stevepick
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Thanks for the replies. Out of interest, why is that a lot of people say that when you get back the boat needs a refit and/or new sails and suffers what they imply is excessive wear & tear.
Ocean passage sailing does cause more wear & tear - at a pre ARC lecture Chris Tibbs said something like its equivalent to 3 time the distance run "cruising' There is a lot of chaff, made worse by sails hoisted continuously, reefed sails will wear badly around reef points. The boat is rolling far more than on a coastal cruise so the cabins take regular knocks, especially if something gets loose. It all adds up surprisingly quickly. So a refit after the eqivalent of 18K miles cruising ( whats that 7 - 15 years cruising for most folk?) seems totally normal.