Dear readers,

A special magic emanates from small boats. The magic of simple, uncomplicated sailing. On 17, 20 or even 25-footers, you can always find a spot somewhere in the harbour, even if it's full to bursting. Costs for equipment, mooring fees, simply everything, are kept within limits. The small boat follows us faithfully on the trailer behind the car to any sailing area and spends the winter frugally on the trailer behind the house.

It's no wonder that the small cruiser fan community is huge, whether among regatta and after-work sailors, cruising sailors or even circumnavigators. Last week, the news spread that 2025 a regatta around the world on self-built plywood minis is to be organised. The response, both among potentially interested parties and among readers, is great: there are even two German candidates on the provisional starting list.

It certainly sounds like a daring endeavour. On the other hand, skippers of much smaller boats have already proven that it is possible to make it around the world. The Frenchman Yann Quenet recently completed a set off on his second circumnavigation of the world in a small boat he built himself, which was only four metres(!) long. On the plywood minis there was already a transatlantic raceand experienced sailors like the Pole Szymon Kuczynski have also shown that it is possible, sailing around the world in a small production boat like the Maxus 22. And even non-stop.

It would probably be wise to stay in sheltered areas with all these small boats, whether self-built or series-produced, whether made of plywood or GRP. On inland lakes or on the coast. But then many exciting sailing trips would never have taken place, let alone extreme journeys such as those of the Habeck family, who even sailed around the world in an Etap 21i. An email recently received by the editorial team shows the impact such trips can have and their potential to inspire others, especially young sailors. A young sailor from southern Germany, just in his mid-twenties, described how much the trip, the book and the boat described had inspired him - even though the adventure took place several years ago.

In the end, he also bought an Etap 21i. Not to sail around the world, but to fulfil his own big sailing dream after completing his bachelor's degree: a tour of the Mediterranean. The interview with this young man, which will soon be published about his trip on yacht.de and in YACHT, makes it clear once again what the great attraction of small boats is. The skipper decided to chug across France from Heidelberg on his own keel instead of bringing the boat there on a trailer. However, he can determine the end point of his Mediterranean voyage - which is still ongoing - flexibly by bringing his boat back on the trailer after all.

This example shows once again that you have a choice with small cruisers. This gives you freedom and flexibility - and makes the small ones the real big ones.

Kristina Müller,

YACHT editor

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