Greetings to All

[CaptainV lad]

I am Vladimir and I am new to the forum. I currently live in North Florida and I am in love with both the river and the ocean. I own 23' cuddy and spend as much time as possible on it when I am not either at work or in the classroom, anywhere from the St Johns river to 20+ miles offshore fishing. I did buy a 26 footer few years back with the intention of crossing to the Bahamas but had to sell it before I could even put it in the water...

I dream of cruising the caribbean, starting from Florida all the way to the French islands. I am debating if I should get a trawler or a sailboat, and would like the opinions of the senior members of this forum on which way to go, the pros and cons etc. I am also here looking for opportunities to have more open water experience as I start to look in the crew needed section for short trips that can fit my vacation schedule...
I think that will be all for today. I hope to hear from you guys soon.

Vlad

[redbopeep]

Welcome aboard. One of our moderators, JeanneP has experience with both sailboats and motorboats for cruising--so hopefully she'll come along and give you some insights. From my own perspective it seems that if you have plenty of time, you sail (the winds can be fickle and you may be becalmed for a while, after all); if you're crossing big oceans, you sail; if you're on a budget, you sail; if you're coastal cruising and on a time schedule, you considering a motor vessel; if you're into creature comforts, a motor vessel may better suit as well. When I say "motor vessel" I include pure motorboats like the trawlers as well as motorsailers which are built with shorter mast and intended to be motored while underway (not just sailed).

Fair winds,

[Istioploos]

Welcome to Cruiser Log. Please take a look to our Cruiser's Guide wiki, even better contribute your knowledge.