The Biggest Boat I Could Afford

Sailing up the U.S. Coast in a Dinghy

By Lee Hughes



Sailing, June 2005:

“‘Call me Ishmael.’ ‘Who is John Galt?’ ‘It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…’

“Western literature is replete with great opening lines. And now it's time to add another: ‘It was all the readhead's fault.’

“So begins The Biggest Boat I Could Afford, by New Zealander Lee Hughes, an account of how Hughes sailed a 16-foot Wayfarer dinghy, 2,500 miles from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, up the East Coast by way of the ICW.

“A couple of years ago, Sheridan House, the publisher of Hughes' narrative, also produced a book titled The Unlikely Voyage of Jack DeCrow by A.J. Mackinnon. At the time I thought it was about as unique a sailing book as you could ever find. Imagine a story about a complete non-sailor who navigates his mirror dinghy across the waterways of England and Europe, spending as much time talking about J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings as he does about seamanship.

“Hughes, however, may very well have him beat. For one thing, he's a New Zealander who doesn't know how to sail. That's right – a Kiwi who doesn't know how to sail. Heck, he doesn't just not know how to sail, he's petrified by the very thought of going out on the water!

“Beyond that, he's one of those irrepressible spirits who not only has a zest for life, but the ability to express that spirit in eminently readable prose.

“Explaining why he chose to sail up the East Coast, he affirms that the climate in the UK is ‘variable – a Latin word meaning in this context 'crap,' and Australia has jellyfish that sting like a ‘Tabasco enema.’

“The United States, on the other hand, has no pirates; plenty of pharmacies; free, clean tap water and ATMs everywhere; not to mention 300 million literate people who speak English and will be more than happy to buy the book he plans to write about the voyage when he's done.

“From a practical standpoint, Hughes does a great job describing just how it was that he managed the more mundane aspects of voyaging aboard an open dinghy. Anyone thinking of setting out in a pocket cruiser would be well advised to take a look at this book for that reason alone.

“The real reason to read The Biggest Boat I Could Afford, though, is the simple joy and enthusiasm with which Hughes makes his way through the world, the obvious thrill he finds in simply being alive. Hughes is obviously a good guy, and as such he seems to attract good people at every turn who help him out and make the experience of his voyage that much more enriching.

“I'd be the first to admit, I'm not half so cheerful as Hughes, which makes the account of his voyage that much more satisfying a read. If you have been feeling a little peaked of late – spiritually speaking – then you could probably use a dose of Hughes' good humor as well.

“Oh, and as for the redhead, you're going to have to read the book yourself, but she is around for a lot longer than the first page.”

Cruising Association, Spring 2005:

“At first sight this seems to be a book for the dedicated dinghy cruiser, actually it is a well written and enthralling account of an adventure by Wayfarer dinghy – THE Wayfarer dinghy, Frank Dye's no less.

“The author in New Zealand bought the boat in the US from Frank Dye who was in England, sight unseen. Adventure enough, some might think, but Lee Hughes knew little about boats and could not sail at all. His first attempt at sailing his own boat was after he had collected the boat, hauled it by truck the length of Florida and started, under outboard, up the intracoastal waterway.

“The tale of the voyage itself is well told and illustrated by monochrome snapshots. I found this a truly worthwhile read.”

Midwest Book Review, May 2005:

“Lee Hughes' autobiography of his solo sail 2500 miles up the US coast in a small dinghy, The Biggest Boat I Could Afford, is one of adventure, humor and insight as he journeys up the Intra-Coastal Waterway and learns his seafaring lessons the hard way – by trial and error. Hughes' voyage to becoming a real sailor holds many gripping moments, accounts of danger and success, and invites armchair sailors to relish this drama.”

Midwest Book Review, December 2004:

“The Biggest Boat I Could Afford is the true story of one man's determination to pursue his dream, sailing solo 2500 miles along the east coast of the United States in a 16-foot dinghy. With a simple 3.3 HP engine and a pair of sails but lacking a cabin, galley, bunk, head or electricity, this little boat – named the WANDERER – would take him on an unforgettable adventure that compensated in character what it lacked in comfort. An enthralling true story of becoming a sailor and conquering one's fears – the hard way.”


Good Old Boat, October, 2004:

“What do you get when you combine an undeniable fear of the ocean, a healthy dose of mid-life crisis, and a serious case of open-mouth-insert-footitis? Why the makings of a cruising memoir, of course. Even though Lee Hughes grew up in New Zealand, where boating is a national pastime, he reached adulthood with a very real and unexplainable fear of big water. The other two ingredients can be attributed to the male ego and testosterone, which tend to reinforce each other…

“In this book he makes reference to a woman he had had a relationship with years before. Somehow, after almost suing him for slander, they end up in a romantic relationship in which Lee conversationally paints himself into a corner that leads to his minimalist's sailing adventure from Key West to New York via
the Intracoastal Waterway, in a 16-foot Wayfarer dinghy named WANDERER.

“The first half of The Biggest Boat I Could Afford tells how Lee decides to make, or gets himself trapped, into making the voyage then details how he travels from New Zealand to Fort Lauderdale, via Wyoming and Canada, to pick up his boat, which he bought sight-unseen over the Internet from the owner who was in England. At this point you may wonder when, or even if, he is ever going to get down to sailing.

“He does indeed in the second, more serious half of the book. After outfitting WANDERER in Fort Lauderdale, he sails to Key West where his trip officially begins. He deals with his fear, the weather, tides, loneliness, and inexperience. He meets total strangers who come to his aid when he has equipment failures or simply needs directions.

“Lee's style is straightforward and humorous, and he's more than willing to laugh at himself. If you're in the market for a semi-serious treatise on one man's struggle with mid-life crisis or would like to see how little equipment some people need, you would probably enjoy The Biggest Boat I Could Afford. It's also a welcome reminder that, more often than not, a journey is much more than simply going from point A to point B.”


Lloyd's List, September 2004:

“‘It was the readhead's fault,’ according to New Zealander Lee Hughes, who blamed his girlfriend for his decision to sail up the US east coast in his dinghy.

“His initial thoughts after she dared him to make the journey, or more precisely put his money where his mouth was, were not on the effects of their relationship but:
  1. How he would avoid drowning
  2. How to pay for the adventure
  3. How to avoid additional drowning
“One has to have sympathy with Hughes who, besides being afraid of the sea, was afraid of heights as well.

“Having cured his fear of heights after a stint in the army as a paratrooper followed by a period in Britain organizing bungee jumping, Hughes concluded that the only way to conquer his fear
of the sea might be prolonged exposure to it.

“A 2,500 mile voyage up the US east coast therefore seemed likely to do the trick. Influenced by some of the books he had read on epic trips by dinghy, Hughes decided to opt for a Wayfarer, having been influenced by Frank Dye's Sailing to the Edge of Fear.

“Dye was to sell him his own boat WANDERER, in which he had had many epic adventures of his own.

“Not surprisingly the many friends who helped Hughes prepare
for his journey were somewhat concerned about his lack of sailing expertise. It was only three hours to the journey that he realized that he didn't have the centreboard down.

“Perhaps fortunately, the only part of the trip that didn't scare Hughes was the navigation, which he had experienced in the army.

“One thing that shines through in Hughes' book is the kindness
with which he was received by total strangers during his voyage. Americans, he says, have 'never disappointed him in this respect.'

“The 'bloody good blokes,' as he puts it, seemed to turn up everywhere he went.

“As he ploughed his way north Hughes said he began to notice changes to his character 'becoming willing to talk to anyone about anything.'

“He certainly has plenty of tales to tell to those people he meets on the voyage, being swamped, beached and attacked by insects while living in a leaky tent on board the WANDERER.

“He is engagingly frank about his experiences and the lengths to which he had to go on occasion to force himself on the next leg
of the journey.

“He has battles with a broken rudder and beer cans that leak in the bilges – apparently beer cans react with saltwater – and on the way he conquers his fear of the sea.

“An enjoyable tale told with plenty of humour.”
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