[Dave_E]

Hi All,

Are there any "regular" solo sailors lurking about? I'd like to pick your brains about solo sailing - inshore, coastal and off shore.

Dave

 

[deniseO30]

Me, myself, and I are the most reliabl ecrew I know

 

[Faster]

While I prefer to sail with compatible crew, I do find myself sailing solo more often lately than in the past.

I've found that I do enjoy the challenge of doing things on my own, and to some extent enjoy the solitude - at least for a while. I doubt that I would want to do a long distance solo trip - fatigue rears it's ugly head early, with sometimes bad results.

When sailing alone, esp on a boat that's regularly crewed, I think it's important to think things out ahead of time, and realize that everything is going to take maybe 4 times as long as with even one crew. Some sort of effective self steering makes a huge difference, obviously.

You can rig the boat to be better singlehanded, and that doesn't necessarily mean everything run aft to the cockpit (seems you need to do very little of this, or absolutely all of it) For instance if your reef lines are on the boom/gooseneck it's probably better to have your halyard at the mast too, so you have a single station reef routine. If you run the halyard aft, then you should probably run ALL reef tack and clew lines aft too. On many boats this gets busy, crowded and is always expensive.

Get used to docking your boat with minimum help; having a responsive, controllable boat will go a long way to minimizing the stress of take offs and landings.

There are rewards to successful singlehanding.. but it takes some practice and practical thinking.

 

[Dave_E]

Me, myself, and I are the most reliabl ecrew I know

Are you done sailing, or getting a different boat?

 

[FSMike]

----
When sailing alone ---- I think it's important to think things out ahead of time, and realize that everything is going to take maybe 4 times as long as with even one crew. ----

Amen.
If you can perform your various tasks without hurrying you're doing it right.
Walk, don't run.

 

[travlin-easy]

I'm pretty much solo, even when someone is with me. They're just along for the free ride, food and Margarettas.

All the best,

Gary

 

[gamayun]

Good info here: Resources | Singlehanded Sailing Society, especially the links under Seminar Materials.

There's nothing more satisfying than figuring out by yourself how to handle nature's elements of wind and sea, along with a bunch of man-made elements thrown in for good measure. Because I am generally impatient and impulsive, the most important aspect for me is to stop and think things through first. There's practically nothing so important to deal with that it can't take 30 seconds or a minute to contemplate before jumping into it. The second most important thing is to remember "it's just paint...". Don't sweat the small stuff

 

[Zanshin]

I singlehand as well. It is no big deal - until things go wrong; then it can be stressful. Unlike the post above, I decided that I will use in-mast furling for the main; this might reduce performance a bit (but I'm a cruiser, not a racer) but makes for very simple reefing and I don't need to leave the cockpit during the normal course of operations.

 

[RobGallagher]

Stay on the boat, you won't get a second chance.
Wear your PFD and/or tether.
keep a floating VHF in your pocket (mine has DSC/GPS).
Allow for much more time to finish tasks, even ones that might seem simple.
Always have an exit strategy, weather docking, underway in traffic, or sailing near obstacles.
I sail up to my mooring or dock under sail whenever possible.
I go out on days that most people stay in.
Practice practice practice.

There is something cleansing about sailing alone, even if only for a couple of hours.

 

[oysterman23]

All good stuff above. Rob, I'm with you on practice. There'll be something in a days sail or an event during a cruise and Ill run it back and tease it apart to see what worked and what didnt then next time Im out I'll try a solution etc. I try not to muscle the boat but pay attention to way it moves and feels... abit like a dance partner. Often the boat will show what goes next and disciplined forethought is certainly key to a better solo experience

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[sprega]

There is something cleansing about sailing alone, even if only for a couple of hours.

Agreed, sailing alone is very satisfying, even if only for a couple of hours.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Hi All,

Are there any "regular" solo sailors lurking about? I'd like to pick your brains about solo sailing - inshore, coastal and off shore.

Dave

Sure, what do you want to know?

 

[aeventyr60]

Sailing around Thailand and Langkawi singlehanded at the mo...not much difference, except I don't get my dinner made or have my laundry done. Another week or so of bachelorhood and then things get very, very easy. So let us know how to help? Prior planning, a plan for the day, week or month? Early reefing, protected anchorages, shorter mileage days are all on my list of making it enjoyable and fun, the main reasons for being out here! Many days downwind I just pole out the jenny and have a slow comfortable downwind cruise...

 

[Scotty C-M]

I love to sail solo. Plan ahead for all tasks, pay attention.

I have one thing that may not be to everyone's liking: I always tether in. Even in the cockpit. I know that if I go over, I'll probably not be able to get back in - in other words, I'll die. However, it's a whole lot better than watching the boat sail away. I don't trust the tether (and jack lines) at all, so it's always "One hand for the ship, one hand for myself".

As Stu says, my boat, my choice.

 

[harmonic]

I mostly solo enjoy the solitude,you just have to think ahead and dont rush anything.

 

[PaulinVictoria]

I pretty much always sail alone, less arguing that way.

 

[Ajax_MD]

I highly recommend this book.
You can download it for free, but I encourage you to support the author by also buying a copy.
http://sfbaysss.org/oldsite20131023/tipsbook/index.html?id=4

 

[RichH]

I single hand a lot or with the admiral who is recuperating/incapacitated from helping.

I 'can' do just about everything from the cockpit; but, to keep up 'muscle memory/dexterity' I usually go forward when ever possible ... same for extreme skiing and other extreme activities ... if you dont, youll soon find you cant (without difficulty) because you've lost your muscle memory and dexterity from constantly NOT 'doing it'. Constantly 'doing it', keeps you smooth, efficient and 'well practiced'. A 'contrarian' point of view.

 

[JonEisberg]

I single hand a lot or with the admiral who is recuperating/incapacitated from helping.

I 'can' do just about everything from the cockpit; but, to keep up 'muscle memory/dexterity' I usually go forward when ever possible ... same for extreme skiing and other extreme activities ... if you dont, youll soon find you cant (without difficulty) because you've lost your muscle memory and dexterity from constantly NOT 'doing it'. Constantly 'doing it', keeps you smooth, efficient and 'well practiced'. A 'contrarian' point of view.

EXACTLY, I couldn't agree more...

For a solo sailor, the desire to be able to do everything without ever leaving the cockpit is counter-intuitive, and precisely the wrong approach, in general terms... Anyone uncomfortable with leaving the cockpit or going forward shouldn't be sailing alone, to begin with...

As sailors age, if anything they should be making a concerted effort to move MORE around their boats, instead of less...

 

[sailingsteve]

I'm the captain and myself is the crew. I only sail inshore by myself on a calm day though so I'm not sure how hard it is to solo on rough day.