Description
In Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, John Vigor turns the spotlight on twenty seaworthy sailboats that are at home on the ocean in all weather. These are old fiberglass boats, mostly of traditional design and strong construction. All are small, from 20 feet to 32 feet overall, but all have crossed oceans, and all are cheap. Choosing the right boat to take you across an ocean or around the world can be confusing and exasperating, particularly with a tight budget. Vigor sets out to remedy that in Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere. He compares the designs and handling characteristics of 20 different boats whose secondhand market prices start at about $3,000. Interviews with experienced owners (featuring valuable tips about handling each boat in heavy weather) are interspersed with line drawings of hulls, sail plans, and accommodations. Vigor has unearthed the known weaknesses of each boat and explains how to deal with them. He rates their comparative seaworthiness, their speed, and the number of people they can carry in comfort.If you have ever dreamed the dream this book can help you turn it into reality.
About the Author
John Vigor was born in Plymouth, England, but emigrated to South Africa with his family at age 13. After being trained there as a newspaper reporter and photographer, he returned to England to gain experience of British journalism. He joined a paper in Maidstone, Kent, and there met his American-born wife, June who was a journalist working for the same paper. They married in Maidstone and later moved to Durban, South Africa, where they raised three sons.
He has been sailing for more than 40 years in boats ranging from 11 to 72 feet, logging 15,000 miles of ocean voyaging. He is the author of seven nautical books, and contributes articles to “Cruising World”, “SAIL”, and “Yachting Monthly”.
