Life is all about compromises. So is finding the right boat.
The Sanibel is a great little boat. She's easy to trailer. Stepping the mast single-handed doesn't require the strength of a weight lifter. Her shallow draft allows you to go places that other sailboats can only dream about. The offset centerboard gives you an unobstructed cabin. The list goes on.
I was also getting a first hand view of the drawbacks to a 17' boat.
ELBOW ROOM is key. Two people with gear and provisions for a few days of gunkholing are a tight fit in a Sanibel. Sure, people are doing it - but are they doing it comfortably?
Her bulbous hull shape helps her accommodate more 'stuff' but it makes sailing to windward less than satisfactory.
Sailing in the Outer Banks had also spoiled me for lake sailing. I like having a destination - even if I can't get there on the first try (like Ocracoke). I don't like the prospect of dragging the boat back and forth at 60 mph. The hour plus spent stepping/unstepping the mast and launching/retrieving the boat is tiresome.
Getting a larger trailerable boat would get me back into the old problem of owning a large vehicle capable of towing it safely, not to mention a longer, heaver mast to step.
I needed to give some serious thought to what I wanted to do with a sailboat. How much could I afford to spend and what kind of boat would that money buy?
June informed me that a 45' catamaran was out of the question. I'd have to explore other options.
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