I know, that has to be one of the first and oldest questions when it comes to consider cruising. But, like everyone else, I've got to ask it too!

I am looking for a boat that would not only sail "safely" across the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and down to South America, but something that would be manageable for two people, give two separate berths, and lots of room for storage of materials, equipment and supplies for time spent inland.

I will be using a canoe to go up individual rivers, carrying a hammock, a backpack and perhaps an additional bag for some occasions. This is how we have typically travelled in Panama and it's how the work there really began. Now that we want to focus on visiting the whole Caribbean side, we need reliable transportation to that side, as well as a place to spend a few days if travelling up some rivers must be delayed. Also, many of these locations do not have a small regional airport even available if someone wants to fly in.

I once thought that I just had to have something that was 34-38 feet long. But I'm reading more and more (and listening to podcasts) about people going around the world in smaller boats. So, apparently it's more than possible to travel regionally with something smaller and still have plenty of space for living and storage.

Can anyone comment and help direct some of my research?

For quite a while, I've nurtured the dream that someday I would have a sailboat and sail throughout the Caribbean and along the Central American coast. It is not a dream without a purpose. Hence, the name of this sailing blog.

I'd like to use this blog to chronicle the progress, albeit ever-so-slow, of my dream. But, back to my dream and the purpose, let me introduce myself.

Having lived with my wife and son for nearly 12 years in Venezuela, I rarely ever had a chance to even visit the sea coast. Frequent trips to and from the international airport picking up or dropping off visitors was just about the only chance we ever had to smell the salty air, feel the muggy heat at sea level or view a boat (from too long a distance!).

Then, after an hour or two, back we headed up the mountain to Caracas. It was there that we labored in the slums of the southwestern part of the city. We pioneered a church in the barrio and served as the pastor until 2006.

Before leaving Caracas, God opened a door of opportunity for me to visit the Changuinola/Bocas del Toro region of northwestern Panama. For another year we returned frequently to evangelize and ministry to the indigenous Naso tribe. Travelling to this region was certainly "possible" -- a flight into Panama City, spend the night, then hit the airport again to fly to Changuinola early the next morning. A dug out canoe provided simple access up river to where we proceeded to establish a church under the leadership of a Naso with a tremendous heart for God's work.

Due to the way we "discovered" the Naso people, I began to see that my dream of owning a sailboat would greatly aid us in repeating the same thing all along the eastern coast of Central America. Sailing to location, travelling by canoe to reach the indigenous people groups, and returning to the boat after many days would provide transportation, room and board and a place to store the gear and materials necessary to facilitate our work.

Each trip in and out of Panama City found me spending every spare moment out on the Causeway or wandering along the rocky shore looking wistfully over the beautiful boats anchored all over the area. It must have been here that my lifelong love of boats and my passion for ministry to the indigenous peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean began to be intertwined as I considered the feasibility of such an arrangement for travel and ministry.

At the present I'm still a landlubber, and the only gentle swaying and rocking I've done is on the back of a horse like the one above as we seek to visit the families and villages of northwestern Panama.

I would really love to find advice from experienced sailors to help me sort through the list of questions like: What kind of boat should be considered, how big is big enough for a sailboat doing this kind of route, etc.

I've come across the www.furledsails.com site and have been devouring their podcasts. It has been a marvelous encouragement as I've heard so many questions answered and so many more discussions have become keys to unlocking the mysteries of sailing.

I am only beginning to investigate the possibilities and welcome any and all input from the greater sailing community. Thanks for letting us dream along with you as you've shared so many of your experiences.