Singlehanding

[Wes]

ME ,MYSELF, AND MY HUNTER and a dog

25 Hunter "FINALLY"Always. Ive written about it in Lattitude and Attitude Magazine. Danger yes, maybe a chance of dieing yes, worth evey minute hell yes. Im no loner but I also have had my fits with friends getting in the way and causing my fine flash of freedom to be short lived. Give me a warm breeze a cool tasty Bud and a dog a long for copanionship and its all good!!!!!

 

[Joe R]

SOLITUDE

On a hazy day in northwest Indiana, we start out about 15 mi south of Chicago.With haze, visibility is only 6 mi. so by sailing due north out of Gary/Hammond area, you can be totally out of sight of land within an hour and a half. At which point the solitude of Lake Michigan is magnificent. Of course if visibility is better you have to sail longer to become isolated. Because of the inherent danger of the big lake I dont like to be more than two hours from land. The 240 is an excellent boat to sail solo as the jib furls and all lines lead back to the cockpit. You dont have to crawl out onto the bow or on top of the cabin to set anything. An auto pilot is a must. Radio and/or cell phone for the coast guard is a good idea too.Have spent many wonderful hours complete with "religious experience" when solo sailing. JUST BE SURE THE WEATHER IS CONSTANT BEFORE SHOVING OFF.Keep the life vest on just in case. And dont take any OTHER chances when alone.

 

[carol donovan]

Arrive at Twilight on Twilight

The west end of Catalina Island provides a much needed respite from the day-to-day craziness. Twilight, an H410, is an easy boat to single hand, and I'm getting better a backing her in to the slip when I return to the mainland. Boat Cat and I ALWAYS wear our SOS/harnesses and clip on to something when on deck - had to clear a jammed furling jib last weekend in 16 knots of wind and good chop. Autopilot is a must on my boat, and our weather dictates radar. And, I always hear/see someone who I've met through HOW.It isn't for lack of crew, it isn't a competition - singlehanding is almost it's own environment - peace, serenity, and being at one with the sea and the boat./cs/v Twilight, H410

 

[Shambie]

Bond with your Boat!

I've been sailing singlehanded pretty much since I bought my first boat, a 1984 Hunter 22 when I was a young single parent just learning to sail on the Chesapeake Bay. Having always lived on the water, I was pretty blase about the hazards, and did all kinds of dangerous things with my 7-year-old daughter with me, like sailing across the bay in the middle of a stormy night to Knapps Narrows at low tide with no radio, phone, or instruments of any kind except a compass. And though Des always wore a PFD, you'd never see me in one.I learned a lot this way, however. And many years later, I remarried and bought a bigger boat ('84 H 31) because my husband is 6'3. However, I still mostly singlehand, due to scheduling and my greater need to sail, and because I really enjoy spending quality time with my boat and working as one unit on the beautiful dance called sailing. The solitude and natural beauty are extra bonuses that I'll never give up.I have to admit that though now I have a VHF, phone, autopilot, GPS, and an inflatable PFD with harness, and jacklines, I almost never use them, although I've used them religiously on offshore trips (on someone else's boat).I could not live in a place where singlehanding was not allowed, although I understand the reasoning in the case of Israel. Guess I won't be moving therer any time soon...Shambie & Huntress

 

[Thom Hoffman]

I Do Because I Can

In addition to most of the preceeding posts, personally, it's one of the most rewarding and (at times) relaxing things I can do for myself. These solo sojourns are one of the few times to really tune out the rest of the world and instead, tune into mother nature. The hard part is coming back to port after an afternoon's escape (a matter of emotional difficulty rather than boat handling).  I probably solo our H30 a half dozen times during our short season; more often than not because the weather and my work schedule present a window of opportunity that needs to be grasped.  Reefing or dropping sail when the wind has kicked up is the most difficult and dangerous aspect of my process although rowing back from the mooring at sunset can be a challenge too. My first solo with Miranda Moon turned out to be an unplanned lesson (class size: 1) in fog navigation in a busy coastal thoroughfare. After that, everything else seemed easier with more planning and preparation for a host of possibilities. Solo sailing is an experience that's hard to describe; suffice it to say it's one I hope to keep enjoying.

 

[Judy Barrow]

Two Boats

I solo on Counterpoint, our 33.5, when I can get away from my home office during the week, on Lake Stockton, MO, a 25,000 acre lake. Biggest challenge is the winds can come up quickly, so dousing the sail can be a trick, as is docking in winds over 15. I sometimes relax and sail genoa only.Early mornings when my husband sleeps in I steal away on Fugue, our Starwind Buccaneer 18 and what a pleasure it is to sail out with no motor. Usually wear a life jacket on this boat. Single handing is peaceful yet powerful, and is one of the best methods for improving your sailing skills.

 

[Duane Cady]

Zoom !!

I single-handed my '85 H31 for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I knew I wanted to from the moment I saw the boat , and have been preparing for it from the moment I got it. The last thing I needed confidence in was docking, and after I got that down, off I went.Averaged 6 knots that day, and went all over the lake, explored the coves and tributaries in my area, and was completely free. Alot of work, but the feeling of freedom and accomplishment were unbeatable. Now, my confidence in my ability to handle this boat has increased greatly due to that 6 hour sail. ALot of work, but well worth it, and am looking forward to doing it this weekend.The reason I need to is that I have strange weekends when it is tough to get crew -- I work 4 days x 10 hours and have thurs, fri and sat off. Its a tough life...I single-handed small dinghies when I was a kid, and havent sailed since -- til I got my hunter 31 -- shes a beautiful boat, and has taken over my life.Duane Cadys/v Obsession