Hi Chuck,

I have sailed our Amel single handedly many times. People such as Kent and Alexandre can speak to this better than I, but I think the Amel is a breeze for a solo sailor. One of the reasons we purchased an Amel is either one of us can reef sails single handedly and never leave the cockpit. This is a huge safety factor when at sea. I can sleep knowing Cindy is safe in the cockpit and can adjust sails as needed. This was also a big comfort factor for her when considering which boat to purchase. I would challenge you to look at other designs of boats and ask yourself, how easy is it for one person to reef? In many cases, it is not possible.

I have never thought our Amel was too big. If fact, we think the opposite. Amel is so well designed we do not feel it is big at all. Some marinas and moorings in the USA charge extra for boats over 50'. We just say "see ya" and stay elsewhere. We have never been at a loss for a place to stay. For the most part, businesses are willing to take our money. You have probably noticed the draft and mast height are not Intracoastal friendly. But, if you want to travel the eastern Intracoastal Waterway buy a power boat (you are going to have to motor the entire way anyway). We have sailed eastern US and went outside. It is easier, faster and in my opinion much safer.

We recently sailed the Bahamas, an area notorious for shallow waters. When we told other cruisers we draw about 7' they give us the "oh my" face. If you are looking for a shallow draft boat, buy a cat. When you draw 2' you can get into places off limits to mono-hulls. IMO there is not much difference between a 6' draft and a 7' draft when sailing shallow waters. A 7' foot draft usually means you are just going to run aground one minute before the 6' draft. For the most part we try to stay in 10', or more. In our entire Bahamas cruise, there were only two places we opted not to enter. We thought we were deep draft in the Bahamas until we met someone with a 9' draft. They had been to all the placed we visited.

The real question you have to ask yourself, is do you want a safe proven blue water cruising boat, or something else. We opted to purchase a boat that we knew would take us anywhere in the world with comfort and safety. If you start making sacrifices such as less draft or lower mast height, you are giving up some of the characteristics that make Amels awesome blue water cruisers.