Difference between smaller and bigger Sailboat

What is the difference between smaller sailboat and bigger sailboat? How come you need additional crew if you have everything electronically connected and all work is done with one push of a button?

When you start learning how to sail you start with smaller sailboats. Children are taught how to sail on sailboats such as Optimist that is really small. Later on you get on bigger boats. Reasons why you are thought how to sail on these smaller sailboats are because there are fewer things to worry about. On sailboat type Optimist there is only one sail and a rudder and this is almost everything that you need to care of. Going to bigger sailboats you have additional sail - Genoa and additional ropes to look for. Smaller boats are much easier to flip over. Reason for that is also because they have lighter heel that does not insure you enough weight to flip sailboat into normal position even when the wind is gone.

Another problem with bigger sailboat is also maneuvering. You can imagine that a truck needs much more meters to stop then a normal car. It is the same with the sailboats and because there is not any brake you can image that maneuvering bigger sailboat is much more difficult then smaller ones. Most of bigger sailboats (larger then 45 feets/15 meters) have a bow thruster. This is a propeller in the front of the boat, helping sailboat to easily turn front side of the boat.

To conclude: it is difficult to handle bigger sailboats. I advice you to start with smaller sailboats and then go slowly, on bigger boats. When you are switching to a bigger boats ask someone to help you with that. After all it is better to be safe then sorry and damaging bigger sailboat is not small money.