Single Handed
- Thread starter Raven34
- Start date
A pair of good binoculars and and the sound of the wind filling the sails.
Almost all my sailing is solo, like many others, if the wife is aboard we don't heel!!!!
I only sail lake, very protected lake at that. but the fact that I get out there and have my time is worth every minute
Almost all my sailing is solo, like many others, if the wife is aboard we don't heel!!!!
I only sail lake, very protected lake at that. but the fact that I get out there and have my time is worth every minute
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,771
Actually, you can practice solo sailing anytime with a full crew -- just ask them not to do anything for that particular stage of the sail so you can practice. I found that the last two things I could not do on my boat after I stepped up from 22 to 36 feet was raise the main and dock. I just asked my wife to stand and watch while I tried various techniques until I found one that worked for me. The crew is kind of a safety net while you work on skills.
Well yes Mr Parsons, I can and have done the sailing part on my own, with the Admiral watching / learning, the only concern part is when the sailing is done for the day and docking across a fairly strong current. But with docking I have been given a techique to try that just may work well, will be trying out this weekend.
No argument with Stu. I think the environment I sailed in had a lot to do with my observations. My first chapter of sailing was in Apalachee Bay off Shell Point, FL. It was predictable, deep enough, and no commercial traffic to speak of. There were always Kids, Friends, Girlfriends or any combination thereof. Sailing there was a social occasion and not a whole lot of attention had to be paid to the art and science of sailing itself. What absolutely surprised me was the unexpected angst of getting out by myself.
Fast forward to 2013 and Baltimore Harbor. Extremely busy with lots of heavy commercial traffic and big steel buoys that would easily put a big hole in you. As a recreational vessel you are also at the bottom of the right of way totem pole and you must share the Bay with a lot of other boats of all shapes and sizes (some really big). I do most of my sailing here single handed and combined with the much greater level of situational awareness you must have got me sailing on a different level. I think the geographical perspective had a lot to do with shaping my original response. I know once I started single handing I got a whole lot more interested in deeper aspects of sailing, navigation, etc.
I've often practices single-handing like Parsons describes, by asking my wife to just sit back and let me handle everything. This is a great way to build confidence in your abilities without the risks involved in single-handing before your ready. Not only that but it helps build the wife's confidence in my abilities so she doesn't worry so much when I do sail single handed.
Now that I've retired and moved to a place where I don't have to drive several hours to the water I'm looking forward to not only sailing single handed but also sailing with other people and gaining more skills.
^^This^^
I like to call it single handed with an audience. I find it more difficult than being alone other than having helpful hands to fend if needed while docking. No one in the cock pit to stomp on or ask over and over again to move their head so you can see instruments isn't all bad.
I wrote this essay, The best and worst things about singlehanded sailing, many years ago. The big difference between then and now is that my strength and endurance have decreased and lack of sleep takes a noticeably heavier toll. Experience offsets some of the physical consequences of aging, and while I still enjoy singlehanding, I've become more cautious. When sailing with inexperienced crew, I find that having to take care of them and the boat is more draining than it used to be. On the other hand, having competent crew aboard is a bigger relief because I can take time off knowing the boat is in good hands.
There is no substitute for practice and preparation when it comes to single handing. IMHO the musts are:
1. properly rigged boat all lines lead to cockpit you should never have to go on deck to do anything outside of an emergency.
2. always wear a pfd and harness
3. know how your boat behaves in all conditions and points of sail
4. autopilot
5. need to be able to reef from cockpit mark halyards and reef lines so you do not have to go on deck to check.
6. if you are going out overnight reef before sunset unless you are 100% sure of the weather
7. stay in shape it can be pretty physical
8. think through what you want to do before you do it constantly ask yourself what will I do if this (insert bad stuff here) happens.
9. practice heaving to
10. have a midship cleat for docking and practice a lot.
11. consider AIS and radar for extended cruising
12 . plan your trip using charts , cruising guides, and weather routing before hand you should have all your tentative waypoints planned before departure.
I love going out with friends but there is a lot to be said for those solo times when its just you and the sea and the peace it brings.
1. properly rigged boat all lines lead to cockpit you should never have to go on deck to do anything outside of an emergency.
2. always wear a pfd and harness
3. know how your boat behaves in all conditions and points of sail
4. autopilot
5. need to be able to reef from cockpit mark halyards and reef lines so you do not have to go on deck to check.
6. if you are going out overnight reef before sunset unless you are 100% sure of the weather
7. stay in shape it can be pretty physical
8. think through what you want to do before you do it constantly ask yourself what will I do if this (insert bad stuff here) happens.
9. practice heaving to
10. have a midship cleat for docking and practice a lot.
11. consider AIS and radar for extended cruising
12 . plan your trip using charts , cruising guides, and weather routing before hand you should have all your tentative waypoints planned before departure.
I love going out with friends but there is a lot to be said for those solo times when its just you and the sea and the peace it brings.
Alternatively, there's this method for single-handing practiced by a local "power yachtsman" adventuring 3-miles off-shore in the worlds largest inland sea ....
"LEXINGTON, MI -- A man was rescued after floating in Lake Huron for three hours after his boat began to sink. ... The 29-year-old man who was in the water was out on his 14-foot camouflaged boat by himself when he hit a large wave and fell off the boat, the sheriff's office said. The man did not have a life jacket so he emptied the plastic gas tank and used it to keep afloat, according to the sheriff's office." (I could not figure out the different stories between sinking and falling off???)
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/i...ded_for_3_hours_in_la.html#incart_river_index
"LEXINGTON, MI -- A man was rescued after floating in Lake Huron for three hours after his boat began to sink. ... The 29-year-old man who was in the water was out on his 14-foot camouflaged boat by himself when he hit a large wave and fell off the boat, the sheriff's office said. The man did not have a life jacket so he emptied the plastic gas tank and used it to keep afloat, according to the sheriff's office." (I could not figure out the different stories between sinking and falling off???)
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/i...ded_for_3_hours_in_la.html#incart_river_index