The cruising sail boat

Boat designers and naval architects go to a huge amount of trouble to create a product that not only sails well, is fast and stable and has as much usable space as possible below but are also pleasing to the eye. Careful consideration is given to the lines of the cabin top, chine and top sides so the boat looks sleek and streamline, then along comes the serious world cruiser and ruins all their hard work by adding a wide selection of accoutrements. I believe there must be some correlation between the amount of experience, or time cruising, of a sailor by the amount of accoutrements a boat might have. A sailor new to cruising will probably have a Bimini or other cockpit cover and a solar panel or two but the list grows exponentially for the long term cruiser. For a start they have a large number of jerry cans on deck to carry extra fuel and water, additional gas bottles, kayaks, paddle boards, grills, fenders, life saving devices, complex tilting solar panels, possibly multiple outboard motors, spare main anchors, stern anchors, spare lines, wind vane steering, dinghy and even pot plants and dog pee mats and much more. Once all that equipment is on board everything is then covered with Sunbrella canvas to protect it from the harsh tropical sunshine along with extra cockpit protection and full length boat covers. After all that the original boat and it's sleek lines are hardly visible but it looks ready to tackle any weather or situation the long distance cruising sailor might find themselves in albeit their waterline has gone up a few inches. I personally like the look, I believe they look seriously utilitarian rather than the vain beauty and impracticality of many modern boats. I will be posting some more pictures of mega cruising boats as I come across them or if you see any send me a pic to post.

Check out the waterline...