Singlehanding Newbie

[KeelHaulin]

So I think I am ready to start trying to do this; as I am recently single and the SO was my regular double-handing crew.

I have a 41' boat and it is not specifically rigged for singlehanding. The primaries are located forward and the mainsheet is controlled at the cabin top (mid-boom). The genoa is a 105% on roller furling and I have seocndary winches that I'm sure would be adequate and closer to the helm. My mainsail is high-aspect ratio (~50' x 13.5') with a boom that is high (not a deck sweeper); but I don't have lazyjacks (the two of us could flake the sail while dropping it; but it was a two person operation with one person at the mast and one at the leech).

I am looking for advice on any and all methods to help handle the boat on my own. I have not ruled out adding a lazy-jack system but I also would like to be able to drop the main myself without making a mess of it.

In addition to these challenges I have never had the pleasure of singlehanded docking a boat this size. I'm in an upwind slip but I have not rigged the boat specifically for docking by myself. I am reasonably comfortable that I can keep the bow away from the end of the slip or hitting other boats; but when it comes to leaving an untied boat to tie off that first line I am a bit worried about losing control of the boat and heaven forbid it getting away from me and leaving me stranded on the dock.

I don't have a problem with asking people who want to come out sailing with me to join me; but I also think that I should be able to do everything myself in the event that I have a crew who for any reason is not able to carry out my instructions or becomes seasick, etc.

Any help and pointers would be very much appreciated!

[lapworth]

I singlehandel a 24' and was wondering how hard it would be to single handel a larger boat. Why not have some one go out with you but don't let them do anything? They would be last minute help, good luck and hope its not to hard.

[hphoen]

Hi, KeelHaulin.

I single-hand my 38', 12 ton IP. The autopilot is a second crew member. I can set it and walk the six feet to the cabin roof where the mainsheet winch and furling lines are located, or handle the genoa sheets (the primaries are forward of the helm). The autopilot allows me to even set and douse my asymmetric spinnaker by myself. I have a 10 meter remote for it, so I can put the engine in gear at idle and go forward to bring up the anchor, guiding the boat with the remote.

If I didn't have a mast-furling main, I think I'd install a set of lazy jacks and maybe a Doyle stack-pack or equivalent. Docking just takes setting up bow, stern and spring lines in advance, plus a lot of practice. I can step off the boat with the spring and a bow line in hand, having tossed the stern line onto the dock. Getting the spring set first is usually the best thing to do. Of course there will be some conditions in which you won't be able to dock all by yourself, so there always needs to be a "Plan B".

[Selkirk]

I loved single handing my O'Day 322. Got really good at it, too.

If you have plenty of room - that is you are in a very large area of water - I can see where you would have no problem. I second the motion that you get an autopilot. I didn't have one, but if anything got away from me I could handle it; not sure I could handle a loose Genny on a 41 footer without getting hurt.....

[MoonSailer]

I singlehand my 32 regularly. But the autopilot is essential for raising /lowering sails. Docking alone is the biggest challenge. I try to wait until the wind has died down. I back into my slip and unless the wind is right the bow blows around too much. But with light or no wind docking alone is easy. One of the guys has a bow thruster!!! That makes things easier. The biggest problem with the autopilot is that if you fall off the boat you might have a long swim.

[delan]

I single hand my 44 footer all the time, I don't have an autopilot, but I'm planning on installing one, all my lines are led to the cockpit, but tacking the 150 is a bit of a handfull.
I've just installed lazyjacks and it's a lot easier, but before, I just used to let the main drop to one side of the boom, then, roll it up, kind of like a newspaper and get a couple of ties on, and get back to the dock.
For docking, Pre splice a spring line that will keep my bow a couple of feet from the dock, that way I know that with this one line in place, and the boat ahead slow, I can steer the stern of the boat to either side, and attach the stern lines, without the bow moving too much. I setup the spring line from the starboard bow before I get to the slip, pulling into the slip, my prop walks the stern to starboard a little, so I almost stop the boat three quarters of the way into the slip. I put the spring onto the piling and go ahead slow. With a little practice, you can do this very slowly and controlled, no drama.

[gershel]

Things are a lot easier for me on my 36' catamaran. With my two engines, the boat is extremely manueverable in reverse. I use a stern spring line, and the opposite side engine to hold it against the dock or piling. Then I leisurely walk around and tie on my lines. Catamarans are great for old fat guys like me to continue singlehanding well into my 70s'

Marc

[pdqaltair]

* Go out with people that don't really want to crew and try to take them for a nice ride. In fact, everything is more relaxing if you can figure out how to do it alone. But master one skill at a time. Raising/lowering. Anchoring/weighting. Docking. None are hard, looked at one move at a time. The key, for a single hander, is to keep only one thing happening at a time. But honestly, the best way to learn some skills is slowly, in nice weather, alone. No distraction. Slowly think it through. Doing everything in the correct order, which many not be the order you used before.
* Docking. Put lines between your dolphin piers and the inside piers. The details of line handling depend the slip, wind direction, and the boat. A boat hook can be very useful as you get off the boat to get the bow lines - put it on the rail to make sure the boat doesn't leave! Put permanent fenders on some of the pilings, as needed. You may remove them later. If someone complains, tell the truth, that you are learning.
* Transient slips. Try side-ties at first. Getting between 4 unfamiliar wrong-size piers in a cross wind is a pickle.
* Anchoring, to me, is straight forward. To practice raising, put a float over the anchor, but not for tripping. It will help you learn how to motor up to the anchor, because you can see it. Once you learn the drill, you won't need the float.

Fall-off and you will die, so leave the jacklines rigged and use a harness a lot.

[KeelHaulin]

Thanks for the pointers; keep 'em coming! LOTS of good info here already!!

Yes I have all lines coming back to the cockpit; so that's a good start. I don't have an A/P and now I wish I had bought the S1 on closeout from SailNet. When we drop the main down doublehanded I get the boat motoring into the wind slowly then lock the helm go to the cabin roof and flake the main as we drop it. Until I get a lazy jack system I think I could do the same myself; only dropping the main into a "pocket" or letting it fall to the deck and then lashing it to the side of the boom until I get in.

I agree that going in the water would likely result in a funeral at sea; so yes, jacklines and tethers will be used at all times. I have always given safety a priority and we have sailed with the understanding that even if one of the two of us went in it would be very difficult to retrieve someone singlehanded. So "don't fall overboard" has always been our first line of defense. The boat has a deep cockpit; high coamings and a wrap-around stern pulpit. The biggest worry about going over will be in going up to drop sail, deploy docklines, anchor, fenders. I'll be sailing inshore on SF Bay so I won't be in danger of getting washed overboard; but if I had a knockdown there would be potential for falling over and for that reason I will always be tethered.

On the docking issue, my boat is in a single-wide slip (walkways on both sides); no pilings on either end of the slip. The slip is upwind and I think one of my biggest difficulties is going to be in exiting safely. If the wind is up before I leave; the bow tends to blow down unless we pull it over close to the starboard side just before backing out. I engage reverse with the rudder hard to port and the boat will back out straight. Otherwise prop walk/offset will rotate the boat enough for the bow to chafe the dock as I back out. Any pointers on this? Should I walk the boat back (putting bow line at the spring line cleat) before exiting?

[knothead]

Originally Posted by gershel

Things are a lot easier for me on my 36' catamaran. With my two engines, the boat is extremely manueverable in reverse. I use a stern spring line, and the opposite side engine to hold it against the dock or piling. Then I leisurely walk around and tie on my lines. Catamarans are great for old fat guys like me to continue singlehanding well into my 70s'

Marc

Spring lines are the single-handers best friend when it comes to docking and departing.
Or for springing the rode to point your bow to the waves in an anchorage.

I would definitely think about the lazy jacks. They can allow you to sail a little longer before having to fire up the engine. As well as make everything easier and more tidy (therefore safer) as you come in.