The other day on the ICW we were passed by a very big, very smart looking sailboat. I was not able to recognize the brand. It was new and it looked nice. An hour or so after it passed us, we came upon the same boat dropping anchor in a strange place. Libby asked if they needed help. "No," came the answer, "There is only 63 feet clearance under that bridge ahead. We are waiting for low tide."
What a pain in the neck to travel the ICW and worrying to death if one could pass under every single bridge.
Back in Marineland, we met a nice couple from Oswego, New York. They had a 65 foot steel tug boat converted to a cruising boat. She was a very worthy vessel and she looked beautiful. Again I thought, "What a pain. Where could you go with that boat. Where would you stay." None of the mooring fields can handle a vessel that big, nor can most of the marinas.
Up in Saint Augustine we saw a Prout 63 foot catamaran. We had not gotten over our astonishment at its size when we saw a Prout 77 footer nearby. Those things probably had 90-100 foot masts. Once again, you would be severely restricted in where you could go with such a vessel. Only the marinas that cater to the mega-yachts of the super rich could handle them. How sad to own such a fine boat and to be so limited in what you could do with it.
Some of our cruiser friends are heading south right now. Because their mast is too high for the ICW, they must sail nonstop from Annapolis to Miami on the outside.
I once read a book about circumnavigation. It said that 2/3 of circumnavigators who give up part way, cite "too big a boat" as their reason.
My friend Bob, just told me that the statistics for new cruising boats show a clear trend to get even bigger. Ay ay ay. I understand that affluence is a driver. "Why settle for that $200,000 boat? Let's get the $400,000 one." Never mind that all operating and maintenance costs go up with the square of boat displacement. But what I suspect many of those boat purchasers don't understand, is that too big a boat is actually less useful to own than a smaller boat.
Do not expect the cruising media to tell you that secret. They are captive to advertisers who depend on selling big ticket items. Money is king.
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In 1970, the year my 33' Hallberg Mistral was made, 33' was the typical size for a blue water sailboat. I don't know what it is today, but I'll bet it's in the mid-forty foot range.
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