Pros and cons of cruising single handed?

Nostrodamus

Nostrodamus

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www.cygnus3.com
Whilst cruising we have met many people but have been amazed at the amount of men sailing alone and living on their boats.

Although it has advantages in that you can decide exactly where you want to go I should imagine it can get very lonley also, especially when you see new sights and places and have no one to share it with.

Is it also difficult to make friends with other people as well? We try to treat everyone the same although as a couple it is often easier for us to spend time with other couples and we find making new friends pretty easy. As a couple you do tend to gravitate towards other couples but being on your own do you feel generlly you are welcomed or shunned by other couples?


I just wondered what are the pro's and cons of cruising single handed and would you change it if you could?
 
Nostradamus said:
Whilst cruising we have met many people but have been amazed at the amount of men sailing alone and living on their boats.

Although it has advantages in that you can decide exactly where you want to go I should imagine it can get very lonely also, especially when you see new sights and places and have no one to share it with.

Is it also difficult to make friends with other people as well? We try to treat everyone the same although as a couple it is often easier for us to spend time with other couples and we find making new friends pretty easy. As a couple you do tend to gravitate towards other couples but being on your own do you feel generally you are welcomed or shunned by other couples?


I just wondered what are the pro's and cons of cruising single handed and would you change it if you could?
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How could I get invited to a threesome if I wasn't on my own;)
 
rtboss1 said:
How could I get invited to a threesome if I wasn't on my own;)
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25uh4j9.jpg
 
Single handed

I spend a lot of time - several months a year - on my own, usually at anchor during the summer. I work aboard (writing) and don't move very much - mostly day sails - fuel, water, change of scenery/weather reasons. The rest of the time I have SWMBO or friends with me, or I'm back in UK. I'd prefer company most of the time, but then I need peace to work...

When I'm in a marina over the winter I haven't found a problem - there is always something going on and I socialise. I did meet someone once who jumped ship, did a two-up Atlantic crossing with me. I think she's on somebody else's boat now!

I do like the radio, and where I am right now there isn't any. Last week I had 'Space Oddity' (Bowie) in Italian...

I have a stuffed dog as company, and an inflatable woman which SWMBO gave me for the Brazil trip (story here) (PG)
 
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Always plenty of invites from other boats. It´s society wot shuns me... :o

Like everything yachtie pros and cons. When it comes to maintenance I´ve often thought an ideal sailing companion would be a hobbit with 6´triple jointed arms :)

Despite it all the urge to sail across another ocean alone keeps coming back.

And the coffee lasts longer :)


Something to listen to midocean.. :D :cool:

 
I'd like to sail as part of a couple, but there's nobody who wants to spend time with me, on boat or on land. So therefore I sail on my own. I suspect this is a common cause of men sailing solo.
 
Generally we have found that the solo men we have met fall into three catagories.

There are those, like Conchair, who is excellent company, a good laugh, you enjoy spending time with and he drinks all your beer.

Then there is the one who usually takes your lines and is aboard before you have tied up. Very sociable but does not know when it is time to go no matter how may hints you give and always tries to stay for meals.

The third is those who wont speak unless you speak to them first.

There is a forth catogory who are rare who try to chat up your swimbo as if you are not there (or often when you are not there). These have often been divorced numerous times for some reason.

In general most fall into the first catagory and have been very good company.
 
I've been cruising the Swedish east coast single-handed this summer, and I've never been short of interesting people to talk to (I'm fluent in German, which doubles the potential). I've hooked up with people to cruise in company and unfortunately had to turn down a few offers too. People generally recognise you as a "real sailor" when they see you berth and tie up single-handed in a (reasonably) professional manner, so it does wonders for the ego. Yes, the coffee lasts longer. but th biggest problem is that when you're making all those wonderful experiences you know no one's ever going to say, "You remember when ...". I offset that deliberately by writing cruising notes for my friends hoping that when I lose my marbles someone might come to the nursing home and read them to me.

Seriously, I thought thuis year would be boring and lonelyy, but it's been quite the opposite. Cruising solo in company is great fun, BTW.

Fair winds,
Windy

PS: my forum name is not the reason why I'm solo.
 
In the past, sailing- cruising was not very comfortable, I think that is why so many men are sailing single handed. Now things are changing fast, only last week a man was asking me about been liveaboard and cruising, I advised the guy ( A Greek tanker captain with a relatively small mobo as a hobby ) to buy a big catamaran, that way his wife would feel just as comfortable as at home.
Women are much more family orientated, a problem in the old days, now with Skype and Google talk they can chat all day long with there beloved.
In the past decade my wife and I have adapted a half / half lifestyle. She flies home all the time, carefully dividing her time between the boat ( me ) and the family. In the beginning we had to live that way, now it is very convenient. That way our little boat stays a holiday home for her in stead of a prison, our relation gets freshened up every two months and I can play the rough lonely cowboy I always wanted to be. You know, spit over the side and curse and....
Most real interesting people we met ware single sailors. Most are nuts in a way, but that is ok while the “Normal” people stay at home and go working. We met quit a lot of those men who could easy get women, were not interested in long time relations. Again normal for older male who have had everything and now want some peace of mind. For most of them the laptop is their way not to go completely bonkers.
In Atbükü koyu near Göcek Turkey some of these older now retired sailors grouped together. ( They are all gone now ) Each on there own boat, carefully watching there privacy. In the morning and evening they had a chat, the rest of the day one heard the keyboards rattling. That and the gurgle of the small river at the end of the bay was the only sound. More concentrated intelligence hard to find.
Still, one of them, a German newspaper editor, wanted at the age of 85 to meet an other women.
He did, via internet, That story is one of my favourites.
 
Nostrodamus said:
Whilst cruising we have met many people but have been amazed at the amount of men sailing alone and living on their boats.

Although it has advantages in that you can decide exactly where you want to go I should imagine it can get very lonley also, especially when you see new sights and places and have no one to share it with.

Is it also difficult to make friends with other people as well? We try to treat everyone the same although as a couple it is often easier for us to spend time with other couples and we find making new friends pretty easy. As a couple you do tend to gravitate towards other couples but being on your own do you feel generlly you are welcomed or shunned by other couples?


I just wondered what are the pro's and cons of cruising single handed and would you change it if you could?
Click to expand...

The main advantage for me is that I actually like spending quite a bit of time alone. Both when sailing and when moored up. It can get lonely, but often I find I get bored rather than lonely - it's not so fun if you dont have someone to do stuff with.

I try to break it up by having friends come and visit

I haven't found it difficult to make friends at all so far, but I've only really been doing it for about 6 months. Most of the people I meet are couples, and often a fair bit older than me, but that doesn't seem to be a problem.

If I could find the right girl to sail around with me, that would be great (and I'm sure I will in the end). Until then I'm happy to potter about on my own :)
 
If I could find the right girl to sail around with me, that would be great (and I'm sure I will in the end). Until then I'm happy to potter about on my own

Ditto. Nostradamus - if you find one, bagsie me have first refusal :D
 
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