steve yates
Well-known member
That might be just the kind of thing for me, my tiller pilot is mainly shite.
Single handed checklist
- Thread starter andyjcox1
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bbg
Active member
Ignore it? Or easy enough to rig a loop of bungee to somewhere and snap them to that.
bitbaltic
Well-known member
+1. We have all three reef points marked with a whipping on the halyard and also on the reefing lines. When the whipping disappears inside the clutch the reef is 'on'. maximum halyard/reef line tension is when the whipping emerges cockpit-side of the clutch.
1 & 2 are single line but for the third reef we have a big snap hook on a dyneema strop attached to the gooseneck. All the reefs have spectacles at the tack so the shackel just snaps onto the reef 3 spectacle ring. Works extremely well.
We only have the single shackle and the strop is quite short (?4-6 inches or so). Never noticed it clattering around.
stav
Member
Family sailing and reefing don't seem to go together to me. My family will only come if it is mirror calm and a short sail. Things I would be looking for would be a good table for colouring/lego, windows that you can see out of easily. A realiable engine. Do not buy the book about cruising with kids as the first chapter explained the dangers and how some accidents ( and fatalities had happened). Where are you thinking about cruising? Perhaps the other way of sailing is more flexible, drascombe lugger and a trailer?
Having sailed cruisers all my life, I like simple, reefing the main is a hook with the main halyard at the mast, reefing lines and kicker in the cockpit: assuming hoisted and I do have a rodkicker, realease kicker, go forward drop main, hook cringle onto hook, tension halyard. Back to cockpit tension reefing line, put on kicker.
Also single handed has often involved me taking boat to a place and family joining later. My two girls 12 and 8 are just strating to come with me without to much bribing.
Good luck with it!
Having sailed cruisers all my life, I like simple, reefing the main is a hook with the main halyard at the mast, reefing lines and kicker in the cockpit: assuming hoisted and I do have a rodkicker, realease kicker, go forward drop main, hook cringle onto hook, tension halyard. Back to cockpit tension reefing line, put on kicker.
Also single handed has often involved me taking boat to a place and family joining later. My two girls 12 and 8 are just strating to come with me without to much bribing.
Good luck with it!
Uricanejack
Well-known member
I have the opposite problem, my kids wont come sailing with me if its calm, Quote to boring and all dad does is drift around all day going no where.
Risk or reefing, they come and enjoy it. So long as its not raining. I get to enjoy reefing in the rain by myself.
Foolish Muse
Member
Andy, welcome to the wonderful world of singlehanding. There is a whole book of tips for singlehanding that you can download for free. Just go here: http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/SinglehandedTipsThirdEdition2.pdf
There is lots of stuff inside on what to look for in a boat and how to set it up.
Have fun!
There is lots of stuff inside on what to look for in a boat and how to set it up.
Have fun!
macd
Active member
That seems to be a variation of how it was done years ago, and was recommended to me by my sail maker, who has a long memory.
I hate ram's horns. On my last boat, sailed 90% single-handed, I had a cleat on each side of the mast just below boom level. Each had a length of captive line. To reef, you put one of these lines through the cringle, eased the halyard, hauled down on the line and made it fast to the cleat on the other side. (One line would do, of course, but two made it easier and more secure going from two reefs to one.) Worked a treat - and nothing to clatter.
pyrojames
Well-known member
I had that set up for a few years, but then changed to a hook on a very short chain around the gooseneck. As I in the process of replacing the boom, I was considering horns, albeit reluctantly for all the reasons above. I think I might go back to dyneema tethers.
Poey50
Well-known member
I use those round rubber door stoppers to hold the cringle onto the hooks. Works really well.
LadyInBed
Well-known member
In a similar way to you using cleats, I use a length of line with an eye splice I one end onto one horn, through the crinkle and a couple of half hitches on the other horn.
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
What's all this horns and cleats and halyards stuff? ..... don't you just put the reefing line on the winch and wind the main back into the mast? .... I'll get my coat.
macd
Active member
Well, that's what I do now - on the basis that the most appropriate place for lazy jacks is lounging in the cockpit...
[3889]
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Not only that but it can keep your White No.1 WC dress looking tip top. It's not called WC for nothing.
rptb1
Member
Some kind of hands-off steering. For a beginner, I recommend a tiller pilot.
After that, simply ensure that everything else you need to do is within your capability to do alone: reefing or dropping sails, anchoring, picking up a buoy, coming alongside, getting food and drink, staying warm or cool, and a lot of things you'll learn by doing.
I recommend spending at least a weekend on manoeuvres with someone experienced, practising all these things. You'll come back with a much improved list of priorities!
Also, consider a junk rig. I can almost everything from the cockpit with one hand, and I sail on and off anchors, buoys, and pontoons all the time.
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
The real question is are you going to single-hand alone or single-hand with passengers (wife and 2 kids). I understood single-handing because your wife/partner is busy with children, i.e. with passengers.
What you seem to want is family sailing with an easily handled boat where you can do most of the stuff yourself if necessary. That's what I have to do sometimes with lazy teenagers on board, but at least they know what to do when needed. Small children will love to get involved, that's what hooked me as a child, a bit of responsibility, being allowed to helm, getting involved - you'll be surprised how useful a small child can be on board, how fast they learn and as long as you and your partner take the time to get them involved they will love it too - kids are often more capable than we give them credit for - there's no reason why a small child can't tie on a fender or chuck a rope ashore - sometimes it might go wrong, but as long as everything is done slowly and carefully there is very little you can't recover from. As I grew up I spent many years as a substitute for the anchor winch my dad never had.
The two scenarios are very different (single handing alone and with children). I've done both - having 3 small chidren on board and only 2 adults is a challenge, you never know what the little blighters are going to do next or where they are going to stick their fingers. It takes time and patience to establish a routine that works for you, your family, and your boat - I'd really focus more on a boat that is safe and comfortable for a family rather than set up for single-handing. By safe for a family I mean enclosed, dry cockpit, not too steep companionway, comfortable warm interior, all the dangerous bits (boom, traveller etc.) well out of harms way and manoeverable under power with a solid reliable engine. With kids you'll be cruising, not sailing - and part of the fun is just living on board - it's an adventure, not just going from A-B under sail. As such I'd say roller genoa and some form of autopilot will be all that is needed to make any boat easy to manage short-handed.
Get out there as a family and choose a boat you all like. You'll learn everything else as you go along. Happy Sailing!!!.
What you seem to want is family sailing with an easily handled boat where you can do most of the stuff yourself if necessary. That's what I have to do sometimes with lazy teenagers on board, but at least they know what to do when needed. Small children will love to get involved, that's what hooked me as a child, a bit of responsibility, being allowed to helm, getting involved - you'll be surprised how useful a small child can be on board, how fast they learn and as long as you and your partner take the time to get them involved they will love it too - kids are often more capable than we give them credit for - there's no reason why a small child can't tie on a fender or chuck a rope ashore - sometimes it might go wrong, but as long as everything is done slowly and carefully there is very little you can't recover from. As I grew up I spent many years as a substitute for the anchor winch my dad never had.
The two scenarios are very different (single handing alone and with children). I've done both - having 3 small chidren on board and only 2 adults is a challenge, you never know what the little blighters are going to do next or where they are going to stick their fingers. It takes time and patience to establish a routine that works for you, your family, and your boat - I'd really focus more on a boat that is safe and comfortable for a family rather than set up for single-handing. By safe for a family I mean enclosed, dry cockpit, not too steep companionway, comfortable warm interior, all the dangerous bits (boom, traveller etc.) well out of harms way and manoeverable under power with a solid reliable engine. With kids you'll be cruising, not sailing - and part of the fun is just living on board - it's an adventure, not just going from A-B under sail. As such I'd say roller genoa and some form of autopilot will be all that is needed to make any boat easy to manage short-handed.
Get out there as a family and choose a boat you all like. You'll learn everything else as you go along. Happy Sailing!!!.
Baggywrinkle
Well-known member
If you ever have the misfortune to be working at a regimental dinner, never ever even think of finishing off the half-full wine bottles that come back into the kitchen ..... and don't put them anywhere near the food.
andyjcox1
Member
Thanks for the all the info, I have got a long list of things to look up as I've never even heard of the likes of cringles etc. (told you I was a beginner!!)
Baggywrinkles, your advise truck a chord, I will be sailing with the family for mainly day trips and essentially single handed, but will give them jobs to do to keep them occupied, and a table for colouring is essential.
I would also expect to sail on my own, and with mates from time to time on longer weekends/weeks away to far off shores.
Let the wife choose the boat, hmmm. Not sure on that one as she is no sailer and has no interest in the technicalities. As-long as I say it is safe for her and the kids we will be fine. She can choose the scatter cushions.
I think lines kept out of the cockpit will be best having thought about little fingers getting stuck in anything that moves. With an auto pilot, or even without, I will simply head into wind and make the changes, or stick the engine on well outside any restricted entrances/marinas so can do all that from the mast by the sounds of it.
Thanks for all the advise, and keep it coming if there is more
Baggywrinkles, your advise truck a chord, I will be sailing with the family for mainly day trips and essentially single handed, but will give them jobs to do to keep them occupied, and a table for colouring is essential.
I would also expect to sail on my own, and with mates from time to time on longer weekends/weeks away to far off shores.
Let the wife choose the boat, hmmm. Not sure on that one as she is no sailer and has no interest in the technicalities. As-long as I say it is safe for her and the kids we will be fine. She can choose the scatter cushions.
I think lines kept out of the cockpit will be best having thought about little fingers getting stuck in anything that moves. With an auto pilot, or even without, I will simply head into wind and make the changes, or stick the engine on well outside any restricted entrances/marinas so can do all that from the mast by the sounds of it.
Thanks for all the advise, and keep it coming if there is more
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mattonthesea
Well-known member
There is an argument that says that you will, at some point, probably in bad weather, have to get out of the cockpit. The more familiar you are with it then the less stress it will cause you and the quicker you will do it. Plus, having shorter reefing lines will reduce tangle potential. So my vote is for good handholds to the mast, a securing point at the mast (granny bars probably too big for your size of boat) and all the reefing stuff at the gooseneck. But I quite understand that this is not everyone's taste (all sorts etc
)