My folks are thinking about selling their moderately expensive house, buying some cheap flat somewhere to store all their stuff, and then using the proceeds to finance several years sailing in the Med. They've currently got a 34 footer (from memory) which is fine for them and a couple of passengers, but they're reckoning on trading up to a bigger boat for longer-term use. I think they're looking at about 40 foot as being ideal for the pair of them.

I know they're looking around for various books and stuff about it - I can gouge them for info if you like. I spose the main thing is to be in a warm climate, then you don't have to bother too much with heating, insulation etc!

But they've both been sailing most of their lives, first dinghy sailing, then a bit of crewing on friends' boats, then finally getting their own a few years back. If your wife doesn't like it "when it tips", then you may have a problem - I know that my wife won't do anything except sit in the cockpit, and she won't get into a dinghy at all. This after experiencing sailing in the slowest, most stable boat I could find - a hire boat filled with lead with tiny sails that goes slower than an Optimist!

Grab.