First time sailing singlehanded (with pics)

[Dyflin]

I have been working up to taking the boat out singlehanded for a while now but have just not had the courage / opportunity / weather to do it for months. But today I finally bit the bullet and tentatively slipped the lines at 13.00 today and motored out the marina to have a go at this singlehanding lark.

As it's my first time I thought I'd take it easy and as I only had about an hour before I had to get back to the office, I kept within the harbour area and just sailed under genoa alone.

We keep the boat in Dun Laoghaire and the harbour at this time of year is plenty big enough to sail inside:

The harbour was deserted for the most part.

But as you can see the weather was glorious.

Sail trim, speed through the water and all that was left behind, all I brought along was a lunch and a big wide grin /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I just sat quietly in the cockpit, listening to the gurgling of the water passing under the hull, the kids shouting and dogs barking as they strolled along the piers.

Happiness is a lunch break spent afloat...

 

[Swagman]

Well done. The piccies almost make us feel like we were with you. Lucky bugger.
JOHN

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Nice one!

Well done.... and lovely pics by the way.... wish it'd been me out there.....

 

[Sgeir]

Well done, and what a beautiful day for it - also glorious here.

 

[sighmoon]

Sailing in your lunchbreak? That's me jealous.

 

[Achillesheel]

Lucky so-and-so, wish I could pop out for a sail and back to the office.

And well done on first single handed voyage!

 

[lenseman]

[ QUOTE ]

We keep the boat in Dun Laoghaire and the harbour at this time of year is plenty big enough to sail inside


[/ QUOTE ]

Blimey /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I didn't know it shrank in the summer, if anything, I would have thought the hot weather would make it expand? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dyflin]

The only thing that expands during the summer is the numbers afloat:

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Next time I'll post a sail by time and you can all play break the webcam again:
http://www.dlharbour.ie/webcam/dual.php

 

[Achillesheel]

I think if I could get to my boat in my lunch hour, I'd never get any work done in the office....

 

[stevebrassett]

Well done. I've got a Leisure 23, and often sail it single-handed with only the genoa up. It even goes quite well to windward.

 

[Dyflin]

Windward sailing is some of the best we do, it's a run that she dislikes, never enough sail area for her heavy displacement. But close hauled usually puts a big grin on our faces!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

[ QUOTE ]
I think if I could get to my boat in my lunch hour, I'd never get any work done in the office....

[/ QUOTE ]Argh..... a matter of some concern..... we've just acquired a small company who have an office so close to where my boat was kept that I could read the SSR number out of the meeting room window.... and it was quicker to nip down to the boat for a quick coffee than to queue at the vending machine....

I naturally have had to arrange a space at another marina, as my contribution to brainstorming sessions was causing some concerns amongst our psychometric profiling team......

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think if I could get to my boat in my lunch hour, I'd never get any work done in the office....

[/ QUOTE ]Argh..... a matter of some concern..... we've just acquired a small company who have an office so close to where my boat was kept that I could read the SSR number out of the meeting room window.... and it was quicker to nip down to the boat for a quick coffee than to queue at the vending machine....

I naturally have had to arrange a space at another marina, as my contribution to brainstorming sessions was causing some concerns amongst our psychometric profiling team......

[/ QUOTE ]

You should have persuaded them that team building sessions on the boat would have been beneficial /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

You been reading my notes? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Lakesailor]

See. It's not so bad is it? The only thing I find is that I miss having someone to discuss something I've already decided to do anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Memo: Remember to take the bag off the back sail next time.

 

[kengill]

Brilliant!! welcome to the single-handers club!

As you do it more and more you'll have a great time - and discover its is the single best thing one can do on one's own.

Just remember to check the old insurance covers you for it - mine requires me to have a working autopliot fitted and only between dawn and nautical twilight.

Well done!!

 

[Rabbie]

The six best things about singlehanding (again, in no particular order):

1. Bill Gates insists on it. Harried mothers plead for it. Throughout history, individuals have endured privation and hardship in search of it. And singlehanded sailors have found it. Well, that too. But I'm talking about solitude; a momentary respite from the distractions and demands that occur when other people are around. It's a time of peace and quiet, a chance to think and reflect, which refreshes the body, revitalizes the mind, and restores the spirit.

2. Whether you call it "communing with nature" or "feeling at one with the world," there are times singlehanding can only be described as a spiritual experience -- days when you marvel at the sea and sky and are awed and humbled by the majesty of nature, days when you savor the interaction of the boat with wind and waves and say to yourself "It just doesn't get any better than this." According to an unpublished study by Dewey, Kahn, Yu, and Howe, these moments are covered by the inverse square rule -- the intensity of the experience decreases by the square of the number of people aboard.

3. Always sailing with a crew is like taking your relatives along on your honeymoon and having them move in with you afterwards. Getting away by yourselves provides an unparalleled opportunity to become intimately familiar with your boat. You discover its likes and dislikes, its strengths and weaknesses, and its quirks and limits. You come to appreciate the good, change what you can for the better, and accept and adjust to the inevitable. Over time, your initial apprehension fades and is replaced by a feeling of comfort and trust. Your ability to handle your boat improves until it becomes an extension of yourself; your senses become so attuned that you pick up on everything and react properly without thinking.

4. Ask a sailor to identify the allure of sailing and a common answer is "freedom and independence." If you buy into this, singlehanding will give you the most for your money. With no responsibility for and no need to accommodate others on board, you can indulge yourself. Take the provisions you want and nothing you don't. Use all the stowage space for your stuff. Always sleep in the best berth. Go where you want when you want or go nowhere or nowhen at all. Do things your way when (if ever) you are inclined to do so. Be messy or neat, noisy or quiet, lead a spartan or decadent existence. It's your toy and, for a while at least, you don't have to share it with anyone.

5. Singlehanding is unlikely to kill you. But it offers plenty of challenges that can make you stronger and better. Not just a better sailor, but a better person. Having to do everything yourself necessitates learning which in turn increases self-sufficiency. Self-interest will motivate you to anticipate what might happen and plan for contingencies. When (not if) the unexpected occurs, necessity will stimulate the resourcefulness and creativity needed to deal with the situation (and, occasionally, prompt a few prayers and promises to change). Your ability to both endure discomfort and appreciate the little things in life will increase. Facing your fears and pushing your limits will boost your self-confidence; while the reality you experience will keep you humble. And, ironically, what you learn about yourself while singlehanding will make you a better companion.

6. The vast majority of singlehanders are not hermits or misanthropes. To the contrary, they are very sociable and enjoy meeting new of people. I think part of it is that, after being alone for awhile, they are more inclined to reach out to others for companionship and conversation. But it also seems others are more inclined to reach out to them. Maybe one person is perceived as less of a threat or burden than a group. Maybe it's curiosity, the mothering instinct, empathy, or pity. Whatever the reason, the willingness of others to extend a helping hand and offer unstinting hospitality to a singlehander is a commonplace, yet unique and priceless, gift.




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Copyright 2000/2004
David Guenther

I can't put it better. Welcome!.
Rab.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Fabulous stuff Rabbie.... well worth posting....

 

[Luanda]

100% right - who'd want to be a hermit when you see all those nubile mermaids on the rocks at the harbour entrance

 

[mike_k]

Well done - looked great.
Unfortunately, the word 'jealous' springs to mind - sailing in your lunch hour !!