The trend in bluewater cruising, liveaboard, oceans sailing yachts has been moving towards bigger boats, comfortable living spaces with multiple cabins, galley, and larger bathrooms. But these sailboats are expensive to buy, maintain, and insure, requires more crew, are more difficult to handle, both offshore and in marinas or tight areas.

We talk with Kim Stephens & John Harries about what makes a boat too big to handle safely, and why bigger might not be better sometimes. We analyze some of the pitfalls of this trend, and some of the value added. 

Kim Stephens is sailing aboard a Stevens 47, S/V Meraviglia, with her husband, Bob.  They are long time health care professionals and in 2022 decided to take a break and experience life on the water while we had the physical ability to do so. They did a total refit of their vessel, working, on her full time from June of 2023 to February 2024.  They are currently in Aruba after beginning our journey in Brunswick, Georgia in February and working their way down the thorny path.  They plan to transit the Panama Canal in December and explore the South Pacific in 2025.

Website: https://sailingmeraviglia.com/   
Instagram: @SailingMeraviglia

John Harries was born and brought up in Bermuda and started sailing as a child, racing locally and offshore before turning to cruising. He has sailed over 150,000 miles, most of it on his McCurdy & Rhodes 56, Morgan’s Cloud, including eight ocean races to Bermuda, culminating in winning his class twice in the Newport Bermuda Race. He has skippered a series of voyages in the North Atlantic, the majority of which have been to the high latitudes. John has been helping others go voyaging by sharing his experience for nearly  30 years, first in yachting magazines and, for the last 22 years, as co-editor/publisher of AAC.

Website: https://www.morganscloud.com Attainable Adventure Cruising

Music: Stands For Nothing, Ben's band with his brother Tim Eriksen