"... Come, my friends,

T'is not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, ..."

Alfred Lord Tennyson said it all. At least for me. And so, instead of sitting by the hearth, I also wish togo down to the sea again ... 

A little fat, some may say, but so am I. 

Here is a first list of requirements:

She must float. Ok, that should be logical. 

She must be transportable. No, I do not want a trailer-sailer, I want a boat that can cross the ocean. But I do not want to have to rent a low loader, cranes, police escorts, and so on if I want to move her from her birthplace to the ocean. Which very much limits us to 3 toms maximum weight, and 3 meters width. 

Ilha Mozambique, where sail is still a way of life. 

I would like to explore shallow waters: Lagoons along the Mozambique coast come to mind. I would love to anchor of Ilha Mozambique, barter with the fishermen near Vilanculos. And maybe visit the Comoros, Nossi Be ... at my own time and at my own pace. 

First lines

So at the moment the design is for a boat with a draft of not more than a metre. Preferably with bilge keels so she can stand up on her own feet. A gaff rig, because it looks right, and should be easier to handle, and be cheaper than a tall, high tension rig that would require winches and so on., 

She must be steel, bcause I bump into things. And I would prefer the damage to be to the other guy. 

I need electricity on board, because should I succeed in enticing my wife aboard she would have to be able to carry on her translation work, and I my editing work, from the boat. 

Vilanculos: dreaming ...

One interesting option at the moment is to put a small genset on board, there are lovely small Kubota-powered ones. Use a good few batteries as ballast. Then use an electric engine to turn the propellor. There seem to be a lot of people thinking along those lines these days. 

Ernest Gann had the specifications about right: She should drink six, eat four and sleep two. Ok, maybe there should be space, should grandkids want to come along for a weekend. Or a friend want to come diving when the sardines run ...

The project has begun ...