Hello Old Sea Dogs,This is a bit of a longer post, but here goes nothing:I have a series of questions, most of which are probably a bit cringy and annoying, but I think it's important I get started in the right direction.Ever since I was a kid I wanted to sail around the world. My Dad used to work for 'Melbourne Radio', a maritime communications hub when I was a kid and I'd often sit and listen to sailors chatting on the radios as I grew up and I was pretty captivated by it. I'd wander round the boats and ships as my father surveyed and the curiosity only grew. I got into surfing and was half-fish by the time I was 20, but an ill advised relationship saw me moving to London and the ocean was relegated to a place to fly over on the way home for Christmas and New Year's. Now well into my 30s I've positioned myself financially where I'd be about two years out being able to depart on a potential sailing adventure, however due to my time inland my knowledge of sailing is limited to Slocum, Knox-Johnston and...YouTube.May the cringing begin.I've crewed on a few racing yachts, and understand the theory but I do find that usually they're guys with a bit of cash that have absolutely no desire to transfer information, and just need someone to run about the deck ever since they blew out their lower back a decade prior in the 60 and older local footy. There's also a fair bit of a gatekeeping culture around sailing, especially if you start talking about sailing out of the heads and going somewhere. I don't really have time for that nonsense, but I'd be an absolute nutter if I didn't consult the interwebs unofficial sailing think-tank on what might approximate 'best practice'.Best practice can be approximated, but it also often doesn't matter as much as you'd think if you're quick to learn through the qualities of direct experience. I watched everyone ridicule Jessie Martin at the Sandringham Yacht Club when I was a boy, and then I watched the excuses pour in on his return...then when I was older saw the same kind of scoffing directed towards Jessica Watson...of course when they came back, the same people said they fluked it due to great weather, which is patently absurd. I bring this up because I'm fully prepared to have people laugh at the idea of someone in my position. But this is something my wife and I are ready to do. It's actually terrifying how keen she is, and I feel a deep responsibility to keep her as safe as possible while balancing our need to GTFO of working 60 hours a week.So, I'm asking any of you if you can recommend a fast track into learning. We have the capacity to study...but I prefer direct experience. I learned more in a day sailing my friend's Hartley than I did in many days of crewing, which leads me to something that may seem ill advised. I'm thinking about buying the boat I intend to set off in now, instead of wasting time on anything else, and learning how to sail it myself - perhaps with an instructor or a friend who can take the time to show me through how to operate a boat safely. Incidentally, and I'm sure this sounds obvious considering my inspiration - I'm thinking of an S&S 34 for it's track record and seaworthiness.I'd also like a bit of a shell, so I can refit it myself, learning all the systems one by one as I install them. While I realise that this is probably a more expensive way to go, it's also direct-experience learning of systems. My job is as an audio engineer, so I have a lot of experience with electronics, especially diagnosing and repairing problems. I've built a few preamps and compressors so my electrical engineering knowledge is somewhere between basic and moderate.Yachtmaster courses seem incredibly expensive and I wonder if it would actually be better to pay a really great sailor to come onto the boat I intend to take and work with me on understanding how the boat behaves in different conditions and how to prepare for heavy-weather conditions. Besides understanding the aspects of heavy-weather sailing, I feel like there aren't enough serious ramifications to learning by direct experience. Obviously safety gear would be top notch. I'm genuinely struggling to see why this is all a terrible idea, but please tell me how I'm going wrong! I'd love to live long enough to play in the 60 and older league someday myself.Anyway, just shooting in a general direction at the moment and interested in what people would do if they were in my position.Larry.
Buy any boat that fulfills the parameters of affordability, the size and space you need. You can always sell later and buy something more appropriate. Depends on how many people, budget, etc. A yacht from $12 to $30k will do what you want.
A paid yacht instructor seems an unstructured exercise. There are graded levels of recognised training, so you do the courses as you gain experience on the course and on your own boat and weekend/holidays. Then do the radio course, the nav course, diesel engine course and safety course. As you build experience and as you can afford them, but at $400 for some of those courses, it's a good deal.
Some details of location, budget and timeframe would help, and no need to ramble. There was a similar query here a few months ago and consensus was that 2 years of building experience through weekends/coastal cruises and some training courses would set you right.
We went through this sort of process and it worked very well for us. Our approach was:
1. Do the RYA competent crew 5 day course together - just the 2 of us. A good way to see how you work together. A bloke at the helm shouting at their partner is unlikely to lead to a harmonious (or any kind of sailing) experience. This included our boat licence.
2. RYA Day Skipper theory & practical. Gives you everything you need to know. We already had MROCOP radio licences & weather training.
3. Buy a safe, seakindly and cheap boat. Gets lots of practice.
4. Go for it!
We subsequently did the RYA Coastal Skipper practical plus Coastal skipper/Yachtmaster theory.
Of course, there are many other ways to achieve the same thing. The danger (perhaps) of a project boat is that you may not get on the water for years. Any boat will give you plenty of maintenance experience!
Cheers
Bristol
Physical and mental conditioning - which is seldom mentioned - is paramount.
One must be a safe and reliable swimmer for start and diving experience comes handy as well.
Overweight armchair sailors don't last long in troubled waters.
Beside all that, l would recommend some serious reading before one spends thousands on doubtful courses, like the Dashew's books (all four of them! would keep one's head spinning for months!) freely available on the net and Andrew Evans's book which is also a free download.
Hi Larry,
Let me start by saying that was a good introduction! Usually there is a bunch of clarification questions before anyone has an idea how serious you are, the level of skill attained etc. Yes, you do get keelboat owners that think unless you cut your teeth in dinghys, you're not a sailor. Or you get a crewman that has forgotten they were inexperienced at one stage too, and look down their noses at newbys. And for every one of them, there's twice as many sailors that will readily help and guide you along your way. You need to find them, don't expect them to come to you, so get out and get sailing with a local club. It doesn't matter how fast or pretty the boat is, some of the best sailors I know have the oldest or plainest boats in the fleet!
A couple of general observations,
Systems. Most of us grew up on dinghy sailing and transitioned to keelboats, so we knew how to sail. The difference between dinghys and keelboats is, which you've already worked out, is understanding and managing the various systems. And there is a lot, crew management, hydraulics, fluids, engine, electrical, nav, communications, plumbing, glasswork etc.
Boat handling. To use the dinghy sailor example again, you might know how to pull the right string and use our weight to optimise the efficiency of their boat, but this doesn't mean you know how to dock a boat safely, or pick up a swing mooring. And Murphys law guarantees you will need to master this skill as a priority!
Naviguessing. Another critical skill that must be learnt for keelboats, and one of the most rewarding. I would argue most skippers don't do a proper passage plan before embarking offshore. Those boats you see in the news being rescued, I would bet my boat on none of them did a proper passage plan before leaving the dock. And to rub salt into the wound (pardon the pun) its ridiculously easy, and confidence inspiring, to do once you know how.
Safety. The biggest and by far the most important, especially as the skipper, as you're legally responsible for everything, and rightly so too. If you only do one course, which I would hate to think but understand if budget is a big constraint, make sure you do a SSSC course (Survival and Safety at Sea) . And this means your wife and crew too. You'll do theory and practical over two days, and it is the best introduction to safety and survival you will ever get. And it will give you confidence you need to do the right thing if everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
So, with the above in mind, my recommendation would be to save the money and put it into being taught by professionals. Bristol Fashion's post above is exactly what I would recommend, and I really do believe the ROI on the cost of education far outweighs the same money invested into a bigger/shinier toy.
If this is too prohibitive in cost, get out and immerse yourself in sailing other peoples boats, and ask lots of questions. The wealth of talent on this forum alone is pretty impressive, and you will find most of us club hacks are more than willing to invest time and effort into you, if you show the reciprocal. (Hint: offer to stay back and help clean the boat!) But it's not the same as professional tuition, especially if you want to be good enough in only a couple of years.
I wish you the best of luck regardless of the path you take. If you ever come up to Brisbane, PM me and we'll drag you out for a sail.
Cheers,
SB
Your a lucky man to have a willing partner . Don't put if off.
I was in two minds about replying to your post as there are hundreds of such over the years most of which stay dreams .I have not been out of sight of land for more than 5 days at a time so am by no means the sage old salt your looking for however you remind me of an Irishman who crewed for me in Melb a long time ago.
IMO the quickest way to learn to sail in all conditions is to race as you have to go to a specific point irrespective of weather. HOWEVER you have to pick the right boat. ie nothing longer than 35 feet so you multitask and get the feel of a boat in the size range you will own. Look for such a boat that does the ORCV series to get ocean passages and overnight experience. I presume your a crew member with a yacht club ,if not join. Take time to go to the ORCV office and introduce yourself. Naturally your wife will also do above. Most times on passage races a newby learns more on the return trip in a relaxed atmosphere where the skipper is very inclined to let you helm etc.etc. You will also get involved in preparing the boat like sanding down the antifoul .aggh.
Sure you should do the courses to equip you with the knowledge to wisely and safely make the right decisions and what to do when the sh.. hits the fan.
It will.
Sailing 'around the world ' covers a hell of a lot. Eg you want to go down in the great southern ocean or stay in the tropics.
I have a lot of respect for those who sail offshore without the comfort of a race around them to lean on when in trouble so will not go into boats etc. except to say that the Pink Lady cost well in excess of $100,000 to prepare and what you need to sail non stop around the world may not suit cruising in the tropics island hopping with the winds abeam/ behind. Don't get me wrong the SS34 is a classic ocean passage boat.
Good Luck
Just a thought, I don't know what side of PP your at but visit a few clubs and have a look at the boats and skippers on a Sat or Wed.
HBYC ,RMYC or RYCV may offer more of what you want than Sandy and BYC
Select to expand quoteBristolfashion said..
We went through this sort of process and it worked very well for us. Our approach was:
1. Do the RYA competent crew 5 day course together - just the 2 of us. A good way to see how you work together. A bloke at the helm shouting at their partner is unlikely to lead to a harmonious (or any kind of sailing) experience. This included our boat licence.
2. RYA Day Skipper theory & practical. Gives you everything you need to know. We already had MROCOP radio licences & weather training.
3. Buy a safe, seakindly and cheap boat. Gets lots of practice.
4. Go for it!
We subsequently did the RYA Coastal Skipper practical plus Coastal skipper/Yachtmaster theory.
Of course, there are many other ways to achieve the same thing. The danger (perhaps) of a project boat is that you may not get on the water for years. Any boat will give you plenty of maintenance experience!
Cheers
Bristol
Brilliant and easy to follow advice. Thanks Bristol.
I would suggest buying a tired old racer with lots of history for not a lot of money and just get out there and do it. SS34's are nice but not exactly a cruising boat for a couple. Remember that a cruising yacht is going to spend 98% of it's time in harbour, 1% of it's time sailing and 1% of it's time motoring. Usually in hot climates. Because of it's age you wont get comprehensive insurance so be prepared to lose the lot and move on to the next stage of your life. But do it now. We all see too many people wait too long and suddenly they are dead!
If it was me I would buy this.https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/maroochydore/sail-boats/swanson-36-nellie-zander/1207879666
And this.
www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hastings/sail-boats/aries-wind-vane-self-steering-system/1202753131
Paint the deckhead gloss white and paint the deck and cabin and get going. Perkins diesel that's cheap and easy to rebuild. Don't fret too much about learning stuff, you are already well ahead of a lot of people out there sailing.
Select to expand quotesirgallivant said..
Physical and mental conditioning - which is seldom mentioned - is paramount.
One must be a safe and reliable swimmer for start and diving experience comes handy as well.
Overweight armchair sailors don't last long in troubled waters.
Beside all that, l would recommend some serious reading before one spends thousands on doubtful courses, like the Dashew's books (all four of them! would keep one's head spinning for months!) freely available on the net and Andrew Evans's book which is also a free download.
Sir,
Thanks for your response. Luckily I've been surfing in some pretty serious south coast surf since I was a teenager and I have plenty of dive experience from working up in Broome on the pearl boats. Having said that, I'd like to get certified and go about it properly with a PADI. I'll check out those books, that's seriously exciting. I don't know where but I saw a book once about a lady sailing up near Greenland on a budget and it caught my eye, but I can't for the life of me recall the title. By memory the cover had what looked to be a 40 footer with a junk rig on her.
Select to expand quoteshaggybaxter said..
Hi Larry,
Let me start by saying that was a good introduction! Usually there is a bunch of clarification questions before anyone has an idea how serious you are, the level of skill attained etc. Yes, you do get keelboat owners that think unless you cut your teeth in dinghys, you're not a sailor. Or you get a crewman that has forgotten they were inexperienced at one stage too, and look down their noses at newbys. And for every one of them, there's twice as many sailors that will readily help and guide you along your way. You need to find them, don't expect them to come to you, so get out and get sailing with a local club. It doesn't matter how fast or pretty the boat is, some of the best sailors I know have the oldest or plainest boats in the fleet!
A couple of general observations,
Systems. Most of us grew up on dinghy sailing and transitioned to keelboats, so we knew how to sail. The difference between dinghys and keelboats is, which you've already worked out, is understanding and managing the various systems. And there is a lot, crew management, hydraulics, fluids, engine, electrical, nav, communications, plumbing, glasswork etc.
Boat handling. To use the dinghy sailor example again, you might know how to pull the right string and use our weight to optimise the efficiency of their boat, but this doesn't mean you know how to dock a boat safely, or pick up a swing mooring. And Murphys law guarantees you will need to master this skill as a priority!
Naviguessing. Another critical skill that must be learnt for keelboats, and one of the most rewarding. I would argue most skippers don't do a proper passage plan before embarking offshore. Those boats you see in the news being rescued, I would bet my boat on none of them did a proper passage plan before leaving the dock. And to rub salt into the wound (pardon the pun) its ridiculously easy, and confidence inspiring, to do once you know how.
Safety. The biggest and by far the most important, especially as the skipper, as you're legally responsible for everything, and rightly so too. If you only do one course, which I would hate to think but understand if budget is a big constraint, make sure you do a SSSC course (Survival and Safety at Sea) . And this means your wife and crew too. You'll do theory and practical over two days, and it is the best introduction to safety and survival you will ever get. And it will give you confidence you need to do the right thing if everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
So, with the above in mind, my recommendation would be to save the money and put it into being taught by professionals. Bristol Fashion's post above is exactly what I would recommend, and I really do believe the ROI on the cost of education far outweighs the same money invested into a bigger/shinier toy.
If this is too prohibitive in cost, get out and immerse yourself in sailing other peoples boats, and ask lots of questions. The wealth of talent on this forum alone is pretty impressive, and you will find most of us club hacks are more than willing to invest time and effort into you, if you show the reciprocal. (Hint: offer to stay back and help clean the boat!) But it's not the same as professional tuition, especially if you want to be good enough in only a couple of years.
I wish you the best of luck regardless of the path you take. If you ever come up to Brisbane, PM me and we'll drag you out for a sail.
Cheers,
SB
Bax,
Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it. I'm looking into Competent Crew options as we speak, and will seriously consider everything you've written here. I think loading up on the courses are certainly wise, yes. It really seems that the amount you need to know is kind of like needing to be a polymath on meth. What I mean by that is that the sheer spread of skills required, and the overwhelming seriousness of getting them wrong is absolutely obvious, and yet could never be stated enough. I appreciate you pointing that out in particular, and yes, I absolutely agree with my limited knowledge that Brighton's post was very sensible.
Select to expand quoteBananabender said..
Your a lucky man to have a willing partner . Don't put if off.
I was in two minds about replying to your post as there are hundreds of such over the years most of which stay dreams .I have not been out of sight of land for more than 5 days at a time so am by no means the sage old salt your looking for however you remind me of an Irishman who crewed for me in Melb a long time ago.
IMO the quickest way to learn to sail in all conditions is to race as you have to go to a specific point irrespective of weather. HOWEVER you have to pick the right boat. ie nothing longer than 35 feet so you multitask and get the feel of a boat in the size range you will own. Look for such a boat that does the ORCV series to get ocean passages and overnight experience. I presume your a crew member with a yacht club ,if not join. Take time to go to the ORCV office and introduce yourself. Naturally your wife will also do above. Most times on passage races a newby learns more on the return trip in a relaxed atmosphere where the skipper is very inclined to let you helm etc.etc. You will also get involved in preparing the boat like sanding down the antifoul .aggh.
Sure you should do the courses to equip you with the knowledge to wisely and safely make the right decisions and what to do when the sh.. hits the fan.
It will.
Sailing 'around the world ' covers a hell of a lot. Eg you want to go down in the great southern ocean or stay in the tropics.
I have a lot of respect for those who sail offshore without the comfort of a race around them to lean on when in trouble so will not go into boats etc. except to say that the Pink Lady cost well in excess of $100,000 to prepare and what you need to sail non stop around the world may not suit cruising in the tropics island hopping with the winds abeam/ behind. Don't get me wrong the SS34 is a classic ocean passage boat.
Good Luck
Just a thought, I don't know what side of PP your at but visit a few clubs and have a look at the boats and skippers on a Sat or Wed.
HBYC ,RMYC or RYCV may offer more of what you want than Sandy and BYC
I really appreciate your response. It means a lot, all the information I can get means the world at the moment.
She's an absolute legend, my wife. Coordinated and strong too...she'll look good scrambling around on deck fixing my mistakes. I think I'm going to get roaring on a Competent Crew, wifey too, and do a bit of a crash course. As far as the S&S goes, it's just the strength and safety of the vessel that impresses me. I was hoping on picking one up in the $20-50k range and then I'd happily put about $60k into refitting her and putting the things that I need in there. I understand it could be a land anchor, getting all that ready, but I do like the idea of really knowing the boat and the systems, and I additionally like the idea that newer systems, while they do fail, are less likely to.
We have enough for the boat saved already and plan on getting together another $60k for the refit over the next 18 months, and if we live aboard we have our house that we can rent out which will cover our living expenses, on a budget, but safely.As far as where we want to go, unfortunately for us we like the more extreme end of the scale. As nightmarish as it seems, Macquarie Island, Auckland island, the west coast of NZ, the equatorial pacific heading east, Pitcairn, Easter Island, Patagonia, Falklands, St Helena, Mediterranean, The Black Sea, The North Sea, Ireland, South Shetland, Greenland...basically all the places an inexperienced sailor should absolutely not sail in for a while...I'm basically talking the missus out of going straight south until we hit ice. Believe it or not, I'm the cautious one.God help us.
Thought of doing some deliveries as crew in yachts hopping back-forth on nearby ports - good shakedown to learn a bunch of things
I brought my first boat with no practical sailing knowledge. Learnt as I went. Spent more time fixing my 40 yr old boat than actually sailing it and learnt heaps about all that side of things. I wouldn't do it that way again though. If you buy an old dog of a boat it will remain just that but with thousands of $$$ worth of new gear installed. The old stuff will still break and it will still be an old slow dog. Spend a bit more and buy something newer and faster, you will spend more time sailing and going to the places you really want to go with out being worried the whole time about things breaking.
None of it is rocket science, lots of stuff on the interwebs that seems scary but in reality its all pretty simple. The sailing community is great as well, most people out there doing it will go out of their way to help if you ask.
On my channel there are videos going right back to my first season sailing
Landy, with that sort of budget don't bother with a 'project boat', you will find any number of 'sail straight away' yachts in this buyers market. I would also suggest, for comfort's/safety's sake, something in the order of around 40-45ft since the wife is quite happy to always crew. You will find previous posts on this site under the title of 'Interesting boats for sale' will give you a good start. Lots of luck.
Imho you might consider something cheap and good to sail right now. You can get lots of sailing experience, start picking up repair/ maintenance skills, find out if you like it and visit lots of other boats to plan your ideal boat. You can also start to get some idea of what kind of sailing you prefer.
It's taken us over 2 years of pretty much full time sailing just to start to get an idea of exactly what kind of sailing we like and to start to build a picture of the ideal boat to do it - and we're still not there. I think that most of the experienced people on the forum have had a few boats.
Early on we met a guy whose dream was to cruise solo to n.z. from Aus, he'd bought a fast sheltered water racer/cruiser, pretty unsuitable and none of the right equipment. A bit more time might have led to a better decision.
Those sound great locations to aim for, but they require a fair bit of experience and a good boat that can deal with (and keep you comfortable in) a wide range of conditions - you need heating, cooling, sun shade and protection from cold & rain. You're also out for some extended periods and will get everything thrown at you.
Still, a good s&s 34 will take you anywhere !
Cheers & good luck.
Bristol
Select to expand quotedism said..
Thought of doing some deliveries as crew in yachts hopping back-forth on nearby ports - good shakedown to learn a bunch of things
Good idea dism....
Select to expand quoteBristolfashion said..
Imho you might consider something cheap and good to sail right now. You can get lots of sailing experience, start picking up repair/ maintenance skills, find out if you like it and visit lots of other boats to plan your ideal boat. You can also start to get some idea of what kind of sailing you prefer.
It's taken us over 2 years of pretty much full time sailing just to start to get an idea of exactly what kind of sailing we like and to start to build a picture of the ideal boat to do it - and we're still not there. I think that most of the experienced people on the forum have had a few boats.
Early on we met a guy whose dream was to cruise solo to n.z. from Aus, he'd bought a fast sheltered water racer/cruiser, pretty unsuitable and none of the right equipment. A bit more time might have led to a better decision.
Those sound great locations to aim for, but they require a fair bit of experience and a good boat that can deal with (and keep you comfortable in) a wide range of conditions - you need heating, cooling, sun shade and protection from cold & rain. You're also out for some extended periods and will get everything thrown at you.
Still, a good s&s 34 will take you anywhere !
Cheers & good luck.
Bristol
+1
Id suggest gettinga cheap sub30 ft'er to practice on, while you save over the next18 months, something solid and reliable enough to venture out onto the sea but small and cheap enough ,you won't mind drilling the odd hole init, making small modifications, replacing the odd bit of rigging etc.
Then sell it'before you buy your next boat., hopefully not losing too much $$$ in the process of learning what you need.
Select to expand quotelandlubberlarry said..sirgallivant said..
Physical and mental conditioning - which is seldom mentioned - is paramount.
One must be a safe and reliable swimmer for start and diving experience comes handy as well.
Overweight armchair sailors don't last long in troubled waters.
Beside all that, l would recommend some serious reading before one spends thousands on doubtful courses, like the Dashew's books (all four of them! would keep one's head spinning for months!) freely available on the net and Andrew Evans's book which is also a free download.
Sir,
Thanks for your response. Luckily I've been surfing in some pretty serious south coast surf since I was a teenager and I have plenty of dive experience from working up in Broome on the pearl boats. Having said that, I'd like to get certified and go about it properly with a PADI. I'll check out those books, that's seriously exciting. I don't know where but I saw a book once about a lady sailing up near Greenland on a budget and it caught my eye, but I can't for the life of me recall the title. By memory the cover had what looked to be a 40 footer with a junk rig on her.
The book you are trying to remember sounds like Annie Hill, Voyaging on a small income www.goodreads.com/book/show/866234.Voyaging_On_A_Small_Income
Pretty adventurous list there Larry, I like your style but surfing the southern ocean is not the same as being on a boat for days at a time in it. Especially at those latitudes.
If you look at what happened to the recent global round the world fleet, there is a thread just recently, you will get an idea of the punishment you can get there.
I was a cray and tuna deckhand off Esperance in my younger days. Most days are fine and will be your best memories but things change quickly. We used massive boats that were still dwarfed some days by the swell and seas.
Can be dead calm in the morning and by night well overhead breakers that will eat your boat alive.
Dont want to put you off, its doable but make sure you plan well and get a lot more experience in advance of taking off. No one is coming to rescue you within the day is all you need to put in your mind.
Blue Moon is on the money. He's got a Top Hat - superb 25' cruiser. A great boat to start on and reasonably priced - I believe one top hat has circumnavigated twice - once with the parents and once with the son. You can acquire all the basic sailing skills & lots of repair & maintenance experience on one of those.
Cheers
Bristol
Landlubberlarry has a wife that is keen on sailing and any boat he buys will have to meet her standards. SS34's are excellent yachts and I would own one in a heart beat. But there are none for sale at the moment that have accommodation suitable for a liveaboard couple. The Eastern seaboard is already chockers with blokes on yachts where the wife has had enough and gone home! For a long distance solo sailor the SS34 is fine as they just live in the saloon and there is no other accommodation. Most women will want an enclosed head as a minimum.
Select to expand quoteRamona said..
Landlubberlarry has a wife that is keen on sailing and any boat he buys will have to meet her standards. SS34's are excellent yachts and I would own one in a heart beat. But there are none for sale at the moment that have accommodation suitable for a liveaboard couple. The Eastern seaboard is already chockers with blokes on yachts where the wife has had enough and gone home! For a long distance solo sailor the SS34 is fine as they just live in the saloon and there is no other accommodation. Most women will want an enclosed head as a minimum.
Ramona is right an S&S 34 is a great boat, I loved mine, but not ideal for a cruising couple. OK for weekends but unless you love the idea of making do with very limited space you will want better accomodation. Even an S&S 39 would be better if you can find one.
Lots of great information there, although I didn't see a first aid course mentioned. Unless I missed it. St Johns do a number of courses, including covering survival in remote areas. Do one, and get the best first aid kit you can fit, it may save your life.
Bristol mentioned Top Hats circumnavigating. It was Possibilities (powered by an outboard by the way) with Jamie Mitchell, and 18 years prior, Caprice with Jamie's parents Ian and Jan Mitchell. Jamie was born in Durban on his parent's trip. By the time Ian and Jan got home she was expecting another baby. Read her book, Two in a Top Hat. Information is outdated, but it gives you an idea on how a couple traveled the world on a 25 foot boat, with a set of charts, sextant, compass and a slightly dodgy diesel. There story was the reason I bought ours, but you need to be really good friends if you're going far on one. 
