Single handing

trying

trying

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It looks likely that I will be on the boat on my own a little more this season and therefore if I am to use the boat on these occasions it will be single handed.

Our use of the boat is only ever a bit of pottering about locally.

Not having taken the boat out on my own before I wondered if any of you had any comments, suggestions or advice.
 
VHF radio , mobile phone , safety lanyard and tool kit IMHO , oh and a full tank of fuel /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Mooring is the main issue, so give a bit of thought to how you would moor up in normal situations. A rope attached to a mid cleat is often a good idea, then you can try and lassoo a cleat on the pontoon or boat you're mooring alongside, and tie off back to your mid cleat again. That way, you can't really go anywhere and you can do the rest of the lines at your leisure.

Most harbours and marinas will send someone to help you if you ask on VHF, but you obviously need to feel comfortable mooring up on your own, in case there's no one around

Also, remember on your approach to stop somewhere with enough drifiting room so you can put the fenders out.
 
....and if you fall overboard, swim like heck to get away from the sharks and to try to catch your boat up before it hits mine........

I did a single handed 50NM night trip around cape Formentor (Majorca) in Sept-08 - just loved it!
 
First check that you are insured, including night sailing (you may not intend it but could get caught out.)

What boat? (Profile says nowt) - that will help us contribute.
 
Are you thinking of day trips and ending up in your normal berth each night or are you going to visit other marinas/harbours?

At your normal/own berth you could set up a system similar to that which I use with the Marina owners permission.

I have a vertical extension to the pontoon cleat (just a s/s strip bolted to the top of the cleat). On board I have a warp with a loop held open by hose tubing. the boat end is attached to a mid ship cleat and on approach to the berth I drop the loop over the extension. Loop drops down onto cleat. The boat is then powered forward with the helm set to turn away from the pontoon. The length of warp stops the bow hitting anything and the tight warp pulls the bow into the pontoon while the thrust on the rudder pulls the stern in. Once settled take your time and secure mooring warps.

Much more difficult to explain than to execute.
 
Relax, think it out. If you can get on & off mooring alone then nothing else will be a problem. If in doubt, stop & think it out. Anchor or just let it drift, put the kettle on & consider your options.

have your anchor, fenders & warps handy & set them up early, if necessary stop/ drift while you do it. Keep the relevant chart(s) pilot books handy, plus a hand bearing compass & binos.

A flask of coffee & snacky bits are good if you can't easily stop for food/ hot drink. And have a camera handy, coz no-one will believe how beautiful it actually was.
 
Pre plan what you intend to do and go through it in your mind making notes of what equipment will be required.
As well as this think of any scenarios that possibly could happen,is anchor ready to use ,mooring lines prepared etc.
If you do night sailing things can look a lot different even in your own area at night !
But mostly have fun !!
 
I can single hand a 4500kg 29ft boat without too much stress in normal situations.

Main thing when mooring is to always have the lines/fenders and a plan 100% sorted before they need to be: find a nice quiet spot close to your marina for this.

Lifejacket on at all times when under way. Don't be tempted to go forwards onto the deck in anything other than neutral ...

... and relax.

It's a pleasure in itself.

dv.
 
Make sure someone ashore knows where you are going and for how long. I normally let someone know ashore what time they should expect a call and if they don't get a call from me by that time then they are to call 999 and ask for the coastguard. Not that it matters that muc really at this time of year... at 8 degs C I wouldn't last long if I went in!

I have DSC VHF, mobile phone, a personal EPIRB on my lifejacket, lifejacket on AT ALL TIMES, engine cut-out lanyard on leg all time, I also log a passage plan with the coastguard via VHF.

Whatever you do... don't jump ashore! If you can't step without stretching then pull out and have another go... it isn't worth it. Sometimes it takes me 3 or 4 goes but eventually I get it and all is safe and well.

Make sure you observe what the wind/tide is going to do to the boat before making your approach... use it to help you. I know we should do that even if not singlehanding but it is even more important when on your own.

I singlehanded Round Britain so it doesn't have to be stressful... just takes a little extra planning prior to each mooring or arrival and then taking things nice and gently with short uses of the throttle at IDLE... nothing more unless absolutely necessary (you boat may require a different technique but anything much more than IDLE will normally make it more difficult!). If it looks like it may not work then abort. Always have a plan in your mind as to what you will do if it looks like a safe arrival won't happen... I call it my escape route and I will not let myself get into any position where I don't have a safe escape route. By "escape" I don't mean fast... I just mean that I have a plan that will get me into safe water if things go wrong.
 
The most important thing surely is to let someone shore side know where you are going, what route and when you expect to be back in and phone them when you get there, if you don't ring they can call the CG on your behalf.
 
Single handing sounds much more daunting than it is and in some respects the bigger the boat the easier it is ( to a point!) as they don't blow around so much. I've single handed a Predator 68 before now and would echo all the previous comments.. take time pre plan but get used to getting the stern or miships line on first. Most of the time I reverse into a berth..manouvre the boat in then stroll aft ( never rush cos thats when you'll start tripping over things and getting in bother) lassoe a cleat off the stern then power very gently foreward and the boat will lock itself in hanging from the stern cleat ( or midships if you prefer depending on your boat configuration ) As has already been said never ever ever ever leave the safety of the cockpit at sea with the engines in gear.. it can be very tempting to pop foreward while the engines tick over ahead (esp if you have an auto pilot ) but if you go overboard there is no way you can swim as fst as as boat even at tickover.. not to mention the obvious dangers of the turning props. Having said that I've single handed many miles coastal and cross channel and, whilst not wanting to be antisocial, sometimes the solitude can be very peaceful so relax and enjoy.. You don't say where you are but if you happen to be near Poole and not confident with the warping techniques mentioned here I'd be happy to show you sometime... cheers Iain
 
To work out routines and get some confidence - take an experienced single hander/instructor with you as crew for some mooring exercises. But, do all the tasks single-handed, just have them for advice, re-assurance and emergency help if it goes a bit wrong. Then put them ashore as "catcher" for when you come alongside and practice again solo. Builds your confidence in doing it alone.
 
You've got great advice from the above posts.
I singlehand a lot and the only time I've got in a mess re. boathandling is when I've tried to hurry the manouvre. You aren't in a race against time and there's nothing wrong with going around again if you feel the first approach is not quite right.
Before leaving, make the lines up as slips, so they are easily released by you when you've decided in which order to let them go.

Personally I don't bother with a passage plan as I often leave harbour with no certain destination in mind. If something goes wrong then I rely on my being able to use a phone or the VHF. Joining SeaStart is probably a good idea as well. Most of my trips are only day sails anyway.

I only wear a lifejacket(auto) when I'm underway.

Enjoy yourself, it's very rewarding being able to go boating, make the right decisions and handle the boat well, "on your tod."
 
Thanks for all the comments.

I'm glad it seems that the consensus is that single handing is enjoyable.

We usually go into our berth forwards. For our boat this seems to be easier to manouevre than going in stern to. Our old tub isn't the best for close quarters handling!

It is only really mooring on return that I am unsure about but I will think things through next time I am on the boat and work out the easiest way to get the first line secured bearing in mind all the comments.

I'm not planning at this stage for single handed trips to be anything other than a local potter and return to our berth although I would still let someone ashore know of my plans.

Having checked insurance details cover is in place for single handed passages not exceeding 24 hours.

Cheers
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for all the comments.

I'm glad it seems that the consensus is that single handing is enjoyable.

We usually go into our berth forwards. For our boat this seems to be easier to manouevre than going in stern to. Our old tub isn't the best for close quarters handling!

It is only really mooring on return that I am unsure about but I will think things through next time I am on the boat and work out the easiest way to get the first line secured bearing in mind all the comments.

I'm not planning at this stage for single handed trips to be anything other than a local potter and return to our berth although I would still let someone ashore know of my plans.

Having checked insurance details cover is in place for single handed passages not exceeding 24 hours.

Cheers

[/ QUOTE ]

When I started doing more single handed - got a mate to come along with me - to act as roving fender but with strict instructions not to actually do anything (unless we were about to crash) as to all intents and purposes I was acting as single handed. A few practice sessions and I now have no worries about getting on or getting off my berth.

Enjoy
 
As you know, I have the same boat, and I have single handed it on many occasions. The biggest problem is deploying fenders. I don't like to go up on the foredeck when alone for obvious reasons so tend to fender just the aft half of the boat which I can do without leaving the cockpit.

I usually just keep a midship line rigged on the cleat and taken back into the cockpit on both sides when I am single handed. With the hood down this can be lassoed onto a cleat from the cockpit and as the boat is only light, tied up properly in your own time.

The biggest problem is that the slow sped handling of these boats is not great, like many other small light single engines boats, so once the wind gets it, there is little you can do. Always come in a slow as possible while maintaining control so any bump is a light one with no real damage.

Lastly, do what I did and get a bow thruster fitted /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Enjoy
 
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