Strategic Small Boat Voyaging

I just happen to believe smaller boats are smarter than large boats in some conditions and circumstances.. By Howard Rice

The other day a very experienced sailing friend stopped by the shop for a look at my boat build. Mid conversation he asked, “Hey just for fun if you could take Skip Novak’s 52-foot Pelagic or your small boat, which would you choose to sail through Tierra del Fuego and around Cape Horn?” I’d been baited with an interesting question and one I felt qualified to answer. I had once voyaged there in a 15-foot wood/canvas sailing canoe and had been aboard the Pelagic after a chance meeting in the Beagle Channel.

“I’d choose a small open boat hands down,” I replied. We went back and forth until I explained, “It’s really about the voyaging strategy. If you analyze the place(s) you plan to sail and choose the right small boat you’re well on your way. If you back this approach up with a sound voyaging strategy you can end up doing amazing things. Choice of boat is the start and end point of any successful strategy. I just happen to believe smaller boats are smarter than large boats in some conditions and circumstances.”