Mike,
The Vega singlehands very well and easily--I do it all the time on my
1971 model. From past discussions on this list, I know many others do
too, including at least one circumnavigator and several ocean-crossers.
It helps to have a furling jib and lead the main halyard (and perhaps a
reefing line) to the cockpit, which is easily done with turning blocks.
There are no special issues to be aware of, except perhaps that (many
say) a Vega does not steer well in reverse until it gathers speed, due
to the configuration of the prop behind/above the rudder. Whether that
will cause you trouble docking alone depends mostly on your slip's
configuration, currents, and your own experience. Of course, since I'm
on a mooring myself in New England I seldom have to dock using reverse,
so I haven't much experience with that steering issue. There has been
some discussion of this in the past on this list, with some saying, like
me, that they never know for sure what's going to happen when they go
into reverse, while others say they've gotten familiar with how the boat
handles in reverse and have no trouble. If you can head into a slip and
only need to reverse a short distance to get out, you shouldn't have a
problem--the Vega is light enough that you can walk it down the dock
singlehanded and hop on as it drifts back, and of course magazines like
SAIL are always offering tips for how to rig special spring lines and so
on for turning a boat into or out of a slip. In any event, this issue
is probably not much more significant than with other sailboats of this
size, and the Vega is a very solid, easy-to-sail boat. Get a survey, of
course, if for no other reason than to ease your mind and make a list of
future projects (as with any older boat)--and of course for insurance
reasons. They're great boats--read Vigor's book "Twenty Small Boats
That Will Take You Anywhere" if you want to hear an expert praise the
Vega for her many great qualities! Good luck,
Tom
mvigor23 wrote:
