Moving on...

I am trapped in a dilemma.
Neraida is, and always will be, very very special to us. She is a simple fibreglass boat, with good lines, sharp performance and a wicked temperament. She will not easily be replaced.
This is where we both get a bit weepy and come over all 'nostalgic like...'
I am not sure where we should go next. Last season and this, although we have hugely enjoyed our cruising, we have been left wanting.
A Channel passage in Neraida is very hard work with only two people, and, due to her size, shape and speed, one can never "cruise" and relax on passage unless the wind is light and/or we're having our bones shaken by Cliff the outboard.
The Solent is not for cruising. Not only is it like sailing on the M3 without lanes, but also its inshore nature makes for concentrated effort in finding the right breeze, or avoiding the wrong one, somewhat tiring. Don't forget that an extra, say, 7 knots of wind in a First Class 8 can be the difference between a "nice close reach" and a "lee rail under, bruising gripe"!
Ramble ramble... where was I? Ah yes, left wanting..
You see, it's like this. It's quite hard, no matter how much you love your boat, to spend more than a couple of days with no headroom, weeing in a bucket, cooking on a camping stove and generally "living rough". Neraida also does not lay at anchor well. In fact, she swings around like a neurotic cork! Anchoring, even in the most tranquil setting can only be done in summer, as her un-lined hull and open plan means she gets VERY cold.
You see where this is going don't you? We "need" a bigger, more comfortable boat.
We don't want to go mad money wise, as we want to stay well within our means as is sensible (Bleugh!!) in all things nautical. We don't want an "average white boat" which will blend in (it's not in our character to be "average"). We don't want a money & time pit, so no to anything wooden! Finally, and bizarrely enough, we don't want anything too big just yet; 30-35 feet would do nicely thank you.
I have scoured, and I mean scoured, the internet listings for all sorts of boats that match the criteria. There are an amazing range of boats out there, and a staggering amount of stupidly priced boats too!! Most of them slip nicely into the "AWB" catergory, from old to nearly new, an awful lot of boats of this size were built with no, or very little, imagination.
Then, you have the "Classics", your Contessas, Nicholsons etc which are all very lovely, but there is usually less comfort than one would ideally like.
Finally, you have your "odd balls"... Boats such as Steel Sprays, Van de Stadts, Alubats, Crabbers and the like. I think we fall into this catergory. Neraida "turns heads" as she is a bit bonkers for cruising in, and we will probably like to carry on the head turning theme.

So, there we are. There are your choices. It's going to be painful and scary, and it's also going to break our hearts to say goodbye to "our girl", but I am sure we will cope, as she will continue to be loved long after she moves on. There is no rush however...