It's always difficult when you do a book like this, or you're involved in yacht building and design as we've been, to keep in mind that one doesn't need a whole lot of boat or fancy gadgets to enjoy the cruising lifestyle. Sure, it's nice to have a bigger boat, and SSB or weatherfax reduces anxiety, but the objective really ought to be cruising, and not waiting around until you have enough bucks to buy some ultimate cruising machine. In the early sixties, when I had my first boatyard and was struggling to get established (or maybe just make the next payroll), I would occasionally see young folks going cruising in very small boats with even smaller budgets. I'd get a postcard now and then, perhaps from Papeete, or Sri Lanka, and think, "Some day, I'll do that too."

Well, it took a lot of years for me to accumulated the money I thought I needed, and the good sense to kiss off our "normal" lifestyle. With a modest budget we bought our 50-footer (15.4m), as you know by now, and sailed into the sunset.

I have only one major regret: That we waited so long. While it's always hard to look back and say one should have done this or that, I firmly believe that selling my car and few possessions and buying a Folkboat, or some such machine, and heading off to the South Pacific, would have been more rewarding in the long run, than banging my head against the walls of our economic system in order to accumulate the wealth I thought was necessary to go cruising in the "proper" style.

Much of what you have read now, I hope, will enable you to make informed decisions on what you really need, and what can be passed over. It really is possible to cruise in a proper little ship, with a minimum of fancy toys, and do it safely, with some degree of comfort, with the entire world to play in Ñ to learn about Ñ while you expand your personal level of awareness. The sooner you go and the simpler you do it, the better off you will be.

Toward that end, we thought it fitting to end this book with some comments on several small yachts, aboard which we would have been happy to head off to paradise two decades ago.

Remember, these are just examples. There are a number of such designs afloat throughout the world today. All you have to do is be clear about your objectives, sell the car, get rid of the furniture at a garage sale, take a modest amount of savings, and you're off!

CONTESSA 26

Linda and I first got to know the Contessa 26 when we met Tanya Aebi at a lecture she gave near our home in Ojai, California. She'd sailed a somewhat modified version of this design around the world alone, and it was obvious from her comments and the photos that it was a proper little ship.

Then, one day I received a phone call from a friend and yacht designer, Richard Black. Richard had found a Contessa 26 sadly in need of loving care, but otherwise quite sound. He'd bought the boat for $10,000.

The boat was a wreck inside and out, but only cosmetically. Within a couple of months, with a few hundred dollars in paint, Richard had her looking like a proper yacht. When he added gold leaf to the cove stripe I knew the job was done.

There aren't any electronics, the engine is noisy, and he couldn't carry that much cruising gear, but there's an enclosed head, a place to sleep at anchor, and room for enough clothes and supplies to keep you happy in the South Pacific.

Richard's priorities in buying this boat are interesting. He had owned and cruised on a series of large boats and could have afforded more. However, with this small an investment he could pick the boat up without going to the bank. They had a few bucks left over in the bank to boot. There were no cash-flow hassles, no emotional problems associated with being overburdened financially.

If you keep your eyes open you may find a similar situation. They are always around, you just need to find them. The worse the boat looks, if it is in structurally sound condition, the better the deal is likely to be, as long as you are prepared to put a little elbow grease into the project.

The main cabin of the Contessa 26 is tight, but still offers the comforts of home. There's a nice little sink and galley area to port and a small chart table to starboard. Forward you'll find V-berths and an enclosed head.