pyrojames
Well-Known Member
I used to be able to tack through moorings, and did it in a folk boat and my 33 footer, but definitely not in CdG. The trick to single handing anything imho is a good autopilot
Poll: Longest cruising yacht for single-handed sailors?
- Thread starter yodave
- Start date
- Status
Neil_Y
Well-Known Member
I met one guy cruising a Santa Cruz 70 around the Caribbean
Sybarite
Well-Known Member
I've had to do this a few times out of necessity. 3rd reef and well-rolled genoa helps.
Sybarite
Well-Known Member
Alain Colas did the transat in the 238' Club Med.
Kukri
Well-Known Member
Much depends on the state of your mainsail and genoa!
I never thought twice about it in the gaff cutter pictured in posts 47 and 50, because the view ahead was good and there was minimal sheeting in required, but you did need to be sailing quite fast. Lose speed and you lose control, as my father, whose sailing career ran from 1919 to 1985, used to say. For that reason, I’m in-keen on reefing down much below what is usual for the conditions.
xyachtdave
Well-Known Member
^ Just going to highlight for the inexperienced this isn't correct! I appreciate comparing an oil filter with one engine from a slightly larger unit isn't that much of a difference but....
60ft vs 40 ft costs....a few things that spring to mind ref costs, these will all be significantly more, not just a few quid extra for the increased waterline length.
Purchase cost, berthing, boat yard lifting, storage ashore, quantity of anti foul required for the hull, HUGE cost differences between sails of this size, larger diameter and longer halyards and bigger deck gear required, more seacocks and maintenance of the increased comforts associated with boats of this size - air con, generators, water makers, increased battery and charging systems to run it all etc etc.
And that's before that hightech gear mentioned starts to play up, which it will.
Best of luck to anyone with whatever they sail but as was wisely pointed out earlier, if you're on your own on something most of us would refer to as 'big', you are carrying around a lot of extra empty boat.
My partner and I had the discussion about getting a larger boat (X-40) and she rightly pointed out we'd still be sitting in the saloon together and sleeping in the same cabin (hopefully!) so having another heads and a bit more living space wouldn't increase the enjoyment we were having that evening.
For reference for the OP I have no issues single handing 36ft (X-362) in most weathers to familiar destinations and going in and out of locks (with floating pontoons). I like the achievement of arriving singlehanded but after a tide I'm getting a bit lonely/bored if I'm honest.
For coastal passages once you've got a boat capable of 6-7 knots with perhaps a bit more off the wind in a blow you're into the 50 mile a tide range allowing you to link up ports around the UK quite easily. If you're into oceans and living aboard for long periods I can understand the logic of bigger, wish you well and respect that.
Let's not pretend it costs the same to maintain 40ft as 60!
Last edited:
Kukri
Well-Known Member
Very good post.
Having just jumped up a couple of sizes:
Some numbers are more or less linear - berthing, lifting, storage ashore, as is engine maintenance. Antifoul is a square function obviously. Yes HUGE increase in cost of sails and a “mere” headsail sheet is no trivial matter. An odd one is that choice of marina berths and moorings becomes restricted. The increase in cost of deck gear is certainly a cube factor of not rather more as much more “engineering” comes in to cope with the much bigger loads.
Having just jumped up a couple of sizes:
Some numbers are more or less linear - berthing, lifting, storage ashore, as is engine maintenance. Antifoul is a square function obviously. Yes HUGE increase in cost of sails and a “mere” headsail sheet is no trivial matter. An odd one is that choice of marina berths and moorings becomes restricted. The increase in cost of deck gear is certainly a cube factor of not rather more as much more “engineering” comes in to cope with the much bigger loads.
Last edited:
Wansworth
Well-Known Member
Was invited for a daysail on a fairly modern 45 footer last summer and I must admit the difference with my 27 footer was remarkable just the weight of the jib sheets and hauling in the main the weight of the sails ,quite exhausting and as mentioned the space you occupy on the boat is the same
geem
Well-Known Member
You dont state your cruising ground but when you mention berth it sounds like you would be keeping the boat in a marina.
We are currently cruising the Windward and Leewards. The need to go on to a marina here is about once a season if you lift out for the summer so lots of the issues that influence your choice of boat and gear are not relevant to cruising these waters. Electric anything becomes a problem if it goes wrong. You either have to ship it from UK or USA at great expense and incertainty or do without. Lots of people get T-shirts made saying ” no I am not local, I am just waiting for parts”.
We have no bow thruster, no electric winches, no lines led back to the cockpit, we reef at the mast with slab reefing. We sail as husband and wife so single handed sailing in shifts on long passages. We dont get the other person up to reef as its so easy when you have a stable boat with high granny bars and a very simple and effective reefing system. We have twin headsail furlers. One of the best attributes for sailing generally. Working headsail on one furler and large overlapping genoa on the other.
We went to the fuel dock at Carriacou yesterday to get our dury free fuel as we cleared out. The wind was blowing 20kts on to the fuel dock. We filled up and sprang ourselves off. No drama, no damage no sweat. Our boat is 44ft and circa 18.5t so you cant push it but you can spring it. You dont need bells and whistles to sail a boat. The more you have the more it goes wrong. In the past 60ft barges were sailed with a man and boy!
Yealm
Well-Known Member
Wondered do Vendee globe sailers use spinnakers ? ie assymetrics with free luff ? or just code zeros with luff fixed to the roller furler ?
Guessing that spinnaker limiting factor for most people in terms of boat size. I know someone who is races singlehanded with a symmetrical spinnaker on a contessa 32, but beyond most users ?
Guessing that spinnaker limiting factor for most people in terms of boat size. I know someone who is races singlehanded with a symmetrical spinnaker on a contessa 32, but beyond most users ?
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
Having another person on board is NOT single handed
When things get awkward & one is single handed one cannot shout to the person below to come into the cockpit & grab a line for a second or two. That makes a massive difference. Nor can one rely on help on board at berthing. Having someone to talk to also makes a difference, positive or otherwise , depending on one's point of view.
So , please, all those who claim to single hand, whilst the wife sits below reading a book, or whatever, will they get it into their heads, that they are NOT single handed sailors.
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
If you are single handed and want a long boat I would suggest a bow and stern thruster.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I spoke to a harbour master once when i was considering moving up from my 31 ft boat.
His comment was " if you stick with 31 ft I will always find you a place somewhere, but as you start getting bigger, it will be harder & where you go will be harder for you to park". His recommendation was to keep to max 35 ft. I think that applies to a lot of places round the UK
i rarely have trouble parking my boat, with its short fin & no skeg. It is dead easy. I would have no problem with a similar design of 35 ft. However, once one goes up a size just getting on & off quickly becomes a chore. This becomes especially so if parking somewhere like Ostend with stern onto a buoy & bows to the pontoon. I do that single handed quite easily in my boat, but it would be a different ball game in a 40 fter I suspect. Although, some can go stern on, but I cannot due to the Aeries.
Dutch harbours, between poles, catch me out, sometimes, but that is because I am not used to doing them SH. I usually take a crew up the canals.
I have no experience of med cruising so cannot comment, but I expect that would be awkward parking stern on in a swell as well
His comment was " if you stick with 31 ft I will always find you a place somewhere, but as you start getting bigger, it will be harder & where you go will be harder for you to park". His recommendation was to keep to max 35 ft. I think that applies to a lot of places round the UK
i rarely have trouble parking my boat, with its short fin & no skeg. It is dead easy. I would have no problem with a similar design of 35 ft. However, once one goes up a size just getting on & off quickly becomes a chore. This becomes especially so if parking somewhere like Ostend with stern onto a buoy & bows to the pontoon. I do that single handed quite easily in my boat, but it would be a different ball game in a 40 fter I suspect. Although, some can go stern on, but I cannot due to the Aeries.
Dutch harbours, between poles, catch me out, sometimes, but that is because I am not used to doing them SH. I usually take a crew up the canals.
I have no experience of med cruising so cannot comment, but I expect that would be awkward parking stern on in a swell as well
Motor_Sailor
Well-Known Member
Apparently, since PC has gawn mad, we can no longer snigger at this.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
With Vendee / Open 60 type boats they are generally going so fast the wind will rarely be much behind the beam, mostly slightly ahead, hence mostly will be code zero type furlers, except for very light winds.
And regarding cruising sailers, I guess that spinnaker setting is probably not a big priority. A 40 footer with a 39 foot waterline will generally go downwind on white sails faster than a short waterline Co 32 with symmetric kite up, with no poles or setting/dropping to worry about on the 40 footer. And if very light winds a furling asymmetric certainly make the 40 footer faster.
The boat I did ARC on sailed with white sails, mostly poled out genoa, the entire way. The asymmetric stayed in its bag. Oh, and we finished on the water ahead of much bigger race boats that had blown 2-3 spinnakers, and on corrected time one of the top 5% overall. So spinnakers maybe not a priority.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
Stop applying logic to boat purchases !!! The X40 is a stunning boat, and you know you want one.
Who counts heads when sailing a boat like that :encouragement:
PS. Slightly more on topic, yes the costs do go up with boat size (indeed typically weight), and finding a berth in some cruising waters can be restricted with longer, deeper and /or wider boats.
But generally no more difficult to single hand 40ft than 36ft.
alant
Well-Known Member
Blue Sunray
Well-Known Member
My recollection is that whilst his did of course do the OSTAR course in it he was pretty rapidly boarded by the support team to help him out once across the line and visa versa at the start.
Monique
Well-Known Member
I'm 74 Years young and regilarly sail my Amel Super Maramu solo. Now in NZ... obviously I've done some things right 
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
>If you are single handed and want a long boat I would suggest a bow and stern thruster.
The reason I said that is I watched a 45 foot boat heading to a pontoon where the wind was blowing of it he used his two thrusters to hold the boat on the pontoon while lines were attached. I have also seen them used when manoeuvring in a tight space in a marina.
The reason I said that is I watched a 45 foot boat heading to a pontoon where the wind was blowing of it he used his two thrusters to hold the boat on the pontoon while lines were attached. I have also seen them used when manoeuvring in a tight space in a marina.
- Status