommodate five to seven crew members. 

Although slightly longer than the Dragonfly 28 with its 32-foot (9.8-meter) length, the Dragonfly 32 has a max speed of 23+ knots (42.6+ km/h), making it one of the fastest trimarans for racing. This unit also has comfortable accommodation, which makes it an ideal option for a weekend cruise with family and friends. 

The Dragonfly 32 has a base price of $350,000 . 

7. Corsair 37

Thanks to a variable draft with a retractable rudder, the Corsair 37 is an ideal choice for shallow water exploration. This 37-foot (11.3-meter) long trimaran features advanced foam-cored construction designed for safety, making it virtually unsinkable. 

The carbon hulls minimize weight, this makes for a lightweight ocean exploration sailboat with blistering speeds. One of its selling points is that this trimaran has previously been used for Arctic expeditions, possibly marking it as one of the better options for circumnavigation and offshore sailing in the northern waters. 

This trimaran has a base price of $189,000 but can go up to $204,125 .

Best Trimarans For Day/Weekend Sailing

8. dragonfly 28.

The Dragonfly 28 is a 28-feet (8.75-meter) long sailboat that can accommodate up to five people. It comes in two versions: 

• Touring version: This version is ideal for families.  
• Performance version: This is built to provide optimal performance for the sports enthusiast within you. 

It clocks a maximum speed of 22+ knots (22+ km/h) and is beam-folded. It’s an excellent option if you want a high-performance, comfortable yet smaller unit for your day or weekend cruise. 

The Dragonfly 28 starts at  €188,280 inclusive of VAT, which comes to around $211,600. 

9. Dragonfly 25

Like other trimarans under the Dragonfly brand, this 25-foot (7.62-meter) trimaran is great for both racing and short term cruising. However, this high-performance boat delivers easy handling, making it perfect for couples looking to take a ride out over the weekend and seasoned sailors looking for an exhilarating racing adventure. 

The Touring version features a lightweight build and offers comfort and accommodation to keep you, and the few guests you can fit, comfortable during the ride. This trimaran also has a Sport version, which is optimized for racing. 

The Dragonfly 25 retails from EUR 86,800 . 

10. Pulse 600

The Pulse 600 trimaran is a compact sailboat. It’s made from lightweight, carbon-reinforced construction and vacuum-formed materials for optimal speed. This trimaran is an ideal option if you are looking for speed. 

It also features ample deck space, greater stability, and volume than most trimarans of similar size and build. 

This trimaran measures 19.8 feet (6 meters) in length and can be sailed single-handedly by one person with minimal effort. The Pulse 600 has a base price of $38,800 , which places it in the lower price range. 

The F-22 is one of the smaller trimarans in the market. Developed in New Zealand, the F-22 is a folding trimaran built for speed. The hulls are made from narrow fiberglass tied together using fiberglass beams and aluminum, minimizing bulk while optimizing speed. 

The F-22 is roomy and is not as pricey as other models in the market. This trimaran has two main versions: 

12. 2019 Weta Trimaran

The 2019 Weta trimaran is a 14.5-foot (4.4-meter) trimaran featuring a carbon frame, centerboard, rudder foil, and rudder shock. The hull is made from fiberglass and foam. The Weta is built for strength and speed based on these lightweight materials. 

The 2019 Weta trimaran is easy to sail and is worth considering whether you want to take a quiet sail, race with your friends, or take kids to a sailing lesson. It has a simple design and is easy to set up independently. Thanks to its collapsible design, this trimaran is easily stored away with minimal space demands. 

13. WindRider 17

The 17.4-foot (5.3-meter) WindRider 17 is one of the more versatile trimarans in the market. It packs high performance for a low cost. This trimaran has a light rotating mast to boost performance, and a full-battened mainsail optimizes visibility. 

This sailboat is made from rotomolded polyethylene, which is more durable than fiberglass and demands less maintenance.

The WindRider 17 has a comfortable interior and can fit six adults. This is an ideal choice for social sailing for a couple or a family and friends. It’s easy to ride, and a shallow draft allows easy maneuverability. 

14. Astus 22.5

If you’re looking for something small but still comfortable, this 22.5-foot trimaran is for you. Built for speed and maneuverability, the Astus 22.5 has optional foils to optimize speed. The modern design, coupled with the spacious interior, can fit up to four beds. Accordingly, this trimaran is suited for family outings. 

This trimaran also has a foldable design, collapsing to only 16 feet (4.9 meters) for easy storage. 

15. Multi 23 Trimaran 

The Multi 23 trimaran has a contemporary design, featuring a vinyl ester and PVC foam core construction. The section below the waterline is made of solid glass for a sturdy base.

The beams are made of lightweight carbon, and the trimaran features a 33-foot (10-meter) aluminum rotating wing mast for optimal harnessing of the wind. While ideal for weekend excursions with family, once rigged with the asymmetrical spinnaker will get your heart pumping.

This trimaran packs high performance at a lower cost than most other options in the market. It’s a good choice if you are looking for a high-performing unit without spending an arm and a leg. 

16. Challenger Class Trimaran

The Challenger Trimaran 15 is the best choice for persons with disabilities. It’s designed to provide disabled sailors an opportunity to explore their passion for sailing without worrying about aspects like safety or operation. 

A man named Geoff Hold circumnavigated the British Isles in 2007, becoming the first disabled person to achieve this feat. He had quadriplegia. 

Living up to its name, the Challenger can withstand harsh weather conditions while blending performance with speed. 

Final Thoughts 

Admittedly, no trimaran is best for everyone. But whether you are looking to race with your friends, take your loved ones or friends for a cruise over the weekend, or circumnavigate the ocean, you can rest assured that these lightweight trimarans will deliver speed, safety, and comfort to make it worth your while. 

These brands are innovatively designed and feature intricate safety mechanisms that make them virtually unsinkable. Give them a shot and begin your ocean adventure. 

• Basco Boating: A Comprehensive Guide & Introduction to Trimaran Yachts
• TheBoatAPP: New Trumarans: Which are the Best Ones
• Corsair Marine: Corsair 37
• Dragonfly: Dragonfly 28
• Rapido Trimarans: Rapido 60
• Neel Trimarans: Neel 43
• Yachting World: World’s Collect Yachts: Maxi Trimaran MACIF
• Yachting Monthly: Dragonfly 28 Performance
• Rapido Trimarans: Rapido 40
• Dragonfly: Dragon 32
• Dragonfly: Dragonfly 40
• Yachting World: Dragonfly 40 yacht tour: This cruising trimaran can do 24 knots
• Dragonfly: Dragonfly 25
• NauticExpo: Dragonfly 25
• Yachtworld: Corsair 37 boats for sale
• Cruising World: Neel 47 Trimaran: Best Full-Size Multihull0
• Neel Trimaran: Neel 47
• Multihull Solutions: NEEL 47 Boat Review | Cruising World
• Yacht World: 2022 Neel 47 for sale
• Farrier International: F-22
• Weta Marine: The Boat
• WindRider: WindRider 17 Trimaran Sailboat 
• Astus Boats: Astus 22.5
• Boat-specs: Multi 23
• National Maritime Museum Cornwall: Challenger Trimaran #1 – BC26

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

Must-Have Boat Gear for Catamaran Sailors!

Sailing is probably the most gear-intensive activity I've ever done; there are so many decisions to be made about what gear to buy now, for tomorrow, and what to definitely never buy. The gear on...

6 Best Trailerable Trimarans For Bluewater and Coastal Sailing

Having a boat costs a lot of money, even when you are not using it, marina fees, etc. And once it is in the water most sailors never go very far from their "home marina" and sailing will be somewhat...

My Cruiser Life Magazine

Sail Around the World Route – Best Options Explained

Before you ponder your route to sail around the world, think about why you’re even thinking about such an undertaking. 

There are countless sailing routes you can take to circumnavigate the globe, but each one is for a different sort of sailor. The two most common routes are the mid-latitudes “Milk Run” and the high-latitudes journey through the Southern Ocean or Northwest Passage.

Here’s a look at some of these very different trips and the types of sailors and vessels that accomplish each one every year.

Table of Contents

Basic planning factors – winds, currents, and storms, the classic sail around the world route – the milk run, circumnavigating in the southern ocean, an alternate sail around the world route the northwest passage, which sailing routes would you pick for your circumnavigation, sailing routes around the world faqs.

The Basics of Sailing Routes Around the World

First, some lingo. Sailors refer to a sail around the world route as a “circumnavigation.”

Taking a boat around the world requires some gumption. So why do it at all? For some, it is the goal of having done it. For others, it’s a fun way to combine their passions of sailing and travel. Some folks compete in races to see who can do it fastest. And some folks think it would be a good lark and a neat way to see the world.

Whatever reason draws you to the idea of completing a circumnavigation, you aren’t alone. Every year there are rallies or races that you can join to meet up with like-minded people. And for as many people who compete in rallies, there are likely an equal number of people doing it on their own. 

No matter how you cut it, a circumnavigation is made up of numerous legs. So if traveling and seeing the sights is your goal, then it only makes sense to take your time and visit as many places as you can along the way. 

Folks with a limited time frame will inevitably miss something or rush through someplace they want to see. 

For sightseers, the goal of a circumnavigation might be secondary to seeing the places they want to see. In other words, someone with their heart set on circumnavigating might set a schedule of two years to get it done, while another sailor who wants to complete loops in the Atlantic and Pacific might have a lot more time to visit more countries and ports of call. 

Every sailor and every boat comes into this adventure with different goals. Therefore, it’s important to think about your motivations and the sort of circumnavigation that you’d like to have. What’s the most important part to you, and how much money and time can you dedicate to the endeavor? 

Most pleasure boaters contemplating a circumnavigation are interested in the safest route to sail around the world. Part of the safety and enjoyment of the crew comes from planning the trip to follow the prevailing wind patterns around the globe.

When sitting on land, you might think of the wind as unpredictable and variable depending on the day and weather conditions. And while that is true all over the world, at sea prevailing weather patterns tend to be more steady. 

That means by understanding the causes and patterns in the winds, you can use them to your advantage on a circumnavigation. 

For example, let’s look at the North Atlantic circuit. If a yacht wants to depart Europe for North America, its best bet is to head south first and follow the area between 10 and 30 degrees north latitude westbound. Why? Because this is the area where the winds flow from the east almost constantly. Since ships used these winds to get to the Caribbean in the old days, they are still known as the Trade Winds. 

What if you want to go the other way, back to Europe? In that case, your best bet is to head north and make your easterly course between 40 and 60 degrees north latitudes. There, the prevailing winds are westerly and will push you back to Europe. 

While sailboats can sail into the wind, doing so is called “beating” for a reason. It’s rough on the boat and crew; it’s tiring and unpleasant. You’ll have to do it occasionally, but a successful and comfortable passage is usually the result of planning so you don’t have to sail to weather. 

Similarly, you can use the world’s ocean currents to your advantage. If the Gulf Stream can give you a knot or two of an extra push toward Europe, you should take it! It makes a big difference when your normal speed is six knots. Trying to fight against it for any length of time could double your trip planning and make for a very nasty ride.

And then there is the risk of storms at sea. With good trip and weather planning, a boat can circumnavigate without ever experiencing a bad storm at sea.

That requires conservative planning to avoid areas and times of the year when the weather is bad. To do this means you must plan to be in the right places at the right times. Pilot charts are published for every ocean sector on Earth, showing the prevailing winds for any given month and the probability of encountering a severe storm in the area. 

Using pilot charts and the historical prevalence of hurricanes or cyclones, sailors can plan to transit these areas only during quiet times. In other words, no one wants to be in the middle of the North Atlantic during peak hurricane season or during winter gales, but being in the middle of the North Atlantic in May is pretty optimal. 

Likewise, you don’t want to be in the middle of the South Pacific during February when it is peak cyclone season, but June or July is good.

The classic route for circumnavigating is based on the path of least resistance, making it the safest route to sail around the world. These routes utilize the prevailing winds to make as many downwind, fair-weather passages as possible. 

The goal of this route is not speed but comfort and safety. This is the route you take your family on. This is the route that around the world rallies, like the World ARC Rally , use for every trip. 

Starting from the Caribbean, this route travels westbound and keeps close to the equator. Of course, you can start anywhere, but many yachts cross their wakes (begin and end their voyage) somewhere in the Lesser Antilles. 

After crossing the Caribbean Sea, transit is arranged through the Panama Canal. Canal transits are expensive and time-consuming, and they usually involve a broker to arrange all the paperwork and scheduling. 

Before the canal was constructed, the only way to make the journey was to travel south in the Atlantic and pass Cape Horn. There, you can follow Drakes Passage through Argentina’s islands and Patagonia’s wild lands. Many expedition yachts still choose this route to see this remote and beautiful part of the world. 

After the Panama Canal, most yachts take familiar sailing routes across the Pacific . The first stop is the Galapagos Islands. This takes you mostly south along the coast of Central America and across the equator into the Southern Hemisphere.

From the Galapagos, the single longest passage lies ahead–roughly 3,200 nautical miles to the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. This trip takes most sailboats about 14 days. An alternate route takes you farther south. It doesn’t shorten the trip but allows you to visit Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Pitcairn Islands.

Once in French Polynesia, you can island hop your way through the South Pacific island nations, but with a weary eye on the weather. The point is to avoid the area during cyclone season, roughly the summer months (December through April or so). 

At this point, many yachts find a hurricane hole where they can relax during storm season. Usually, it is time to haul out and complete some maintenance after so many sea miles. Some make it south and out of the cyclone belt to New Zealand or Australia. Others opt to stay in the islands but find a well-sheltered marina or boatyard where they can haul out.

Once cyclone season is winding down, the next big passage awaits. After passing through the Torres Straits, stops in Northwestern Australia and Indonesia welcome you to the Indian Ocean. There are only a few isolated stops after that. Many yachts make one long passage out of it, although many enjoy a few stops, like Cocos Keeling, Maldives, Diego Garcia, or Seychelles.

This is where the route branches in two directions. Traditionally, boats would transit on a northwest course and into the Gulf of Aden. From there, you follow the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean is, of course, one of the most storied cruising grounds on the planet. You can cruise from Turkey and Greece to Italy, France, and Spain, with countless famous ports of call along the way. 

Unfortunately, the route to get there, through the Gulf of Aden and around the Horn of Africa, is home to bands of pirates who have been known to prey on leisure yachts and commercial vessels alike. For this reason, this route has fallen out of favor in recent years. 

Instead, boats head to South Africa. The country makes a good landfall point from which you can travel home or take land excursions to see the rest of Africa. Popular stops on the way are the islands of Reunion and Mauritius. Some folks also like to visit Madagascar.

After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, yachts are back in the Atlantic and can head northwest toward the Caribbean. You can make a few stops along the way, mostly isolated island nations like St. Helena and Ascension Islands. After that, it’s a straight shot back across the equator and to the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. 

When coming from the Mediterranean, boats heat westbound through the Straights of Gibraltar. The next stop is the Canary Islands. How long does it take to sail across the Atlantic? It’s a roughly 17-day passage downwind to the Windward Islands.

Most people take two full years or longer to complete a circumnavigation as described above, but even that only allows a little time to see the sights. So a more realistic number would be four or five years. 

This route isn’t for those looking to get it done in the shortest amount of time. Instead, the Southern Ocean Route is the favored path for those looking to trade a bit of safety for speed. This route, due to the prevailing winds along the route, is completed from west to east. 

Races like the Clipper Around the World , Vendee Globe , and the Golden Globe Around the World Race use this path. It utilizes the open expanses of the Southern Ocean. Once you get into these high latitudes, there are no real landmasses in your way, and you can steer a course all the way around the world in record time.

Of course, the Southern Ocean is not for the faint of heart. High-latitude sailing involves biting cold weather and dangerous gales. You’ll be rounding Cape Horn through Drakes Passage, one of the dicest stretches of water on the planet. 

It’s a punishing stretch of ocean, and boats are often beaten and bruised. Dismastings and equipment failures are common. In other words, a sailor who chooses this route must be ready for anything, capable of handling whatever the sea throws at them, and sailing an extremely well-founded bluewater vessel.

In recent years it has been in vogue to attempt a transit of the Northwest Passage, thereby making it possible to circumnavigate the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Obviously, this is a summertime endeavor only, and even then, only during years when the ice pack has completely melted. This is happening more and more, so the route is gaining popularity.

The leg that makes this possible starts from the United Kingdom going west across the Atlantic to Greenland through the Labrador Sea. The Northwest Passage itself then bisects Canada’s northern territories. Finally, you end up on the northern coast of Alaska. Then, keeping the mainland of North America to port, you continue south into the Pacific Ocean.

From the Aleutian Islands, the most favorable course is to transit to the west coast of North America. After that, you can make your way south along the famous Inside Passage, a network of fjords in British Columbia that can link you to Puget Sound and the Seattle metro area. 

Once in the US, your next steps are southbound transits to Baja, Mexico, or jumps like sailing to Hawaii from California . You can then join the normal routes across the South Pacific islands to Australia or Southeast Asia.

Both the Southern Ocean and the Northwest Passage routes are high-latitude routes that carry more risk than the Milk Run. High-latitude sailing involves dealing with more frequent severe weather systems, stronger winds, and greater variability in the weather in general. They’re also farther from services and more remote, so self-sufficiency is even more vital. 

While you can do the Milk Run in nearly any of best bluewater cruising sailboats , these high-latitudes routes are more comfortable in a robust expedition-level vessel. These are the perfect places for that aluminum sailboat you’ve been dreaming about.

There is much to learn and think about if you want to circumnavigate. If you’re dreaming of sailing the world, consider starting your research by picking up a book or two written by someone who has done it. Here are three stories of circumnavigations, but there are countless others and blogs galore to be found on the internet. 

• Add custom text here

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Jimmy Cornell is the master of how to sail around the world. His “World Cruising” series of guides includes everything you’d ever need to know, from weather systems and route planning to legal formalities. This book, 200,000 Miles , combines some of those technicalities with a biographical story of his journey.

Sailing Around the World Alone is Joshua Slocum’s story of his journey. It’s not a modern tale–Slocum set out in the late 1890s from Nova Scotia. But his adventure is the OG tale of sailing around the world and is worth a read. 

• Used Book in Good Condition

Lin and Larry Pardey circumnavigated several times (both eastbound and westbound), but if you totaled up the miles they sailed, it would be more like seven times. The difference, of course, is enjoying every port and stop along the way.

While they never wrote a book specifically about sailing around the world, their cruising tales live on in the various tales and how-to guides they produced over the years. 

Capable Cruiser discusses techniques that will get you there, interwoven by the Pardey’s inimitable charm and wit. For more travel inspiration, check out their original series of books: Cruising in Seraffyn , Seraffyn’s European Adventure, Seraffyn’s Mediterranean Adventure, and Seraffyn’s Oriental Adventure.

What route do you take to sail around the world?

There are several ways to circumnavigate, but the most common is the “Milk Run.” This route goes from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal. From there, it heads south to the Galapagos Islands and into the South Pacific. After Tahiti, yachts head to Australia, across the Indian Ocean, and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, leaving the Med, boats cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean to close the circle, or “cross their wake,” as they say.

How long does it take to sail around the world?

The WorldARC around the world sailing rally usually lasts 18 months, but you can do it quicker by selecting fewer stops or taking faster routes. For most sailors, however, the length of the trip around the world really depends on how much they stop along the way and for how long. If the purpose of the trip is to travel and see the world, it makes little sense to rush and do it in the shortest possible time. Many circumnavigations take five or more years. 

How much does it cost per month to sail around the world?

Sailing has been described as the most expensive way to get somewhere for free. The cost to sail around the world is extremely variable–it is impossible to pin down any price. On the one hand, the type of boat makes a difference. The larger the boat, the larger the costs. The lifestyle you choose while sailing matters, too–lavish resort marinas cost more than anchoring away from town. Hiring professionals to do boat maintenance costs more than doing it all yourself. There are ways to do it lavishly and ways to be cheap about it. Comfortable cruising is somewhere in the middle, but where exactly that depends entirely on you. 

How big of a sailboat do you need to sail around the world?

Many solo sailors and couples have circumnavigated in boats less than 30 feet long. Lin and Larry Pardy wrote many novels as they circled the globe on 22-foot-long Seraffyn , a Lyle Hess-designed cutter. The size of the boat has everything to do with your cruising style and budget. So long as the vessel is well-founded and designed to take the rigors of bluewater passages, size matters less than many people think.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Home » Blog » Buy a boat » 5 best small sailboats for sailing around the world

5 best small sailboats for sailing around the world

By Author Fiona McGlynn

Posted on Last updated: April 19, 2023

A small sailboat can take you big places

Small sailboats are the ticket to going cruising NOW — not when you retire, save up enough money, or find the “perfect” bluewater cruising boat. In fact, it’s the first principle in Lin and Larry Pardey’s cruising philosophy: “Go small, go simple, go now.”

Small yachts can be affordable, simple, and seaworthy . However, you won’t see many of them in today’s cruising grounds. In three years and 13,000 nautical miles of bluewater cruising, I could count the number of under 30-foot sailboats I’ve seen on one hand (all of them were skippered by people in their 20s and 30s).

Today’s anchorages are full of 40, 50, and 60-foot-plus ocean sailboats, but that’s not to say you can’t sail the world in a small sailboat. Just look at Alessandro di Benedetto who in 2010 broke the record for the smallest boat to sail around the world non-stop in his 21-foot Mini 6.5 .

So long as you don’t mind forgoing a few comforts, you can sail around the world on a small budget .

What makes a good blue water sailboat

While you might not think a small sailboat is up to the task of going long distances, some of the best bluewater sailboats are under 40 feet.

However, if you’re thinking about buying a boat for offshore cruising, there are a few things to know about what makes a small boat offshore capable .

Smaller equals slower

Don’t expect to be sailing at high speeds in a pocket cruiser. Smaller displacement monohulls are always going to be slower than larger displacement monohulls (see the video below to learn why smaller boats are slower). Therefore a smaller cruiser is going to take longer on a given passage, making them more vulnerable to changes in weather.

A few feet can make a big difference over a week-long passage. On the last leg of our Pacific Ocean crossing, our 35-foot sailboat narrowly avoid a storm that our buddy boat, a 28-foot sailboat, couldn’t. Our friend was only a knot slower but it meant he had to heave to for a miserable three days.

Small but sturdy

If a pocket cruiser encounters bad weather, they will be less able to outrun or avoid it. For this reason, many of the blue water sailboats in this list are heavily built and designed to take a beating.

Yacht design has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Today, new boats are designed to be light and fast. The small sailboats in our list are 30-plus year-old designs and were built in a time when weather forecasts were less accurate and harder to come by.

Back in the day, boat were constructed with thicker fiberglass hulls than you see in modern builds. Rigs, keels, rudders, hulls and decks – everything about these small cruising sailboats was designed to stand up to strong winds and big waves. Some of the boats in this post have skeg-hung rudders and most of them are full keel boats.

The pros and cons of pocket cruiser sailboats

Pocket cruiser sailboats present certain advantages and disadvantages.

More affordable

Their smaller size makes them affordable bluewater sailboats. You can often find great deals on pocket cruisers and sometimes you can even get them for free.

You’ll also save money on retrofits and repairs because small cruising sailboats need smaller boat parts (which cost a lot less) . For example, you can get away with smaller sails, ground tackle, winches, and lighter lines than on a bigger boat.

Moorage, haul-outs, and marine services are often billed by foot of boat length . A small sailboat makes traveling the world , far more affordable!

When something major breaks (like an engine) it will be less costly to repair or replace than it would be on a bigger boat.

Less time consuming

Smaller boats tend to have simpler systems which means you’ll spend less time fixing and paying to maintain those systems. For example, most small yachts don’t have showers, watermakers , hot water, and electric anchor windlasses.

On the flip side, you’ll spend more time collecting water (the low-tech way) . On a small sailboat, this means bucket baths, catching fresh water in your sails, and hand-bombing your anchor. Though less convenient, this simplicity can save you years of preparation and saving to go sailing.

Oh, and did I mention that you’ll become a complete water meiser? Conserving water aboard becomes pretty important when you have to blue-jug every drop of it from town back to your boat.

Easier to sail

Lastly, smaller boats can be physically easier to sail , just think of the difference between raising a sail on a 25-foot boat versus a 50-foot boat! You can more easily single-hand or short-hand a small sailboat. For that reason, some of the best solo blue water sailboats are quite petite.

As mentioned above small boats are slow boats and will arrive in port, sometimes days (and even weeks) behind their faster counterparts on long offshore crossings.

Consider this scenario: two boats crossed the Atlantic on a 4,000 nautical mile route. The small boat averaged four miles an hour, while the big boat averaged seven miles an hour. If both started at the same time, the small boat will have completed the crossing two weeks after the larger sailboat!

Less spacious

Living on a boat can be challenging — living on a small sailboat, even more so! Small cruising boats don’t provide much in the way of living space and creature comforts.

Not only will you have to downsize when you move onto a boat  you’ll also have to get pretty creative when it comes to boat storage.

It also makes it more difficult to accommodate crew for long periods which means there are fewer people to share work and night shifts.

If you plan on sailing with your dog , it might put a small boat right out of the question (depending on the size of your four-legged crew member).

Less comfortable

It’s not just the living situation that is less comfortable, the sailing can be pretty uncomfortable too! Pocket cruisers tend to be a far less comfortable ride than larger boats as they are more easily tossed about in big ocean swell.

Here are our 5 favorite small blue water sailboats for sailing around the world

When we sailed across the Pacific these were some of the best small sailboats that we saw. Their owners loved them and we hope you will too!

The boats in this list are under 30 feet. If you’re looking for something slightly larger, you might want to check out our post on the best bluewater sailboats under 40 feet .

Note: Price ranges are based on SailboatListings.com and YachtWorld.com listings for Aug. 2018

Albin Vega 27($7-22K USD)

The Albin Vega has earned a reputation as a bluewater cruiser through adventurous sailors like Matt Rutherford, who in 2012 completed a 309-day solo nonstop circumnavigation of the Americas via Cape Horn and the Northwest Passage (see his story in the documentary Red Dot on the Ocean ). 

• Hull Type: Long fin keel
• Hull Material: GRP (fibreglass)
• Length Overall:27′ 1″ / 8.25m
• Waterline Length:23′ 0″ / 7.01m
• Beam:8′ 1″ / 2.46m
• Draft:3′ 8″ / 1.12m
• Rig Type: Masthead sloop rig
• Displacement:5,070lb / 2,300kg
• Designer:Per Brohall
• Builder:Albin Marine AB (Swed.)
• Year First Built:1965
• Year Last Built:1979
• Number Built:3,450

Cape Dory 28 ($10-32K USD) 

This small cruising sailboat is cute and classic as she is rugged and roomy. With at least one known circumnavigation and plenty of shorter bluewater voyages, the Cape Dory 28 has proven herself offshore capable.

• Hull Type: Full Keel
• Length Overall:28′ 09″ / 8.56m
• Waterline Length:22′ 50″ / 6.86m
• Beam:8’ 11” / 2.72m
• Draft:4’ 3” / 1.32m
• Rig Type:Masthead Sloop
• Displacement:9,300lb / 4,218kg
• Sail Area/Displacement Ratio:52
• Displacement/Length Ratio:49
• Designer: Carl Alberg
• Builder: Cape Dory Yachts (USA)
• Year First Built:1974
• Year Last Built:1988
• Number Built: 388

Dufour 29 ($7-23K)

As small bluewater sailboats go, the Dufour 29 is a lot of boat for your buck. We know of at least one that sailed across the Pacific last year. Designed as a cruiser racer she’s both fun to sail and adventure-ready. Like many Dufour sailboats from this era, she comes equipped with fiberglass molded wine bottle holders. Leave it to the French to think of everything!

• Hull Type: Fin with skeg-hung rudder
• Length Overall:29′ 4″ / 8.94m
• Waterline Length:25′ 1″ / 7.64m
• Beam:9′ 8″ / 2.95m
• Draft:5′ 3″ / 1.60m
• Displacement:7,250lb / 3,289kg
• Designer:Michael Dufour
• Builder:Dufour (France)
• Year First Built:1975
• Year Last Built:1984

Vancouver 28 ($15-34K)

A sensible small boat with a “go-anywhere” attitude, this pocket cruiser was designed with ocean sailors in mind. One of the best cruising sailboats under 40 feet, the Vancouver 28 is great sailing in a small package.

• Hull Type:Full keel with transom hung rudder
• Length Overall: 28′ 0″ / 8.53m
• Waterline Length:22’ 11” / 6.99m
• Beam:8’ 8” / 2.64m
• Draft:4’ 4” / 1.32m
• Rig Type: Cutter rig
• Displacement:8,960lb / 4,064 kg
• Designer: Robert B Harris
• Builder: Pheon Yachts Ltd. /Northshore Yachts Ltd.
• Year First Built:1986
• Last Year Built: 2007
• Number Built: 67

Westsail 28 ($30-35K)

Described in the 1975 marketing as “a hearty little cruiser”, the Westsail 28 was designed for those who were ready to embrace the cruising life. Perfect for a solo sailor or a cozy cruising couple!

• Hull Type: Full keel with transom hung rudder
• Hull Material:GRP (fibreglass)
• Length Overall:28′ 3” / 8.61m
• Waterline Length:23’ 6” / 7.16m
• Beam:9’ 7” / 2.92m
• Displacement:13,500lb / 6,124kg
• Designer: Herb David
• Builder: Westsail Corp. (USA)
• Number Built:78

Feeling inspired? Check out the “go small” philosophy of this 21-year-old who set sail in a CS 27.

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.

Saturday 1st of September 2018

Very useful list, but incomplete - as it would necessarily be, considering the number of seaworthy smaller boats that are around.

In particular, you missed/omitted the Westerly "Centaur" and its follow-on model, the "Griffon". 26 feet LOA, bilge-keelers, weighing something over 6000 pounds, usually fitted with a diesel inboard.

OK, these are British designs, and not that common in the US, but still they do exist, they're built like tanks, and it's rumored that at least one Centaur has circumnavigated.

Friday 31st of August 2018

This is a helpful list, thank you. I don't think most people would consider a 28' boat a pocket cruiser, though!

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy

The Safest Sailing Routes Around the World (Which to Avoid)

There are several ways you could sail around the world, but if you want to minimize the inevitable risks, there's really only one way to go. Let's take a look at places to go and places you should definitely avoid.

What is the safest sailing route around the world? Sail from the Atlantic westward to the Caribbean, using the trade winds, crossing the Panama Canal, the South Pacific Ocean, and then either around Cape of Good Hope or through the Suez Canal. The safest sailing conditions are along the equator since it provides the most reliable sailing weather and calmest waters.

There are certain places you want to avoid if possible, but you will need to compromise. Below, we'll explore how to find the right way for you.

Key takeaways: Avoid the Gulf of Aden, the Cook Strait, the Drake Passage, the Timor Sea, and the Southern Ocean if possible. Sail close to the equator and use the Panama Canal.

Trying to circle the Earth is fine. Doing that on a boat is among the most complicated ways to go about such a thing. The knowledge required and the number of variables that can go wrong is sky-high. But it is also among the most, if not the most rewarding ways.

On this page:

Choosing the right path, the fast route, the pleasure route, what routes to avoid.

Choosing the right route can be the difference between success and failure. If you choose the right one and time it well, it can be literally smooth sailing all the way , where your biggest worry will be the occasional maintenance.

If you choose the wrong route, though, you will have your hands full the whole time, and the chances you giving up will go up.

What are the best routes to sail around the world?

• The fast route - through the Southern Ocean. This route is fast but also more dangerous due to unpredictable weather.
• The pleasure route - staying as close to the equator as possible. This route will be safer, with more reliable sailing weather.

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

Let's have a closer look at both of these - this is a big deal, so we gotta explore the details to know what we sign up for.

The idea here is to pick the safest one. And since safety is a relative term , let's have a look at two main points of view.

What's the fastest sailing route around the world? The fastest sailing route around the world is the sail south from the Atlantic towards the Southern Ocean (Antarctica) and circumnavigate the world around Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. Sail back up north to the Atlantic starting point to complete the circumnavigation.

Being away on the sea poses risks - some of which you can avoid, some of which you can't. The conclusion being that the longer you are out there, statistically, the higher the chance something will break or that you will be unable to outrun bad weather - or that you will bump into something - since trash floating in the oceans and breaking boats is, unfortunately, a thing now.

Wear and tear is an intrinsic part of sailing; many sailors say that. For instance, Atlantic crossing is more about maintenance than actual sailing skill. The longer you are out there, the more you expose your boat to elements, and things are bound to break.

Similarly, if you plan for a longer route, you have to have more things with you in terms of provisions and equipment. That means a heavier load on the boat, which affects handling and takes up space.

41 Sailboat Cruising Essentials To get an idea of what you'll require to bring on a long sailboat cruise, we've made a list of 41 cruising essentials you should definitely bring along. Read all about cruising essentials

And last but not least, there is the mental aspect of it all. Though you might feel up to the task now, being on the sea for a long time can prove tricky - whether that be because of loneliness (or the constant presence of people you might not see eye to eye with) the relative mundanity of the scenery or the lack of civilization.

So if you want to avoid all that as much as possible, choose the route chosen by those who are in a hurry - such as Vendée Globe racers.

The fastest route around the world

Starting in the European North Atlantic, this route runs south to the South Atlantic. Once it gets into the waters of the Southern Ocean (the one surrounding Antarctica), it stays there, circles the globe, around the Capes, and then up the South, and eventually up the North Atlantic again.

Know that this is not really much of a scenic route or a route that would show you the most interesting parts of the world - it is solely aimed at getting around as fast as possible in the most straightforward way possible.

As mentioned, the overarching principle here is to make the journey as fast as possible - and that is where the safety of this route lies in - exposing yourself to the risk for the least amount of time possible. That being said, be careful around the Cape Horn - an infamously tricky place to navigate.

And for those of you who are looking at the globe while reading this, thinking it is a bit of cheating - since you don't really go around, but circle the globe at its thin end - know that the length of this route is more or less 26,000 nautical miles, which is very roughly the length of the equator. So you will be doing the work in the end.

What's the safest sailing route around the world? The safest sailing route around the world is to stay as close to the equator as possible to make use of the more favorable winds there. This route requires sailing through the Panama and Suez Canals, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, and the Atlantic.

The above route might be fast, but it is about technically getting around, not really about the enjoyment of the world you are circling. So if that is what you have in mind, if you are not particularly in a hurry and don't mind stopping here and there to enjoy the local cuisine and whatnot, this one might be for you.

Speaking of stopping, the above route also doesn't allow for many stops. And that is what the safety of the Pleasure Route lies in. It keeps you close to the coast quite often, so you don't have to plan as much when it comes to consumables, spares, and energy - and if something breaks, you can dock at the next opportunity and have it repaired.

You will never be far from civilization (as far as circumnavigations go). With all the ports available, situations that would otherwise prove risky, like running low on water or wear and tear, can be tackled with relative safety.

The safest route around the world

This route runs from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal, then crosses the South Pacific to get to the shores of Australia, then through the Indian Ocean towards the countries of Southeast Asia and maybe India, then down towards South Africa with a stop or few on the way, eventually getting into the South Atlantic and back to the Caribbean.

If you find yourself in Europe, you will probably get to the Canaries first, then continue to the Caribbean. And similarly, towards the end of your route, after passing South Africa, you will go up to the Canaries and then back to Europe.

Looking at the map, you will see this route certainly doesn't have speed in mind but rather providing the traveler with enough opportunities to stop and admire. You can see Panama, then stop at Galapagos, visit the Pitcairn Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Srí Lanka, India, Madagascar, South Africa… and that is just touching on to the major points of which there can be twice as much if you want to.

If you read diaries of those who went down this route, you will see this is indeed the case most of the time - stopping at a place and enjoying it, rather than leaving the port immediately after a shopping trip and a good night's sleep. It is a great way to get to know the world from many sides and is the true traveler's path.

How long does it take to sail around the world? It can take anywhere from 100 days up to 20 years. We've compared three sailing speeds for both sailing routes for you. Read all about circumnavigation speed

There really is no whole route that would pose risks, rather places you might feel enticed to go through to save time, only to regret this later. We have picked out places that you are likely to want to go through if you circumnavigate, so have a look and if you see your picks below, be careful.

The Gulf of Aden is pirate territory

Among these is the Gulf of Aden. All those films about pirates hijacking cargo ships? Yep, that's the place. Just about anybody will strongly advise you against it since it poses a man-made danger like no other place on the sea in the world. Why do people still take it when going from the Mediterranean to the Arabian sea or vice versa? Because the alternative means a circa 17,000 kilometers long detour around the whole continent of Africa.

The Cook Strait and Drake Passage are very unpredictable

Also, avoid the Cook Strait, a passage between the North and the South islands of New Zealand. These are among the most unpredictable waters in the world.

The same goes for the Drake Passage, between the southernmost tip of America and Antarctica. High winds, very strong currents, and high chances of icebergs make this a deadly zone. We list it in the Fast Route, and it can be navigated without damage, but it requires skill. If you are not confident, avoid it.

The Timor Sea has 100 storms per year

Timor Sea - if you go north of Australia into the Southeast Asian regions, be careful - 100 storms per year is nothing out of the ordinary here. Even big oil rigs have to be constructed differently there to withstand the constant bad weather, with evacuations of the workers to the shore being nothing special.

The Southern Ocean is difficult to navigate

The Southern Ocean. Yes, yes, I know, the very route we suggested. While it is true what we said, that it is the fastest route around the globe, it is where the freezing waters around the Antarctic meet the warm waters up north. That results in storms and swells, which, paired with icebergs and the whole place being remote, thus unlikely to offer much help, means one tricky ocean to sail through.

Just as is the case with the Drake Passage, the idea here is not to forbid you from entering it, if you have got the skill - but rather to warn you if you do not.

The two routes mentioned above are among the most famous ones - one for speed, one for its beauty. They both have their advantages and disadvantages but are often traveled, so as far as safety goes, both have a lot to offer. Choose wisely.

Chocolate Angel Richardson

iS THERE ANYWAY TO GET THIS ARTICLE? iT ONLY PRINTS OUT WITH A BUNCH OF ADVERTISEMENTS. i DON’T SEE A PRINT ANYWHERE??? tHANK YOU

william wieckert

Sissy rosenstein.

If I go near Somalia what are my chances of getting gang raped by pirated?

Francis Drelling

Your articles on this topic are great. Do you think you might write one simply telling the best, and the worst, times to sail in the warriors regions where people circumnavigate? That way we could use it as a guide as we ponder our routes.

would like to find out about the red tape involved for entering a forign port/country & staying awhile

Your safest path around the world takes your right through the Gulf of Aden, which in the next paragraph you say to avoid.

You don’t build a barn dumbass. What do you think this is, 1785?

Leave a comment

Own your first boat within a year on any budget.

A sailboat doesn't have to be expensive if you know what you're doing. If you want to learn how to make your sailing dream reality within a year, leave your email and I'll send you free updates . I don't like spam - I will only send helpful content.

Ready to Own Your First Boat?

Just tell us the best email address to send your tips to:

How to Sail Around the World

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

Sailing around the world can be the experience of a lifetime - an adventure that lets you know you are living life to its fullest and not settling for a life that is too dull and ordinary. However, getting on a boat and sailing around the world is not something you can do a week after you decide you want to do it. Is sailing around the world something that an ordinary person without a lot of money can do at all?

You might worry that sailing around the world is only for the rich. Getting your own boat costs a fortune, and you might fear that without your own boat, it is hard to find an opportunity to go on a long sailing voyage. However, it is easier to find a crew and sail around the world on someone else's boat than you would think.

One of the best ways to sail around the world without having a lot of money is to volunteer on a sailboat. The work that you do on the boat may be enough that the crew will take you for free. Volunteering to work on a sailboat might be the single best way to sail around the world without a lot of money.

Other options are paying money to be part of a crew by sharing costs, finding friends that have sailboats, volunteering on a research boat, or paying a boat off over time if you have the income. People with the right skills, even if they are only cooking or knowing how to be a good deckhand, will find it easier to become part of a crew.

Table of contents

How to sail around the world without a boat

If you really want to sail around the world, you can find a way to do it. A sailing trip around the world is a realistic, achievable adventure. You merely have to be serious about doing it.

It is not the same as a trip to space - that you might not be able to achieve even if you are determined to do it. Sailing around the world is something an average person can do if they plan it out and look for an opportunity.

Volunteering to be on a boat

If you have a lot of sailing experience, it might not be difficult for you to find a crew to sail around the world with. Your nearest marina could very well be looking for deckhands. Not every boat will be heading off on an around the world trip, but some of them might be.

Many boats sailing around the world need an extra crew member and will be happy to take you if you have a bit of sailing experience. People underestimate just how much demand there is for volunteer crew members.

When a couple of wealthy people want to sail around the world, they don't necessarily want to do it themselves. Keeping a sailboat going with very few people on board is hard work. If there are only two sailors, they will have to take turns sleeping to keep the boat going safely.

A third or fourth crew member can mean the difference between a pleasant voyage and an exhausting one. Not everyone who sails around the world has a mega yacht and a large crew. They might have a smaller boat and only need a third person.

The best part of volunteering on a boat is that most of the time, it isn't even hard work. Sometimes you will steer the ship; other times, you will do some chores. It is not difficult to do this.

The fun you will have massively outweighs the work you will do. You will get to explore islands, see many different countries, meet new people, and end your voyage with stories to tell. Don't worry about doing unpaid work - it is more than worth it.

Paid work on a sailboat is also possible to get, but you must have quite a bit of sailing experience. Volunteering is a more realistic way of traveling around the world than looking for paid work on a boat.

Sailing around the world on a friend's boat

One disadvantage of sailing around the world as a volunteer is the possibility of not getting along with the people you travel with. While you might like the people you volunteer for very much, there is a chance that you will not. If you have the opportunity, traveling around the world on a friend's boat should be your first choice.

If you go off on shorter sailing voyages, you will meet people that have the resources to sail. Hopefully, you should know the right people when someone decides they want to sail around the world. They might be happy to take you along for free.

Being out at sea with someone you do not end up liking is sometimes a problem even if you know the person a little bit in advance. Even if you like each other now, you might not like each other when you are out to sea together for weeks, months, and years. Don't let this scare you away from going on a long sea voyage, but be confident that you can get along with the person before you head out to sea for years.

Save enough money and get a boat with your friends

While a sailboat that you can take around the world costs around $75000, this is not such a fortune if you split the cost between several people. If you and five of your friends want to sail around the world, it will only cost you $15000 each to get a seaworthy boat. $15000 isn't exactly pocket change, but you might be able to save that in a reasonable amount of time if you cut your costs.

If you had started saving a few years ago, you and your friends would have enough money to pay for the entire trip now. The best time to start saving was years ago; the next best time to start saving is today. If you have friends that have the same dream of sailing around the world, you might be able to talk them into making a serious plan to do it.

Sail around the world on a research ship

You don't have to be a scientist to serve on a research ship that studies marine wildlife. Such vessels also need deckhands, cooks, and so on. You will probably have to volunteer rather than find a paying job, but you will still be able to sail to many locations, perhaps even around the world, for free.

Offer your skills as a cook

Cooking is one of the best skills you can have if you are looking for a crew to sail around the world with. If you are an excellent cook with a bit of sailing experience, you have a good chance of becoming part of a crew. You need to be able to improvise and cook something tasty from the food you have available.

You do not always have to be a certified chef to cook on a sailing ship, merely being a good cook is enough. Only a larger ship might require their cook to be a certified chef, and even then, that is not always the case.

Teach the children of families sailing around the world

If a family is sailing around the world with children with them, they might not have time to homeschool the children. Such families will bring a teacher with them. This is less likely than some of the other options, but if you would be good at being a nanny and teacher on a sailboat, you might be able to find the opportunity.

Pay to be part of a crew

A crew might be happy to take you if you can pay for your share of the cost of the voyage. This may be expensive, but it is much more affordable than getting your own boat.

The daily cost of a trip for a single person might be $20, $50, or $70. Don't get ripped off by people trying to charge a lot more than that. They should not be charging you a very high daily cost, and are trying to make a profit from you if they do.

Paying to be part of a crew is a good idea if you are offered a fair price. It can add up to a lot of money if you are out to sea for a long time, but it is cheaper than buying a boat yourself.

Can you sail around the world on a rented sailboat?

Possibly not. A rented sailboat may have restrictions on where you can sail it, and you might not be able to rent it for long enough to circumnavigate the globe.

Then again, some people might have more luck than others. Give it a chance - try to find a sailboat you can rent for a long time and sail anywhere at a reasonable price - but this is not always the best option.

What if I have no experience on a sailboat?

You are not likely to be offered the opportunity to go on an around the world trip if you have no sailing experience. Also, not everyone loves being out to sea, and you should take a shorter voyage to know whether or not you would like it first. A shorter voyage will also get you the experience you need to find a crew for a longer voyage.

When you travel across the world at the slow speed of a sailboat, it makes you aware of just how large the world truly is. The world is a huge and mostly empty place where you can sometimes sail for days and not see another boat. Even though you can see for miles in each direction and travel many miles each day, a long time can go by without you seeing a single ship.

If you think you would love sailing, there is a better than even chance that you will. However, other people can find sailing too tiring. The crew has to keep the boat going 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether it is pouring rain out or not.

As well as there being a lot of work involved in sailing, there is also the possibility that you might find sailing boring, as it is not fast-paced. Probably, those who think they will love sailing will end up loving it - but there are no guarantees. Don't go off on a long voyage unless you know that you are happy on a short journey.

How can I get sailing experience if I have no sailing experience?

It may be a challenge, but you do have a chance of getting on a boat even if you have never been on a ship before. Don't lie about having any previous experience; instead, look for a crew that will accept a sailor without experience.

Sometimes, even an inexperienced sailor can find a boat just by walking around at the docks. If you live in or near a sailing town, you might be able to find a boat very quickly. Present yourself as a likable and trustworthy person, and you have a chance of getting on a boat with no sailing experience.

A shorter voyage can be a step towards a long one

After you get on a sailboat for the first time, you will probably decide you love it. You will love the escape from ordinary life, and how the night sky looks away from street lights. You will not usually think sailing is difficult or slow-paced.

Hopefully, you can meet the right people and learn enough about sailing that you are included on a trip around the world when someone you know decides to go. You do not need to go on a lot of shorter sailing trips before you sail around the world; you just need some rather than no experience.

How to sail around the world if you have a boat already

If you already have a boat, then you can get to the fun part a lot more quickly. There are still things to take care of in advance and to be mindful of while at sea, but you can get to your adventure sooner rather than later.

What route should you take sailing around the world?

Usually, people sail around the world on an eastward route. An eastward route is with the wind, so a westward route is more difficult. You can choose to take whatever route you want, but most people take an eastward route and follow the wind.

An eastward route means that you will sail from west to east, so you will be sailing west on an eastward route. If you are setting sail from the United States, you will first sail to the Panama canal and then sail west from there across the pacific.

After crossing the pacific, you should be north of Australia. Sail from there across the Indian Ocean and around the cape of good hope. From the cape, you can sail northwest again, eventually reaching the United States.

You can choose to sail to many other places as well, depending on how long you want to be at sea. For example, you could choose to sail from southern Africa up to Europe and the Mediterranean before returning to the United States.

One common alternative to the typical eastward route is to sail through the red sea and the Mediterranean rather than around South Africa. This is a somewhat faster route than sailing around the cape of good hope. Don't attempt this unless it is currently safe, as there are pirates off the coast of East Africa.

If you are looking for a more challenging route, you could sail under south America instead of using the Panama canal. A more daring option is to take the northwest passage and sail around North America. These routes take longer, and if you take the northwest passage, it is risky to sail through the arctic water.

How long does it take to sail around the world?

You can sail around the world in about 15 months, but it's better to spend a few years at sea and not rush the trip. If you try to make the trip in less than two years, you will not be able to stop anywhere for any length of time, as any delay means that hurricane season will cut you off for the rest of the year.

How much does it cost to sail around the world with your own boat?

While you are out to sea, you will spend $3000, $2000, or at the very least $1000 per month. If you try to spend only $1500 per month or less, you might have a lot of trouble. Higher numbers are more realistic, and if you stop a lot, the monthly cost can easily go over $3000.

You will also have to buy equipment, which adds to the cost of your boat and the daily cost of living. Equipment can cost you more than $15000, and it is dangerous to be out to sea with shoddy equipment. You will also be charged a fee - more than $1000 - when you cross the Panama canal .

You will also run into other fees while you are out to sea. Having your boat tied down during a hurricane will cost you around $500. You will also have to pay for storage, and you will run into other fees at ports.

Repairs are another part of your expenses, as you may have to pay $1000 or $2000 to fix your autopilot or engine. If you want satellite internet while you are out to sea, this will cost you about $120 per month, and you will only be able to use a very small amount of data. Nonetheless, $3000 a month is more than enough to pay for all of these expenses, and $1500 per month might be enough if you can keep your costs low.

Take everything into account, or else your expenses may be higher than you planned. You might rent a car when visiting a country, have to pay for medical expenses, or go to bars and restaurants. Expenses can appear suddenly and unexpectedly.

Some people also like to fly home during the middle of a long sailing trip. They want to get away from the sea for a while and then return to their boat and continue. Flying home only once or twice might not make your trip vastly more expensive.

Know exactly where you are going before you set sail

A sailing trip around the world has to be taken seriously and planned out properly in advance. You want to see as much of the world as possible on your adventure, so plan accordingly. When heading across the pacific, most sailors want to see Bora Bora, Tahiti, Samoa, and other famous pacific islands.

Estimate where you will be on each month of your trip

You should make a timeline even if you do not stick to it. You should know roughly where in the world you will be during each week or month of your journey. Without knowing where in the world you are going to be each month, it is not even easy to know how long you will be out to sea for.

Timing is also crucial for avoiding hurricanes. Sailing is an adventure in part because it is fairly dangerous. Don't make it any more dangerous than it typically is.

You absolutely have to avoid sailing through hurricane-prone parts of the world during hurricane season. Hurricanes can and do kill foolish sailors. You must time out your trip so that you sail through hurricane-prone parts of the world when there is no risk of a hurricane that time of year.

Take the wind direction into consideration. You can sail against the wind, but it is easier to sail with it. Know which way the wind will blow during each part of your journey.

Know as much about each place you are sailing through as possible

Is it safe to dock in each of the countries you plan to stop in? Some of the countries you are planning to stop in may be dangerous.

Are all of these countries considered safe for small groups of sailors? The last thing you want is to be taken advantage of somewhere where the law might not be able to help you.

Take care of everything in advance

Make sure you get everything done before you leave. Some things can only be done before you set sail and not in the middle of the trip. Get all of the paperwork you need, and get any vaccinations you need before the trip.

If you need visas to visit the countries you plan to visit, get this work done in advance. It will be much harder to take care of these things after you have already set sail. Go to your doctor for a medical examination before you leave, and take enough of any medication you need with you on your trip.

Make sure the boat is in excellent condition

Have a professional look at your boat first. There could be dangerous technical problems with your boat that you might not immediately notice. Be on the safe side and get your boat looked at properly first.

Buying a used boat is not always the best idea. The cost of fixing your boat may be more than you bought the used boat for in the worst cases. Going to sea with a serious problem with your ship could be a disaster, so let a boat mechanic take a look at your vessel first.

Prepare for emergencies

You and everyone you are sailing with should know what to do in an emergency. If a heavy storm hits you, what do you do? Everyone in your crew has to know what to do in these situations.

Pirates are still very real, and you have to know what to do if you encounter dangerous people at sea. The sea can be unpredictable, and your emergency plans should cover many different situations.

Taking the right emergency supplies with you is a must. Bring a life jacket, flares, and a fire extinguisher. Make sure you have clothing that will keep you warm and dry in whatever weather and climate you encounter. Have a list of numbers for all of the emergency personnel you might call if you are in danger.

Make sure your boat is still in good condition whenever you port

One of the most important things you can do for your own safety while out to sea is check your boat every time you stop at any port. Always make sure that your boat is still in good condition. More than a few people die sailing, and this is often because of not immediately noticing and fixing problems with their ships.

As well as maintaining your ship, you have to maintain other equipment. A broken satellite phone or broken radar could get you killed. Regularly test your equipment.

Obey the laws wherever you go

As soon as you sail close enough to the coast of any country, you are no longer in international waters and have to obey the laws of whichever country you are in. You cannot know a lot about the laws of each country you are visiting, but you should know a little. Be aware of any unusual laws that are relevant to sailors.

Be prepared to be away from home for years

Whether you are sailing away on your own boat or not, you are going to be away from home for a long time. While it is possible to sail around the world fast (the world record is doing it in only 40 days), an around the world sailing trip takes three or four years on average. Sailing around the world is not a vacation but an epic adventure that takes up a significant chunk of your life. Eventually, you will return to life on land, and you will see life differently after your sailing experience.

Related Articles

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.

by this author

Destinations

Most Recent

What Does "Sailing By The Lee" Mean?

October 3, 2023

The Best Sailing Schools And Programs: Reviews & Ratings

September 26, 2023

Important Legal Info

Lifeofsailing.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.

Similar Posts

How To Choose The Right Sailing Instructor

August 16, 2023

Best Sailing Destinations In BC

June 28, 2023

Best Sailing Charter Destinations

June 27, 2023

Popular Posts

Best Liveaboard Catamaran Sailboats

December 28, 2023

Can a Novice Sail Around the World?

Elizabeth O'Malley

4 Best Electric Outboard Motors

How Long Did It Take The Vikings To Sail To England?

10 Best Sailboat Brands (And Why)

December 20, 2023

7 Best Places To Liveaboard A Sailboat

Get the best sailing content.

Top Rated Posts

Lifeofsailing.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. (866) 342-SAIL

© 2024 Life of Sailing Email: [email protected] Address: 11816 Inwood Rd #3024 Dallas, TX 75244 Disclaimer Privacy Policy

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.

Related Posts

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Fishing Line for Trolling

Lagoon Catamaran Review: Are Lagoon Catamarans Good?

Best Inboard Boat Engine Brands

Are O’Day Sailboats Good? A Closer Look at a Classic Brand

• Buyer's Guide
• Destinations
• Maintenance
• Sailing Info

Hit enter to search or ESC to close.

What type of sailing boats are used at the Olympics?

Ilca 6 and ilca 7.

Designed by Bruce Kirby in 1969, the ILCA 7 contributed to a huge increase in recreational sailing because of its speed, affordability and easy maintenance. Relatively lightweight, the boat is 4.23 meters long (approximately 13 feet 9 inches) with a 7.06 square meter mainsail (approximately 76 square feet). 

Making its Olympic debut in 2008, the ILCA 6 is essentially a smaller version of the ILCA 7, using the same fiberglass hull. With a shorter lower-mast and a sail 14 feet smaller than that of the ILCA 7, the boat is more conducive for lighter sailors, making it a great boat for women's racing.

An Olympic class since the Montreal Games in 1976, the boat was originally designed by French architect Andre Cornu in 1963, and was named after its length: 4.70 meters (approximately 15 feet). The two-person centerboard dinghy is malleable to all levels of sailors and is used both recreationally and competitively around the world.

The boat's light frame makes it responsive to movements of the sailors, and thus the skipper and the crew generally complement each other in weight. Three sails are used: the main, jib and spinnaker. Typically taller and heavier than the skipper, the crew hangs out on the trapeze to balance the boat depending on the conditions.

Originally an open-class boat, the event was divided in 1988 when the women's 470 was introduced. Starting at the Paris 2024 Games, the boat will be sailed by a mixed-gender crew for the first time. 

NACRA started in the U.S. as an acronym for "North American Catamaran Racing Association" in 1975. Selected by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in May 2012 as the equipment for the mixed multihull event, the Nacra 17 made its Olympic Games competition debut at the Rio Games.

The Nacra 17 was created fully in line with the specifications given by ISAF. An agile high speed machine, the hull of the Nacra 17 measures 5.25 meters long (approximately 17 feet, 2 inches), the beam measures 2.59m long (approximately 8-6) and the mainsail has an area of 14.45 square meters (approximately 155 square feet). The curved daggerboards add a distinct dimension to the multihull catamaran making for reduced sheet loads and mitigating the impact of the crew weight.

Designed by Australian Julian Bethwaite specifically for the 2000 Games in Sydney, the 49er is a high speed, high performance boat.

The name of the 49er derives from its hull length of 4.99 meters (approximately 16 feet). A mainsail, jib, and spinnaker comprise the three sails of this two-person skiff. It has twin trapezes and retractable wings that spread 2.74 meters (approximately 9 feet) in width, giving the boat the appearance of a manta-ray. The trapezes allow the crew to use their weight to balance the boat. With a 38 square meter spinnaker area (approximately 409 square feet), it is very large for such a small boat, making the 49er one of the fastest at the Olympics. While its speed is certainly a draw, the 49er is also one of the hardest boats to operate and requires agility and successful teamwork, without which the boat can easily flip.

Developed by Mackay Boats, the FX rig was trialed and selected by the ISAF as the women's 49er event for the Rio Games. The FX was specifically designed to accommodate lighter crews and be perfectly suited for the 49er hull. Similar to its 49er counterpart, the 49erFX is a high performance skiff that demands athleticism, skill and balance. The FX mast height is 7.5 meters (approximately 24 feet), with the mainsail measuring 13.8 square meters (approximately 149 square feet).

What type of boards are used at the Olympics?

iQFoil is the newest windsurfer class and will make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, replacing the RS:X class, which had been a staple of Olympic windsurfing for years. It involves windsurfers equipped with hydrofoils, known as foiling boards, which lift the board out of the water to reduce drag and increase speed. The average speed of the iQFoil is approximately 42 km/h (26 mph), which is significantly faster than the RS:X. In order to achieve maximum speeds, a high level of focus on balancing the board is essential. 

The iQFoil performs best in light winds. The board is wider and shorter than the RS:X, making it compact and agile. 

IKA Formula Kite 

Also making its Olympic debut in Paris is the kiteboarding class Formula Kite. Similar to the iQFoil, Formula Kite also involves hydrofoils. Kiteboarders use a large controllable kite to propel themselves across the water on a small surfboard-like board. The design of Formula Kite boards prioritizes stability, control, and efficiency, enabling competitors to maneuver quickly and smoothly across the water while harnessing the power of the kite. 

The boards are typically lightweight and highly responsive, allowing for precise control during the race. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do olympic sailors use their own boats.

Typically, all boats and equipment are provided by the organizing committee of the Olympic Games or by event organizers. For each class or event, a fleet of class-approved boats are made available for training and racing. This ensures a level playing field for all. However, competitors may bring their own personal equipment, such as sails, rigging, and personal gear. 

What equipment is used for Olympic sailing?

In addition to the boats or boards used at the Olympics, competitors also use sails and rigging specific to their boat. (These include mainsails, jibs, the mast, the boom and rigging components like sheets, halyards, and control lines.) 

Competitors are also required to wear appropriate safety gear including personal flotation devices, wetsuits or drysuits, and helmets in some classes. Competitors may also use GPS devices and radios to aid in racing and communication with support boats or race officials.

Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with Internet Explorer 11, 10 or older browsers or systems.

These 3 lesser-known cruise lines offer amazing voyages on sail-powered ships

There is nothing quite as magical — or romantic — as a cruise on a sailing ship.

To stand on the deck of a vessel topped with dozens of billowing sails, propelled through the waves by the power of the wind alone, is to go back in time to an earlier age of travel, when crossing the world's oceans was as adventurous as it was challenging.

It's an experience that's all about the feeling of the wind in your hair, the lean of the vessel (known as the heel) as it's pushed by the wind and the sway from the waves (which is actually smoother than what you get on a motor ship).

For more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

In contrast to what you'll find on so many motor-powered ships, cruising on a masted ship is about the simple thrill of traveling across the sea and not about all the many attractions you'll find on board.

Only a handful of small cruise brands — so small that you might never have heard of them — offer trips on sailing ships. Here, we look at the three biggest players in this niche subset of the cruise industry.

Sea Cloud Cruises

If it's an authentic, old-style sailing experience you want, then Sea Cloud Cruises is the line for you. The Germany-based company operates three large sailing ships where the sails are unfurled by hand, just as they were on sailing ships centuries ago.

On the biggest of these three vessels, the 136-passenger Sea Cloud Spirit , 18 deckhands scurry high into the rigging on sea days to manually untie and prepare the sails, an amazing sight. Unveiled in 2021 , it's a full-rigged, three-masted sailing ship of the sort that hasn't been common on the world's oceans for more than a century.

Related: Why Sea Cloud Spirit is a sailing vessel you'll want to try

Sea Cloud Cruises' two other vessels — Sea Cloud 2 and Sea Cloud — are smaller but offer a similar show as the sails are set by hand the old-fashioned way. The former is a 23-year-old, three-masted barque propelled by 23 sails (five fewer than Sea Cloud Spirit); the latter is a 93-year-old, four-masted barque with 30 sails and a storied past.

Now configured to carry 64 paying passengers, Sea Cloud was originally the private yacht of Postum Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her husband, the famed financier E. F. Hutton. At the time, the vessel was the largest private yacht in the world. It later served the U.S. Navy as a weather ship during World War II, after which it became the presidential yacht for the Dominican Republic. It only began sailing as a cruise vessel in the 1980s.

If you have money to spare, you can still book Post's opulent private quarters on Sea Cloud, now its owner's suite. It'll set you back around $5,000 per day per couple. Her husband's slightly smaller quarters are also available to book at a similar rate.

Post, the wealthiest woman in the U.S. during her lifetime, notably also built Mar-a-Lago, the massive estate in Florida that is now the official residence of Donald Trump.

Sea Cloud Cruises is the most all-inclusive and upscale of the three brands listed in this story, with pricing to match. Expect to pay nearly $1,000 per person per day or more for many sailings.

Sea Cloud Cruises' three vessels offer a diverse array of sailings in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Canary Islands and Morocco, the Caribbean or along the west coast of Central America.

Related: Cruising Costa Rica, Panama with Sea Cloud Cruises

Windstar Cruises

Founded in the 1980s, Windstar Cruises got its start as a sailing ship line. While it now operates traditional motor-powered ships, too, voyages on sailing ships are still a big part of its business.

Three of the Seattle-based brand's six vessels — Wind Spirit, Wind Star and Wind Surf — are sailing vessels, and they all offer a similar yacht-like, small-ship experience.

Two of the three vessels (Wind Spirit and Wind Star) are particularly intimate, measuring 5,407 tons and carrying just 148 passengers with every berth full.

Related: The 2 types of Windstar ships, explained

The line's third sailing vessel, Wind Surf, is nearly three times the size at 14,745 tons. It's one of the biggest sailing ships in the world (only a sister vessel that sails for Club Med is bigger). Wind Surf carries 342 people, an enormous number for a sailing ship.

Unlike on the vessels operated by Sea Cloud, the sails on Windstar's sailing ships aren't unfurled by hand in the old-fashioned way but by the push of a button from the bridge. It's a fully automated system that is much more modern, if less dramatic.

Still, the experience of slicing through the waves by the power of the wind alone on Windstar ships is as glorious and romantic as it is on the Sea Cloud ships.

Windstar Cruises is less all-inclusive and pricey than Sea Cloud but still offers a relatively upscale experience. Its dining program is done in partnership with the food-focused James Beard Foundation, which also brings James Beard Award-winning chefs to the ships regularly for food-themed itineraries.

For an extra $89 per person per day, passengers can also make the experience more all-inclusive with included Wi-Fi, unlimited beer, wine and cocktails, and gratuities (three things that aren't included in regular fares).

The line's three vessels typically spend nearly all of their time sailing in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean or along the west coast of Central America.

Related: Read more about Windstar's itineraries

Star Clippers

Like Sea Cloud and Windstar, Star Clippers operates three sailing vessels that are among the biggest and most elegant sailing vessels in the world.

The belle of the ball at the line is Royal Clipper, a stunning five-masted ship that is billed as the largest square-rigged ship in the world. Its enormous array of 42 sails has a sail area of 56,000 square feet — significantly more than the sails atop any of the Sea Cloud or Windstar vessels. (Only Sea Cloud Spirit comes relatively close with a sail area of 44,100 square feet spread across 28 sails.)

Built to resemble Preussen, a legendary tall ship of the 19th century, the 24-year-old Royal Clipper shares the spotlight at Star Clippers with two smaller sister vessels, Star Flyer and Star Clipper.

Carrying 166 passengers apiece, the smaller vessels were designed to resemble the speedy clipper ships of the 19th century, which were known for their narrow profile and large sail area. Each vessel has a sail area of 36,000 square feet spread across 16 sails, a large amount for the size.

When it comes to the setting of sails, Star Clippers vessels offer a level of old-style authenticity that is in between the ships of Sea Cloud and Windstar. Like on Sea Cloud vessels, the sails are pulled into position by a team of deckhands using hand power and winches to tighten the "sheets," or ropes.

Unlike on Sea Cloud vessels, the deck hands don't climb high into the rigging to untie and prepare the sails for winching. That part is done automatically at the push of a button from the bridge, as it is on Windstar vessels.

In one key difference, though, Star Clippers lets passengers harness up and climb into the crow's nest of its vessels — a thrilling experience. Just be prepared for your knees to go a bit wobbly as you get to the top; it's way up there.

Star Clippers sailings are the most affordable option among the three sailing brands, in part because the onboard experience is less all-inclusive and upscale.

The three Star Clippers vessels mostly operate sailings in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and along the west coast of Central America.

Bottom line

It's still possible to get a taste of what traveling the world's oceans was like in the days before motor power. Three small cruise companies — Sea Cloud Cruises, Windstar Cruises and Star Clippers — offer voyages on large sailing ships that are as majestic as anything that has sailed the seas in centuries past.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• Top ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Lagoon 60 first look: New catamaran with several innovations

• Toby Hodges
• April 5, 2024

The new Lagoon 60 features hull sides that hinge down offering an extremely wide area for entertaining and relaxing at anchor

This full flybridge design fills a big slot that previously existed between the Lagoon 55 that was launched in 2021 and the more lavishly appointed Sixty 5. The new Lagoon 60’s huge aft cockpit can be fully opened out onto the water, including hull sides that hinge down like butterfly wings, creating an area even wider than the yacht’s generous 32ft beam allows.

There’s also a large forward cockpit on the same level as the saloon, and with direct access, making this an ideal yacht for larger parties.

Layout options include five cabins with a bridgedeck galley, or four cabins with the galley in the port hull, accessed by its own stairs. This version also has a smaller bar area on the bridgedeck, along with a larger saloon.

As with the 55, the rig is stepped further forward than on earlier models and is fitted with overlapping headsails. Naval architect VPLP says these offer more flexibility and efficiency on a boat of this type than the near ubiquitous non-overlapping jibs of today’s yachts.

The towering air draught of almost 100ft (30m) allows a generous sail area, even though the flybridge means the boom of this multi-story vessel is several metres above the waterline. Despite an unladen displacement of 32 tonnes, if the Lagoon 55 and 51 (launched 2022) are anything to go by, the Lagoon 60 will sail a lot better than the enormous windage suggests.

It’s a format that’s now well proven – Lagoon celebrates 40 years in business this year and has built more than 7,000 yachts. The first Lagoon 60 is already complete and will initially premiere at an open event at the yard in Bordeaux, rather than at La Grande Motte. It will feature Lagoon’s innovative new furling boom system for easier sail handling.

Lagoon 60 specifications

LOA: 18.27m 59ft 11in Beam: 9.87m 32ft 5in Draught: 1.65m 5ft 6in Displacement: 32,000kg 70,560lb Price: TBA Builder: catamarans-lagoon.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Veteran Sells His Farm to Travel the World Hunting for Rare Sea Glass: 'A Whole New Appreciation' (Exclusive)

Kyle Davis changed his life by embracing sea glass as a business and a hobby

The Bored Pirate/Youtube

• Kyle Davis was in the U.S. Army Infantry, working as a combat medic, before deciding to start sailing around the world
• Always attracted to adventure, Kyle took up sailing after selling his farm and began beachcombing for treasure
• Through his travels, he developed an appreciation for sea glass and learned how much value it could add to his life

A former U.S. Army Infantry combat medic with a desire for adventure has built himself a life beyond his wildest dreams.

Kyle Davis was looking at his next steps after the service when he made up his mind to plant roots in Hawaii.

"After finishing my enlistment, I decided to use my savings to buy some land in Hawaii to start a farm. I decided that I'd really like to have a cave on the property, so I purchased a vacant 6-acre lot with a 3-mile-long lava tube. I spent 4 years there, turning the raw land into a permaculture farm while simultaneously going to the University of Hawaii to study agriculture," Kyle tells PEOPLE.

"I hosted volunteers from around the world to teach organic farming to, and in return they helped me build the farm. With their help, we built roads, houses and fences, and raised a variety of animals and a huge collection of thousands of plants."

He continues, "I absolutely loved my farm and the freedom of living in the little world I'd created for myself. At the same time, however, I longed to travel and experience the world. The responsibility of owning a farm is huge, and with mouths to feed and plants to water daily, there wasn't much chance for adventures abroad."

Kyle decided to change his path in 2017. After graduating college, he sold his farm to a tour company and decided to buy a sailboat and sail the world.

"Previously, I traveled around the world aboard Semester at Sea for a study abroad term, and loved the idea of freedom that having a boat would provide," he explains. "I knew very little about sailing, so I set off to Thailand to take a 10-day sailing course and then quickly began my search for the perfect boat."

It took months until Kyle purchased a Tayana 50-foot monohull sailboat in Portland, Maine. He spent the summer of 2018 getting his boat into shape. In his spare time, he enjoyed metal detecting on the Casco Islands.

"I'd always wanted to be a treasure-hunting pirate since I was a young boy, so the idea of sailing around the world looking for fortune really appealed to me," he says.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kyle didn't have any particular affinity for sea glass until a short expedition with his mom in Maine.

"Upon arriving at shore, she suggested we just walk the beach to look for shells. On our walk, she came across several pieces of sea glass, one of which was red. We knew almost nothing about sea glass then, but that was soon to change. After getting back to my boat, a friend came by to say hello and had his young son tagging along," he recalls.

"My mom showed him her red piece of sea glass and he asked to have it; she couldn't refuse the cute kid. Afterward, we looked up red sea glass online and discovered that it's one of the absolute rarest colors to find, and so she was slightly heartbroken about having given it away. I told her not to worry, I'd go back out and find her another one."

Kyle didn't know how difficult that would be when he made the promise, but it took months and visits to "hundreds of beaches in the bay." While he collected plenty of other sea glass, he couldn't find that red piece.

Kyle continued his adventures, with plans to travel to the Caribbean in November 2018. Nature had other plans.

"After two weeks of snow and brutal storms, we reached Florida, only to have the boat get struck by lightning within hours of our arrival. Instead of heading for the Caribbean as planned, I spent nine months in Florida replacing the mast, rigging, and every electronic component aboard the vessel, which was a pretty big job," he shares.

"I came across a sea glass store in St. Augustine where I learned that people actually sold sea glass, something I'd always assumed was worthless. This was an epiphany to me, and I began to hunt for sea glass more. Someone even bought me a book about sea glass, which taught me a lot about the different types, grades, colors and more."

Kyle tried to head to the Caribbean again in July 2019, but the adventure was interrupted by another storm.

"We lost our propeller shaft at sea and nearly sank off the coast of Venezuela ," Kyle says. "We were able to save the ship, and headed for the ABC Islands, the closest place of refuge. We eventually made it to Curacao and hauled the boat out of the water for repairs. I imagined it would take a few weeks to fix everything, but the repairs needed were extensive and it ended up taking nearly two years."

While those repairs were made, Kyle decided to explore Curacao, letting his crew leave and sailing the islands there joined solely by his "best friend and longtime Yorkshire Terrier companion, Little Coconut (LC)," in an inflatable boat.

"As luck would have it, the first beach we landed on was completely made of sea glass," he shares. "I'd only ever seen a few pieces of glass on the beach here and there, but I never could have imagined what I'd just discovered. I quickly started beachcombing and, within minutes, found many of the rarest types of sea glass I'd read about in my book — reds, oranges, marbles, bottle stoppers, figurines and much more."

Not only was Kyle finally able to get his mom her piece of red sea glass, but he impressed her with his "gold mine" of a find.

At the same time, Kyle's mom began sharing his story with the online sea glass community on Facebook. The enthusiastic hobbyists were amazed by Kyle's finds.

"Little did I know when I started out that sea glass is a big deal to a lot of folks. There are sea glass books, sea glass museums and even sea glass festivals!"

As he delved deeper, Kyle started understanding the value of his finds and decided to start a business, LC's Glass . "I was ecstatic to have found not only a way to generate income during my travels but also that it was the exact thing I'd always dreamed of doing, hunting for treasure. It didn't take long and I was hooked!"

Kyle started offering tours and was even able to get his mom to join in on his new business venture, which also started to have a social media component. Kyle would livestream his sea glass hunting to show his legitimacy as a sea glass enthusiast, but also to show people these beautiful areas full of sea glass, off the beaten path.

"During my time in Curacao, I started a YouTube channel, The Bored Pirate , to boost business and expand the reach of my content. I decided to explore the two neighboring Islands during COVID, Aruba and Bonaire."

He continues, "I discovered an island made of glass on Aruba, Sea Glass Island, as well as several other beaches practically made of sea glass. In Bonaire, I found underwater caves that are also completely loaded with amazing glass jewels. At this point, I was absolutely in love with sea glass hunting and decided it would be my mission to sail around the world, discovering unknown sea glass beaches everywhere I went. "

Kyle also made it a point to give back to the communities that had given so much to him. "I would find amazing people in each place who I could hand the reins to for doing tours. I absolutely love to help people, so the idea of giving people good livelihoods in places where opportunity is scarce seemed amazing, and since then, I've successfully helped several people start sea glass tour businesses in the places I've found glass beaches, of which I ask nothing in return." 

Once his boat was fixed, Kyle traveled around the Caribbean, enjoying sea glass beaches across St. Kitts, Nevis, Martinique, Panama, Colombia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Cayman Islands, all while sharing his journey online.

"I post beachcombing content every day and have been making a significant income for the last couple of years with sea glass. Having taken hundreds of people sea glass hunting now, I have a whole new appreciation for the passion myself," he says.

"It's so much fun! There aren't many activities that are enjoyed equally by people of all age groups, but this is truly one of them. The look of joy and excitement kids, teenagers, adults and the elderly get on their faces when they find their first marble or rare color of glass is exactly the same. Not only that, it's also great exercise and gets people outside, often as a family, having a great time together."

While sea glass has become a business, it's still very much a hobby.

"I don't sell all of my finds; in fact, I keep the rarest ones for our personal collection at home. At first, I was selling most of my one-of-a-kind finds, but I quickly realized some pieces were priceless, and I'd never find anything like them again.

Kyle keeps his favorite finds at his parents' home, where his mom has found creative ways of displaying them.

"Smaller pieces my mom has sorted into old printer trays in an antique printing desk. Some of my favorite keepers are from glass made with radioactive uranium, which glows under black light. Others are sea coins, which are the bottoms of old bottles that have been perfectly rounded into flawless circles of glass. I have collected thousands of marbles of every color of the rainbow, glass figurines, and more."

And though he's won awards for his sea glass finds, there's still some that are on Kyle's wish list.

"I would love to find would be a glass eyeball or a snow globe. I'd also like to beat the 200+ pound world record for the biggest piece of sea glass found."

Kyle also treasures the exploring process, which allows him to add to his favorite places to find sea glass.

"I've found the most glass in the ABC Islands, St Kitts and Puerto Rico. My favorite places will forever be the places I haven't been, though. What's around the next corner is always calling me, and with life so short, knowing I'll never make it to all of the beaches of the world, I prefer to see something new every day and explore the unknown rather than return to what I already know. "

Sea glass hunting has also brought Kyle joy in the community that shares the hobby; he calls them "some of the kindest, most caring people I have come across."

"Strolling beaches for hours on end, peacefully looking for lost trash that the ocean has magically recycled into jewels, is a very meditative respite from day-to-day life. It's good for the soul and brings people great peace and joy," he shares.

Kyle is currently in St. Kitts on a beachcombing adventure with his mom, with plans to head back to his boat in Panama in the spring.

"From there, I hope to catch a good weather window and sail to the eastern Caribbean to continue exploring as many islands as possible before the hurricane season begins. After that, I might head down to Grenada or Trinidad or just wherever the wind takes me and continue my hunt wherever I end up."

As far as the future, Kyle has two things on his mind. One is finding himself another sailing companion after the death of LC last year.

"I am saving and fundraising money to bring back my dog LC. She passed away last year from brain cancer and I miss her dearly," he shares. "I've been sailing solo the past couple of years with only her by my side, and without her, I feel a great loss, and being at sea seems lonely now. I preserved her genes cryogenically and will clone her once I have the funds . So soon, I hope to have Little Coconut back aboard with me!"

Another goal is to find a more permanent way to share his love for the treasures found on a beach.

"I collect other things on the beach as well, like sea beans, pottery, jewelry, shells, and other oddities — I even found ambergris once! Eventually, I would like to have my own beachcombing museum."

• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Inclusive Sailing Easter Regatta in Sydney

Related Articles