If six people (all women in this case) wanted to sail around the world how big a boat would they need?

Question

Would something like Humphrey Bogart's 55 foot schooner Santana be adequate?

Dam. I forgot about the chocolate. Better add another ten feet.

Answer 1

the points raised about size and heaviness of gear are very appropriate...and while I love big old schooners.and have had several....the running gear on a 55 footer is a lot to handle.......now, on the other hand, you are going to need a fairly big boat just to carry enough supplies, food and water to make some of the long passages......30 plus days from Panama to Tahiti for example, 30 to 40 from Cape Town to the Caribbean ...so 6 people times 30 days times 3 meals.even simple ones....is 540 meals......that's a LOT of brown rice!

Not to mention all the spare parts you need, which, short list is a replacement for everything except the engine block!

Also consider that , unless you are going virtually non-stop, a circum nav is going to be two years at least and maybe three.....with zig zags and detours and side trips, maybe 27,000 miles; at 150 miles a day made good, that's 180 days under way...out of 720 in all. So you will be spending 4 times as much time at anchor or in port as underway. Can 6 people...men women, Martians, Vulcans......spend that much time on a boat without a private cabin for each?......

Friends of mine down here in St Thomas look after a Benetau 51, which has 5 cabins..not a boat I'd take around the world, but an indicator that there are 50 odd footers out there with space privacy and carrying capacity..........and a 50 footer is just that much faster than a 40 footer.......you will probably end up with something that size and deal with the physical challenges...bigger winches, to start!!!

Answer 2

I started out with a 25ft MacGregor just to learn to sail on but it got way small way fast! I moved on to an Irwin Citation 34' and it seems okay for just my wife and I and just peachy for solo sailing distance. What I REALLY want is to live aboard a sailboat, which to have that question answered by a woman....my wife has defined that she wants a Hunter 42-46ft range in order to do this, something new or newer that has two staterooms, queensize beds, two bathrooms and lots of space. For 6 people, regardless of gender, this is about the minimum. You will always have the helm, anchor watch, etc., etc., going on that you will never have 6 people sleeping all at once. At this point even my 34ft Irwin seems small and it seemed so large and roomy with all the comforts of home when I first got it! Sail around the world? You also need to think about much more than size and of vessel's systems and overall seaworthiness, along with skills and abilities of the crew. This question lends toward too much to write in this short note and really relies upon you doing some very extensive research....there are parts of this world in this day and age that most experienced sailors will avoid venturing to, me included. I have babbled on long enough for one day....I must look for the answers to my various nautical questions if they exist.

Answer 3

This is a tough one. Since you've mentioned that all passengers on the boat are to be women, we need to include some extra space for makeup, tampons, pamprin, and other things of the sort. You will probably need a few extra cabins to house recreational activities such as laundry and dishes. I'd say a 60" yacht should be good enough. And don't forget the chocolate.

Answer 4

The current most popular size for going around the world is 42 feet. That s big enough to accomodate 6 women. We foun that whe you get too big the gear is hard to handle even with big wenches. We chartered a 51 in BVI for 7 people. I am 5 foot and found the sheets very long to haul in and the halyards very heavy to haul up.

Answer 5

I would say something in the range of 50-60 feet.

Answer 6

6 woman. You better rent out a Cruise Liner. Your going to need all the room you can get. hehehe Good-Luck!!!

Answer 7

yeah i was going to say a 60 foot would be fine... just as long as it has more then one bathroom.(make-up, hair,primp)