The combined accomplishments and experiences of the Beneteau Owners community could really help me out here...
You see, I'm looking to buy a yacht on which I hope to complete one single-handed lap of the world. Not as a race but as a public interest project in which every passage plan decision is to be put to a public vote. That's it in a nutshell but in my search for a suitable boat, I've been pursuaded by the guys at Ancasta to look at the option of buying a brand new Oceanis 40. It's a beatiful yacht - no doubt about that. At a push, she'd be just about within my budget but I have one major concern that you might be able to put me straight on.
In your opinion, if the passage should stray from the recognised cruising routes, would the Oceanis 40 be strong enough to cope with the very lumpy stuff? I don't know where I'm going to end up but in reality, it's quite possible that I'll be rounding Cape Horn or crossing the North Pacific. I'll certainly be crossing the Atlantic and as much as I love the new Oceanis, I really need anecdotal evidence of owners' experiences.
I've also seen two immaculate examples of the Beneteau 411 'Celebration' with the slightly larger rig. They're both up at the same price and would seem very reasonable but the same applies... would they be robust enough for a lap of the world?
If you're interested, my circumnavigation (and the mechanism for the vote) can be found at www.w2n.co.uk but as the search for a suitable boat goes on, I'd really appreciate some advice. My shortlist contains considerably more Beneteaus than any other boat so it's important that I make a well-informed decision.
Many thanks,
Rob
