Sailing advice, where to buy, hull type.

hi people.

my friend and i are reasonably new to sailing. i did a fair bit when i was younger, he is abit better than i am.

the plan:
buy a boat, get it moored and learn more about our boat, sailing, handling etc. . .
sail the channel from the uk then along the coast of france, down past portugal and onto the south of spain.
we wont be going too far from shore (if there are any problems or bad weather we then can moor up easy.

we can take as much time away from work as is needed and our max. price for a boat is about £7k - maybe more if the boat needs less equipment / work
luckly i am being paid commision so living costs/ boat maintenance etc will be about £150 per week.

i am thinking a catamaran may be good?
they seem stable (i have been on a 26 footer a while back)
also they offer alot more space for living etc. . .

needs to be easy to sail for 2 people, enough room for the 2 of us, must have an engine so we can just chug along, and if things feel right we can always do some SAILING!

any help and advice would be great.

thanks!

Bob

Offer yourselves as crew too, so you can get experience of lots of different types of boat.

Lots of FE colleges offer Competent Crew, Yachtmaster etc courses, even those inland and they aren't too expensive.

Jumping in the deep end isn't always the best idea.

I hate to say it but I agree with the above. I have watched a few (ok more than that) programs about the RNLI and coastguard. People have tried what you are doing and had to call the "emergency services" to assist. The ES covering the water are "volenteers" not like the 999 services.

Firstly where abouts are you? We on here populate the UK so will be able to offer advice on a club even if not our own.

Secondly get yourself on RYA courses. Again, info on where you live we can advise where to go. I went on a Day Skipper course with Anglia Sea Ventures and can totally recommend them. They do all the courses you would be interested in but there are others.

Thirdly get out there, read magazines and visit the boat shows even if you are not looking to buy new, its a great way to see whats out there!