single handed sailing

[ray jones]

Good morning all,
I have a 26m and am new to sailing. I have been out a few times & starting to get the hang of the basics. My problem is getting a crew as its not convenient for people to drop everything just when the weather is right.
Realy what im asking is there anything I can do to rig the boat to make single handed sailing easier & safer. I notice reading items on the site, that a lot of you do sail solo, so any advise from experianced sailors much apreciated.
Many thanks. ray jones.

[K9Kampers]

99% of my sailing is solo. I think one the best mods for solo & safety is mast lines led aft, and lazyjacks. Anything to reduce / eliminate the need to go up on deck. That said, after four years with this boat, I've not yet made these mods myself. I have however, invested in a harness & tether for safety for when I do go on deck. I've also configured the area just inside of the companionway for solo convenience, i.e. - charts, nav aids & tools, binocs, horn, flares, VHF, etc,
for easy reach & visual, to reduce the need to go down below while underway. While solo, my functional cockpit is the area just ahead of the helm pedestal upto the companionway. Think of that in terms of the "solo zone".

[c130king]

Ray,

I am in the same boat...frequently without crew so I have learned to solo. And MANY others here do the same.

Things that you should have...but I am sure there are those that go solo without.

1) Sail Slugs in the main
2) Halyard led aft
3) Furling jib/genoa with furling line led aft (I can't see how you would have furling without having the line led aft)
4) Some have boom vang line led aft...I don't...I can just lean forward over the top of my hatch grab the line and either loosen or tighten
5) Some sort of reefing system in the cockpit. I have "jiffy reef" single line reefing system which works well. Others have 2-line systems which many times works a little better but not necessarily easier. But probably several don't have this...just have to take care and reef early before the winds get up.

I am sure others will kick in with other ideas.

Practice doing everything by yourself when you do have somebody with you. Go out a few times in light wind condtions and build up your confidence. And practice docking and trailering as much as you can.

Good Luck,
Jim

[c130king]

Also,

Don't forget to "file a float plan" or at the very least let someone know when/where you are going and maybe have a "check in" plan so somebody will know if you don't come back or check in.

And learn how to "heave to"...it is great to know how to do this if you need to go grab a snack/drink or if you need to "check the plumbing".

Jim

[bubba]

I sail our 07M solo often and have no problem. We have all lines led aft and 3 reef single line reefing with lines attached to the boom. We also have a wheel break ($ 20.00 ) that allows me to go foward and get something for the BBQ or check the plumbing. I usually plan on shorter sails ( 10 to 20 miles ) with ocassional rest breaks instead of switching off with my wife especially if the wind is over 15 mph and needs all my attention all the time. A sail plan is a great idea if your crossing big open water of 20 miles or more or have friends near by who know the water your sailing and have a boat themselfs. Our lifevests PFD's have a D ring and harness hookups if needed. Always have a dingy following you at about 75 to 100 feet behind with a rope boarding ladder if you fall off.

[Terry]

99% of my sailing is solo. I think one the best mods for solo & safety is mast lines led aft, and lazyjacks. Anything to reduce / eliminate the need to go up on deck. That said, after four years with this boat, I've not yet made these mods myself. I have however, invested in a harness & tether for safety for when I do go on deck.

I have spent the last few years outfitting my boat for singled handed sailing and have yet to single hand, my wife is always a willing crew!
I have a roller furling headsail, all lines aft including vang, lazy jacks, jiffy reefing, a hand held GPS & VHF plus I have an Autohelm, everything I need to single hand but have yet to attemp it. I plan to retire in late spring of 2010 so I want everything in place since once I am retired I will indeed be single handing. I have not aquired the harness and tether though, I guess that is next, not sure where to connect the teher on the boat though.

[johnnyonspot]

I love single handed sailing above all else. I am always willing to take crew as I like sharing the sport, but like you said, sailing usually happens on short notice so it can be difficult to get crew. But who cares? Sailing alone is more peaceful and serene, and more rewarding, and I much prefer it.

In addition to the things already mentioned, for assistance with docking you may want to keep a bow hook handy. Helps you keep from scuffing the boat up when you come in at the wrong angle or too fast, and to help hook the dock if you come in too far away, which of course is better than too fast and too close. The autohelm, lazy jacks and lines led aft are the most important imho. Having a routine to follow, i.e., getting pointed into the wind, dropping board, then raising main, then jib, etc., and reverse for when you are coming in, is also a good idea. I always heave to when readying the boat to dock.

[K9Kampers]

...not sure where to connect the teher on the boat though.

Do a search on "jackline". A jackline is a dedicated line for a safety tether. A 'normal design' boat may have jacklines running along both port & stbd rails, unobstructed from bow to stern, along which one can travel while clipped to.
On my boat, I've run a length of webbing, stbd side, from a bow cleat to a stern cleat, and that is my jackline. The compromise is that with a 6' tether that stretches when under load, falling to one side, you'd likely be on the boat, while falling the to the other side, you'd likely be in the water.
If I don't have the jackline rigged, then clipping-in to something stout in the center of the boat - like a bail on the mast or boom is preferable...maybe even the lifelines (but not first choice).

On a five day cruise on Penobscot Bay, I was in the habit of being clipped in even when conditions were docile while underway.

[NiceAft]

I am not going to address the subject of what you need, or what makes solo sailing easier. All of the post above have good advice. Instead, I want to empower you to do the solo sailing.

The Mac is wonderful to sail by your lonesome. I do not have any lines going aft, or any reefing system. I solo all of the time. What I do have is a great appreciation for not getting into trouble. There is an old saying of "do you know the difference between a smart person and a wise one? A smart person knows how to get out of situations which a wise person would not get into in the first place!" Be wise when sailing alone. If you have never heeled the boat more than 15 degrees, then do it when you have a crew, not alone. Once you know how far the boat can go safely, you will not feel nervous at fifteen, twenty, or thirty degrees when soloing. With the Admiral on board we have had Nice Aft at over forty-five degrees. When alone, I don't go anywhere near that, well at least most of the times Once in awhile a gust will catch me off guard.

The point being to all of this is as you develope confidence, and skills to back it up, you will solo quite well. Go at you own pace, and soon we will be reading posts of your sailing exploits while at the helm, and all alone.

Remember, releasing the mainsheet is a great boat stopper


Ray

[kelseydo]

Ray,
I’m in a similar position. This is my first sail boat and this last summer my first season sailing. The boat came with all the hardware to run lines aft, but the halyard was not long enough. After watching an expensive pair of glasses slide across the deck and drop into 80 feet of water while reefing - the next trip out had a new halyard aft and two point reefing. The real culprit that day were small blocks on each side of the mast (I guess to hoist pendants/flags) that continually fouled the halyard. They are gone now except for the one I moved to the boom for the two point reef.

I don’t plan on a jiffy reef or lazy jacks to cut down on rigging time after trailering to the lake de jour. I drop the main into the cabin and deal with it later. Another item I can add to the previous posts is silicon spray or dry lube for the mast and sail slugs makes a world of difference. Perhaps not a true sailor’s option, but I have also spent considerable time making sure my engine starts and runs reliably. It is the original 1996 Nisan 50 and when I first got the boat it did not start/run so well which bit me on my first outing. Turned out to be only a good story, but I learned my lesson.

An inflatable PDF with harness sounds like a really good idea. Where does one anchor it, and what tips for buying and using (perhaps another thread some time)?

Dan

[K9Kampers]

I don’t plan on a jiffy reef or lazy jacks to cut down on rigging time after trailering to the lake de jour. I drop the main into the cabin and deal with it later.

Kelseydo-
I mentioned lazyjacks for solo sailing not for the reason you cited, but rather, so as to not have to go up on deck to lash down the mainsail when conditions make doing so questionable....even tho I still do it that way.

[johnnyonspot]

An inflatable PDF with harness sounds like a really good idea. Where does one anchor it, and what tips for buying and using (perhaps another thread some time)?

Dan

As stated above, you could run jacklines port and starboard from bow to stern, but I think this is overkill for a Mac, especially if you have lines led aft and roller furling, as you would rarely have to go forward. Simply tying off or clipping to a strong cleat or pad eye, as long as it is through-bolted with strong backing, should do just fine. Look at Defender Marine for reasonably priced harness and PFD with D-ring. Just make sure the harness has a quick-release feature at the PFD end in case you are trapped under water or in another compromising position by the tether. That said, I have never tied off while sailing single handed, though all of mine has been done on a large inland lake with no chance of drifting out to sea if I fell overboard. I have always worn the PFD when alone, however.

[NiceAft]

I have always worn the PFD when alone,

Whether sailing alone, or with companions, a PFD should always be worn.

Ray

[Indulgence]

I go out by myself a lot. Aside from the list of lazy jacks and so on :

Rail cleats at the helm make single handing much nicer. Don't have to try and
reach the winches while steering behind your back at the same time. Also, get
a wheel brake so you can attend to little things and not have to hold wheel.

EZ Cleats
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s152 ... 0_0092.jpg

Laurie

[2BonC]

Hallo Ray,
beside the improvements mentioned by the other single handed ones I suggest an additional pair of winches on the rail to the side of the helmet just a little in front of it. This saved me from walking forward to handle the jib when tacking or adjusting it.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1062

However for me the biggest thing was the installation of the autosteering system. From this time on I was not single handed anymore .

Rainer