You said: "You'll no doubt think I'm absolutely certifiable when I tell
you that for years I have been fascinated by the ultimate challenge one
could undertake in a trawler yacht: a nonstop circumnavigation of the
world."

<<Sounds like a great idea.>> Thank you, Bruce, and others for your encouragement and input. <<It sure would be a different mind-set not to stop.>> I seem to enjoy the passage more than the destination, so going all the way around doesn't sound that strange to me. I once spent 77 days at sea, enjoyed it immensely, and was sorry to see the voyage end. <<You would need an LWL of at least 80 feet so your V/L would only be 0.9. at 8 knots. Still, an initial fuel burn of about 3 GPH sounds right to me. At 175,000 lbs displacement your D/L would only be about 150.>> Those numbers are in the ballpark, although I'm hoping the vessel will come down in size and weight a bit. <<You could likely build the boat for less than $2 million. Add $750,000 for planning, making the voyage and for capital acquisition/marketing expenses and for $2.75 million you wouldn't have to worry about what to do to occupy yourself for a while.>> That's for sure! The brief discussion here has reminded me how long I've been thinking about such a voyage. It's time to take stock at my end, consider all my dreams and priorities, and make some decisions about how I want the next decade of my life to unfold. I've enjoyed the discussion, and I especially appreciated this message in a private email from a listee: >You said: "You'll no doubt think I'm absolutely certifiable when I tell >you that for years I have been fascinated by the ultimate challenge one >could undertake in a trawler yacht: a nonstop circumnavigation of the >world." >================ >Actually I don't as I have had the ambition to do the same thing most of >my life, except with sail. I managed to get about 1/3 the way >around . . . but life, MONEY, and a desire to smell the roses along >the way did change the reality if not the ambition. > >It is kind of fun to talk about all the "stuff" on our trawlers, but it's >been my observation that folks that actually go places on the fringes of >civilization do so with simple equipment or, at least, are able to >continue on with the basics. The most satisfying endeavor in my life was >the completion of the Single-handed Transpac in 1982 in a very basic 28 >foot IOR half-tonner with a compass & sextant without any sponsorship >except moral support from my family and friends. > >So go for it -- mortgage the house, whatever, but move forward. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2005 to everyone! --Georgs