The boat

When we decided on the voyage south we knew our F24 trimaran was not going to be the best boat for the adventure.  We'd done coastal cruising in it up to southern Maine and down to Cape Cod and knew the experience was akin to tent camping.  So we went in search of a new boat.  It took quite a while, but we finally found a Solaris Sunbeam catamaran.  Even though it is the same length as the F24, it offers interior space comparable to a 36' monohull boat.  It's sloop-rigged with a 10hp Honda outboard for auxiliary power.  Here she is on our mooring:

And here's the layout from a very similar design by the same designer, Derek Kelsall.  There's a large cockpit leading to an enclosed lounge area & table on the bridge deck.  The port hull has a small double berth aft and head forward.  The starboard hull has another double berth aft and galley forward (galley and head areas reversed in similar design below)