Novice having trouble hoisting main at sea single handed.

[fredrussell]

I'm always a bit fraught after hoisting main whilst sailing single handed. With genoa unfurled I point the boat at the wind, lock the tiller tamer, motor forward at a crawl and haul on the main halyard. Nine times out of ten before I can get the main all the way up the bow catches the wind slightly and round she comes.

If I furl the headsail before hoisting main will the bow be less likely to come about? Would some sort of auto-pilot be better than my tiller tamer at keeping the boat pointed straight at wind?

I've seen a few mentions on web of people hoisting the main whilst boat is close hauled via headsail - this seems preferable to above method to me but never gets mentioned in any of the books I've read on sailing technique. Anyone on here favour this method?

I usually get the main up whilst on the mooring, which is no problem, but any tips re hoisting main whilst on the go would be appreciated.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Would some sort of auto-pilot be better than my tiller tamer at keeping the boat pointed straight at wind?

Yes, and make many other aspects of single handed sailing easier as well.

 

[GHA]

Yes, and make many other aspects of single handed sailing easier as well.

+ lots

 

[Twister_Ken]

Bit radical - anchor, hoist main, hoist anchor, sail off into the sunset

 

[TQA]

I would say you need an autopilot. I could not manage without one on my 44 ft cutter when single handed.

I always hoist the main first. Dead into wind and min revs that maintains steerage.

 

[lpdsn]

I've seen a few mentions on web of people hoisting the main whilst boat is close hauled via headsail - this seems preferable to above method to me but never gets mentioned in any of the books I've read on sailing technique. Anyone on here favour this method?

I've used the technique a few times - and practised it a few more. It's handy to be able to do it if the engine fails, as it's often quicker to unfurl or hoist the jib first then sort out the main when you have a bit more sea room.

You need to crack sheets slightly to get a bit more power in the jib and you need an attentive helmsman because you need to keep the boat going without bearing off so much the main catches on the spreaders.

As for doing it single-handed without an autopilot. Pretty difficult I'd say.

Do you have to go forward to hoist the main? Can you haul it up whilst steering with the tiller between you knees? If fitting an autopilot is a bit prohibitive, could you run the main halyard back to the cockpit?

 

[macd]

+ lots

...and + lots more.
A tiller pilot takes all the angst out of hoisting the main (and dropping it). As has been said often enough over the years, it's tantamount to having crew. Hope you can afford to treat yourself to one.

 

[prv]

Under normal circumstances it makes sense to hoist the mainsail before unrolling the jib, not the other way round.

(And another vote for an autopilot if at all possible)

Pete

 

[jdc]

I much prefer to hoist the main while close-hauled, and have written about it several times. The advantages are particularly clear with a fully battened main and stack-pack or lazy jacks.

Hoist or unroll the genoa or yankee.
Go onto a close reach, at about 60 degrees off the true wind (maybe 50 off the apparent, but whatever your yankee or genoa will be happy with while driving forward well).
Let out the main sheet and push the boom out if need be.
Host the main. The boat will be heeled over a bit so the boom will lie outside the cockpit and not be swinging around trying to brain you. The airflow from the yankee will keep the main quiet and it won't flap much. You will clearly be sailing and so coll regs are obvious and unambiguous. You can take your time.

I first started doing this while single handed on a cutter rigged boat with huge and heavy main. But I now do it by preference and wonder why the books and courses still teach the amateur method of motoring directly into the wind.

 

[prv]

wonder why the books and courses still teach the silly method of motoring directly into the wind.

On many boats there is far more friction with the main anywhere but exactly aft of the mast. On some the battens will catch in the lazy jacks.

I've noticed this since moving from gaff rig - with mast hoops on a round mast, the sail didn't really care which direction the hull underneath happened to be pointing

(Even for those boats which hoist best head-to-wind, some people seem to forget that they don't have to be motoring forwards at 6 knots. Just enough steerage to keep the bow up is all that's needed.)

Pete

 

[jdc]

On many boats there is far more friction with the main anywhere but exactly aft of the mast. On some the battens will catch in the lazy jacks.

I've noticed this since moving from gaff rig - with mast hoops on a round mast, the sail didn't really care which direction the hull underneath happened to be pointing

(Even for those boats which hoist best head-to-wind, some people seem to forget that they don't have to be motoring forwards at 6 knots. Just enough steerage to keep the bow up is all that's needed.)

Pete

It does care very much whether the boat id heeled or not, and whether the air-flow is smooth. By hoisting the main when heeled over a bit the boom lies quietly out of the cockpit, and rolling does not cause the boom to slam around. This is a really important advantage of doing it while sailing under foresail.

 

[alan_d]

(Even for those boats which hoist best head-to-wind, some people seem to forget that they don't have to be motoring forwards at 6 knots. Just enough steerage to keep the bow up is all that's needed.)

Pete

Indeed, but engine at tickover is unlikely to be enough. (OP talks about motoring "at a crawl".)

 

[GHA]

...and + lots more.
A tiller pilot takes all the angst out of hoisting the main (and dropping it). As has been said often enough over the years, it's tantamount to having crew. Hope you can afford to treat yourself to one.

Actually, saying that with a heavy long keeled boat and a st2000 which doesn't work very often I usually get away with pointing just off the wind and going for it. Maybe with a trip back to the cockpit to point up again.

 

[Foxy]

I much prefer to hoist the main while close-hauled, and have written about it several times. The advantages are particularly clear with a fully battened main and stack-pack or lazy jacks.

Hoist or unroll the genoa or yankee.
Go onto a close reach, at about 60 degrees off the true wind (maybe 50 off the apparent, but whatever your yankee or genoa will be happy with while driving forward well).
Let out the main sheet and push the boom out if need be.
Host the main. The boat will be heeled over a bit so the boom will lie outside the cockpit and not be swinging around trying to brain you. The airflow from the yankee will keep the main quiet and it won't flap much. You will clearly be sailing and so coll regs are obvious and unambiguous. You can take your time.

I first started doing this while single handed on a cutter rigged boat with huge and heavy main. But I now do it by preference and wonder why the books and courses still teach the amateur method of motoring directly into the wind.

What he said.
It's also a great way to reef single handed and the fact that the boat is underway keeps a bit of stability too. It

 

[John the kiwi]

+1 for Tiller pilot.
+ 1 for Halyard back to cockpit which means you dont have to go to the mast and as said you can steer with your knees or backside! then you dont need a TP to raise the main. I find my TP more use when lowering and stowing.
But the thing that made the biggest difference of all was a good dose of silicone spray up the mast track and on the slugs.
Went from needing to winch my new full batten main to easy up by hand and having it falling down under its own weight when released.

 

[jwilson]

Under normal circumstances it makes sense to hoist the mainsail before unrolling the jib, not the other way round.

(And another vote for an autopilot if at all possible)

Pete

+1
Back in the days when autopilots/tillerpilots were unheard of luxuries on most boats if singlehanded I used to hoist main from the mast either while anchored, or whilst motoring very slowly forward into wind with tiller free: the main as it hoisted kept the boat pretty much close to head to wind. May not work on every boat but it does on most small/medium tiller steered boats.

Lazyjacks make hoisting the main slightly more difficult, as you have to keep the sail battens from snagging. I love them for lowering though, and the bigger the boat the more useful they are then.

 

[fredrussell]

Thanks for all comments - a wealth of info to be considered. I'll try the hoisting while close hauled next time I'm out. I do have lazy jacks and wonder if the battens will catch on them more using that technique. My main halyard is led back to cockpit - hadn't considered steering with tiller between my knees whilst hoisting, will definitely try that also.

I'll report back after I've tried everything suggested - much appreciate it folks.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Thanks for all comments - a wealth of info to be considered. I'll try the hoisting while close hauled next time I'm out. I do have lazy jacks and wonder if the battens will catch on them more using that technique. My main halyard is led back to cockpit - hadn't considered steering with tiller between my knees whilst hoisting, will definitely try that also.

I'll report back after I've tried everything suggested - much appreciate it folks.

Another +1 for tiler pilots
Another +1 for main (and all string) back to the cockpit. Khamsin is rigged thus and it means I hardly ever have to go forward or leave the cockpit.
As for steering with knees, this needs knees(therefore legs) close together which means I'm on the point of balance and if it's choppy/roly-poly keeping balance is difficult/impossible. I'm no Nureyev, and my antics must provide mirth to anyone watching!

Good luck with your s/h learning curve, and enjoy the freedom of being master, skipper, navigator, crew, photographer, galley-mate, steward, purser, deck-hand, lines-handler, fender-dropper, radio-operator, bosun, engineer, electrician, rigger and all the other positions single-handing requires!!!!
Somewhere in that lot you will also be able to enjoy "just sailing" :encouragement:

 

[johnalison]

I hoist my main almost single-handed; my wife just tensions the halyard after hoisting. But I have a cockpit led halyard. Usually, I just motor slowly into the wind and steer with the tiller between my knees while pulling on the halyard. My HR34 has a mainsheet track conveniently placed to put a foot on to add power and I can usually get the sail fully up without a winch. On a small boat without lazyjacks I would hope to be able to raise the main on a close fetch while the boat sailed itself, but an autopilot makes things much easier, as well as taking some of the boredom out of motoring.

 

[Gin]

Unless I've missed it, nobody has suggested heaving to, doesn't work for all keel types but give it a try- slack off the mainsheet completely, tack the boat from hard on the wind but do not release the sheet so the genoa/jib (you may have to partially furl/let out a little bit of sheet to get the balance right) is now aback.

The boat should now lay gently repeatedly luffing and bearing away a few degrees at a time and probably inching forward. This will then permit you to do the necessary with the mainsail; do the same for the drop