Singlehanding - why do you do it?

[JimC]

Why?

Why not? What's the problem? Why the incredulity?

 

[chinita]

I agree. The most natural thing to do IMO. You, your boat and the elements.

For me, a salient reminder of my faults and weaknesses. Most of which I never manage to resolve.

 

[CliveG]

1. Because my other half doesn't enjoy sailing and won't go out of sight of land.
2. I would rather go singlehanded than not at all.
3. The is a huge sense of achievement completing a passage by ones self.
4. I don't have to worry about a crews ability and welfare. ( but obviously I would look after a crew if I took a crew)
5. I can please my self and gain some peaceful solitude
6. Getting back to civilisation and having a natter is even more pleasureable.
7. I can sit on the crapper with the heads door open.
8. Food is easier.
9. I scare only myself and not others!!
10. I believe singlehanded sailing hones sailing skills much more, and more quickly, forcing one to think ahead and plan passages and pilotage with a view to avoiding Mr Cockup (self preservation) than a fully crewed boat.

All the above.
I enjoy the challenge and it allows me to go when the crew let you down at the last moment,

 

[LadyInBed]

SWMBO has now given up sailing, I enjoy having someone along to share the experience, but it is difficult to find anyone who wants to go away for the same length of time that I want to be away for, so I go on my own.
Life isn't a rehearsal!

 

[Greenheart]

...most single-handers probably can't come up with any sort of reason that puts across the sense of freedom, deliverance from worries, a splash of adrenalin and the feeling of wonder at having their craft well set and in sympathy with the elements and themselves at the helm.

That's very nicely put. I suppose the appreciation of a great bit of sailing on a glorious day is sometimes slightly tinged by the absence of anyone present with whom to agree about how wonderful it is - but in future I'll remember the number of like-minded folk commenting in a short time here, since 2pm today; in our shared enthusiasm, we're not alone at all.

Quote: (Babylon) Singlehanding - why do you do it?

Why not? What's the problem? Why the incredulity?

Exactly. The question is like asking "do you drive on your own?"...of course! There's space for others aboard if they like to come, but absolutely no necessity for their presence.

I can't remember another thread when I've agreed so wholeheartedly & consistently with almost every post. Cheers, ladies & gents - you're all the type I'd like to go sailing with...

...if we weren't all perfectly content going solo.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Why?

Because I don't like people and people don't like me. I haven't sailed with anyone else for years. On board I now have 1 life-jacket, 1 mug, 1 plate etc. Life ring and throwing line removed. Single teaspoon. Door to the bog going next.

 

[Seajet]

Well, if some poster's on-line persona is anything to go by, I think quite a few would find it hard to find someone to go with them!

I do it mainly to ensure Tim isn't with me !

 

[westhinder]

Why?

- The feeling of independence
- The sense of achievement
- Having to think through every manoeuvre carefully and preparing well in advance has made me a better sailor
I sail with family or friends most of the time and I enjoy that, but being able to go on my own adds another dimension to my sailing. When I sailed around Britain last year, I had crew except for three weeks. The fact that I could continue my trip gave me a huge satisfaction.

 

[Seajet]

In reality I sail solo when I have more time than chums to reposition the boat for a getaway; say getting her to Poole for a trip cross Channel ( better wind angle usually ) - that sort of thing.

In the past it has been bloody-minded ' SWIMBO wants to look after her cats and I want to visit Poole/ X again so I'm off' ! and chums haven't been able to get time off.

I'm happy to handle the boat singlehanded and have enjoyed trips like Chichester - Wareham & back but overall I like having company to chat with, they needn't be great sailors if at all.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Great thread and wonderful to read of so many like-minded "normal people".

I particularly hold with the "much preparation and forethought" angle. I remember my first solo sail (about 45 years ago) - I thought and planned for days then one day "took the plunge", rowed out to the boat, hoisted the sails, took a deep breath and cast-off the mooring. The next three hours were pure unadulterated magic.

Then I realised that the bl**dy mooring had to be picked up, by me and me alone - serious wobbles in the guts!
As it happend it was a perfect pick-up and it completed a truly satisfying afternoon.
I wish I could say the same for all the solo pick-ups since!!!!

 

[interloper]

There rarely seems to be anyone available to go on the boat with me. This was true when I had sailboats. It remains true now that I have only a powerboat.

As an abstract concept, everyone is interested in going on the boat. When a specific day and time are specified, everyone has other commitments.

 

[Seajet]

Great thread and wonderful to read of so many like-minded "normal people".

I particularly hold with the "much preparation and forethought" angle. I remember my first solo sail (about 45 years ago) - I thought and planned for days then one day "took the plunge", rowed out to the boat, hoisted the sails, took a deep breath and cast-off the mooring. The next three hours were pure unadulterated magic.

Then I realised that the bl**dy mooring had to be picked up, by me and me alone - serious wobbles in the guts!
As it happend it was a perfect pick-up and it completed a truly satisfying afternoon.
I wish I could say the same for all the solo pick-ups since!!!![/QUOTE


I suspect you are being modest Robert; either way you'll have learned about your boat and possibly yourself.

Singlehanding to, from and through the Solent a few times has been a learning experience for me,

A, plan further ahead,

B, Keep an even better lookout than usual, friends take the P out of me for saying ' lookout under the jib ! ' every few seconds, when solo I'm stuck with living up to it or there'l be a nasty clang !

 

[Babylon]

Why not? What's the problem? Why the incredulity?

Nothing in my opening post suggested that single-handing was either problematic or incredible. To be fair, no attitude can be read into the question, neither is it an either-or issue.

I sometimes single-hand, both shorter distances and longer ones.

Like many others here, I do so because its liberating and hugely satisfying, because sometimes I don't have crew (although often I do - my woman, my young son, my brother, one mate or another), because I'm easy with my own company and always enjoyed going solo (motorbike touring, one-man business, etc).

The only thing I no longer enjoy so much is going for walks by myself - I miss my dog!

 

[Robert Wilson]

I wish I could say the same for all the solo pick-ups since!!!![/QUOTE

I suspect you are being modest Robert; either way you'll have learned about your boat and possibly yourself.

Singlehanding to, from and through the Solent a few times has been a learning experience for me,
A, plan further ahead,
B, Keep an even better lookout than usual, friends take the P out of me for saying ' lookout under the jib ! ' every few seconds, when solo I'm stuck with living up to it or there'l be a nasty clang !

Thanks :encouragement:. Perhaps I should have put the "all" in italics - I shall boast now and claim that most have not been coc*-ups!

And I endorse your points A&B, although up here there is so little traffic that the only thing to look out for is lobster pot buoys.

The only thing I no longer enjoy so much is going for walks by myself - I miss my dog!

My deepest sympathies. I'll feel the same when my lab shuffles-off.

 

[eddystone]

45ft singlehanding ?




.......nor blows around like an empty crisp packet..........

That well chosen phrase perfectly encapsulates my fears about singlehanding - I just hope my choice of (as yet unsailed) Sadler 32 strikes right balance between inertia, kinetic energy and manoeuverability.

 

[Greenheart]

...blows around like an empty crisp packet...

That well chosen phrase perfectly encapsulates my fears about singlehanding - I just hope my choice of (as yet unsailed) Sadler 32 strikes right balance.

I'll be singlehanding an Osprey. Wanna swap?

 

[mjcoon]

The only thing I no longer enjoy so much is going for walks by myself - I miss my dog!

As a lone walker I notice others are accompanied by either a spouse (or possibly a mate), camera/pair of binoculars, or dog. Rarely more than one of those and even more rarely all three!

Mike.

 

[doris]

I often look at the 36ft version of my 39 footer that is moored beside me and think, maybe I should have got one of those. Pottering solo, racing solo, offshore cruising solo is like all short handed sailing. Great fun and you meet many more nice people than if you have a crew.
Simples.

 

[Greenheart]

As a lone walker I notice others are accompanied by either a spouse (or a mate), camera/pair of binoculars, or dog. Rarely more than one of those and even more rarely all three!

Walking with SWMBO is quite a lot like sailing with her. She's scared stiff of climbing hills, can't keep up with a pace I think is okay, and is always asking when we'll head back.

I think she regards being outside as an ordeal - possibly worth taking-on as a physical challenge, but rarely to be enjoyed in the process.

I remember as a teenager going on long, barefoot bike rides into the Sussex hills on summer days, never, ever in company - sometimes my sister would come because she felt she needed exercise, but much less for appreciation of the beautiful places. SWMBO's the same (that's about all they share).

Was it Wainwright who reckoned a walk with someone who kept chattering, was utterly ruined? He had a point, even though he comes across as having been a grumpy old sod.

The best bit of singlehanding is surely never having to consider the preferences of anyone else. Worth writing up the high points in a log though, for the like-minded to appreciate.

 

[eddystone]

I'll be singlehanding an Osprey. Wanna swap?

Thing with a yacht is you can't jump out when you get to shallow water and pull it onto the trolley. OTOH I wouldn't fancy trying to right my inverted Solo with the traffic in Southampton Water