If you single-hand, how big is your yacht?

[Minchsailor]

I have single handed in 23 ft, 32ft and now 36ft. All have their cons and pros. The bigger boats are more stable and able to look after themselves but more work. I needed new genny on my 35ft and had it made about 15% smaller (although this was also to improve visibility) simply to make it easier to winch in.

 

[xeitosaphil]

I had a Hurley 22 for 10 years, singlehanded all the time, everything led back to the cockpit , no roller reefing - Hank on sails. Age demands a little more headroom and comfort, I now have a Hurley 30 same scenario, singlehanded but with roller reefing and battened main, everything organised back to the cockpit no problems. Only problem sometime arises from wanting to be in two parts of the boat at the same time. Its all down to being organised and set up for the tasks in hand, before they arise IMHO.

 

[cmedsailor]

35'but now nearly 70 and lower horizons.

Oh, come on. I am sure you don't mean this.

 

[Koeketiene]

In some ways, larger boats can be easier to single-hand, if they're properly set up. Larger boats have more inertia, so react more slowly and feel more stable.

This has been my experience too.

 

[sailorman]

Oh, come on. I am sure you don't mean this.

Clubmed nxt

 

[fireball]

Single handed sailing - or are you still just captain ?

I've singlehanded boats from 10' up to 37' (more the former!) - dinghies are all about sailing, there is no autopilot and the sails usually need frequent trimming - especially if you're solo in a doublehander! The 21'er was tiller and she did track nicely which was handy without an autopilot - but it was still active sailing. The 30'er had a tiller pilot and could still be sailed like a dinghy - but with a masthead genoa it was far harder to trim the sails, so a lot of it was compromise - especially on beats. The 37'er had wheel pilot and with a coach roof mainsheet you could either steer or trim the sails - not both - so it was just wheel pilot on and float about in the cockpit watching everything - more a captain's role rather than actively sailing it ... but at least it did free you up to make coffee

 

[Searush]

There is a very low parking to sailing ratio involved with that.

Yes, that's why I focussed on anchor & mooring issues as the possible problem areas, even when the rig is set up for solo sailing.

 

[AHoy2]

In my experience sailing single-handed and the size of boat are not that closely linked. The single-handed aspect is dictated more by the availability of/need for sailing companions whereas the size of boat is more a matter of sailing style and budget.

In my case regular and reliable good crew have always been in short supply so the choice of less sailing or single-handing had to be addressed, as a consequence my logs show a solo sailing time of near 70%. I often sailed my previous 32' boat single-handed due to lack of crew and was comfortable with it, the generous space for one person being justified by its use as my second home not for sailing reasons. A change in my financial situation meant I could neither justify the boat as an asset or fund the costs, rather than give up boat ownership I downsized for lower financial commitment but have maintained my sailing activities with a different approach. The down side in terms of crew is that I can no longer offer the comforts and privacy of a larger boat, so have less opportunity of attracting casual crew for more than day sails.

 

[deep denial]

Just another thought - my boat is a cutter yawl. The cutter sails of course help, but the big plus is the yawl rig - this allows you to set an easy sail which will keep you head to wind even without an autopilot, enabling relaxed tending to the other sails. I wonder why this advantage isn't mentioned more often?

 

[TQA]

I single hand a 44 ft cutter. I am retired and a full time liveaboard in the Caribbean. I single hand about half the year. I have an electric windlass but everything else is manual.

I don't see that it is any more of a problem to sail and anchor than a smaller boat. I get a little more nervous in docking situations I guess.

 

[RupertW]

I single hand a 44 ft cutter. I am retired and a full time liveaboard in the Caribbean. I single hand about half the year. I have an electric windlass but everything else is manual.

I don't see that it is any more of a problem to sail and anchor than a smaller boat. I get a little more nervous in docking situations I guess.

Its the docking situation which has mainly stopped me even trying to singlehand a 42 footer - currently in Corfu. I can't quite work out how I would anchor alone in a crowded anchorage but I'm sure I would work out a way. But I really can't see how I could safely dock it especially in a cross-wind and get either anchor sorted or laid lines as needed as well as getting the stern attached.

At sea much easier platform than a smaller boat even if more string needed to be pulled for longer, and I mostly do allthat anyway even with crew.

 

[pagoda]

I have a suspicion that the near bell curve distribution of the Poll indicates pretty much the same distribution curve of all the boats used by readers. Admittedly, fewer 40ft + owners will single hand as much. At sea, in decent weather, handling a fair sized yacht on your own is quite OK. Mooring / anchoring and unpleasant weather are another challenge entirely. For that matter, eating, visiting the heads add to normal sailing difficulties. I have enjoyed sailing solo, but having AN Other to brew some tea when you are cold and need some hot comfort outweighs the solo buzz.
Most of the time. And it's nice to have somebody else to discuss things with, rather than just the boat!

 

[nimbusgb]

38', roller furling headsail, fully battened, slab reefed main, 1500w anchor winch, inboard autopilot with wireless remote control.