Why single-handed?

[Daydream believer]

I s'pose it's different with a capable crew (assuming their availability is certain), and likewise different aboard a yacht, where guests aren't so badly in the way and can be treated as uninvolved "cargo". But however many non-sailing friends I may have aboard larger boats in future, I'll always resist letting them attempt to help me actually sail.

But is that not a little unfair to them?
Just because you cannot explain what you are doing you would prefer them to just sit there & not to get involved & thus miss out on the real pleasures of sailing
Have you considered that not being able to explain what you are doing could be because you do not really understand, or are not competent, yourself?

 

[mjcoon]

Have you considered that not being able to explain what you are doing could be because you do not really understand, or are not competent, yourself?

Considering it does not make it true. An extreme case might be the autistic "idiot savant" (as they used to be known) who can do calculations without being able to explain how. But lots of craft activities (say, cooking, blacksmithing) are learnt by rote without detailed justifications for each step.

Mike.

 

[bedouin]

I s'pose it's different with a capable crew (assuming their availability is certain), and likewise different aboard a yacht, where guests aren't so badly in the way and can be treated as uninvolved "cargo". But however many non-sailing friends I may have aboard larger boats in future, I'll always resist letting them attempt to help me actually sail.

Surely that's the difference between being a good sailor and a good skipper. The best skippers know how to work with inexperienced crews -I think it is good experience to do that - it helps us understand what we are actually doing and probably makes us better sailors.

In some ways sailing with an inexperienced crew requires more forethought than single handing as you need to anticipate certain eventualities and explain them in advance.

 

[BlackPig]

But is that not a little unfair to them?
Just because you cannot explain what you are doing you would prefer them to just sit there & not to get involved & thus miss out on the real pleasures of sailing
Have you considered that not being able to explain what you are doing could be because you do not really understand, or are not competent, yourself?

Not being able to teach has no or little relevance to your ability to do it. It is a totally different skill.

 

[Greenheart]

These are all interesting points gentlemen. For myself, I can see that I'm a much better sailor than skipper - I CAN manage alone, and being able to teach WHAT I'm doing, never struck me as a sailing skill...nor do I see it as one now.

It'd be NICE to penetrate the mental fog which novices bring aboard, but the psychological barrage is a matter I don't understand (this is probably the basis of a different thread)...

...I've noticed that however calm and clear and specific I am about ropes' and other fittings' colour, size and location, novices stare at length in fixed bafflement at whatever they're already looking at...

...doubtless that's an indication of profound tension - understandable, in a tippy little boat amid large, intimidatingly fast traffic. In that situation, I usually end up doing the job myself, though the necessity to get the novice to move aside in the cramped cockpit of a rolling dinghy, is itself beset with stress, and must leave him or her feeling worse than useless.

The range of people I've attempted to sail with is quite narrow, but the difficulties I encounter in articulating the requirements and the methods, are always the same...

...although it doesn't help that my boat is a fairly flighty dinghy which will heel readily, often causing the novice to grasp whatever is around them (sometimes even the rope which is causing the heeling!)

So again, I reckon choice of boat makes a big difference - a ballasted cruiser may not respond so alarmingly when timing of manoeuvers is delayed by failures of communication.

On a side-note, it amazes me that Ian Proctor originally designed the Osprey for a crew of THREE men...my friends are small and slim and there's only ever one aboard, plus me, but there never seems to be an inch to spare at the moment when we have to 'change ends' for me to do something at the mast. And how the two crew crossed quickly to the new windward sidedeck, I can't imagine...there's so much in their way!

 

[reginaldon]

Haven't much sailing in, but enjoy single-handed but prefer it with my son - he is a good sailor but we both discuss until there is a consensus.

 

[snooks]

Well I'm on my first single-handed trip (as opposed to a day sail) at the moment.

Why? Crew got his dates mixed up, another mate couldn't rearrange their plans, I also split up in Feb and it's not my weekend with my daughter.

Got to the boat and chart plotter wouldn't fire up, engine battery had no charge (but can start from the house batteries), only got myself to worry about, so why not. A mate was in Lymington and I was in Portsmouth, a beat down there was the plan, I saw 27 knots over the deck, getting used to using the auto pilot, then had a panic about power consumption got it sailing to apparent wind, breeze was increasing when I got towards Cowes which I was expecting. Got past Cowes and it was still 24 over the deck which I wasn't expecting, weighed up whether to plug on but thought better of it and went to East Cowes. Spent the day here, had a lie in, moved the boat to a different berth, thought about going to Newtown but with springs I thought better of it. Got the ferry to Cowes sat on the seafront. Came back, relexed in the sunshine drank some beer, thought about doing some work, nothing HAS to be done, so staying for away for another night.

All very relaxed with no one to answer to (or back).

The boat seems to have forgotten how to wash up though...:0)

 

[Plum]

Well I'm on my first single-handed trip (as opposed to a day sail) at the moment.

Why? Crew got his dates mixed up, another mate couldn't rearrange their plans, I also split up in Feb and it's not my weekend with my daughter.

Got to the boat and chart plotter wouldn't fire up, engine battery had no charge (but can start from the house batteries), only got myself to worry about, so why not. A mate was in Lymington and I was in Portsmouth, a beat down there was the plan, I saw 27 knots over the deck, getting used to using the auto pilot, then had a panic about power consumption got it sailing to apparent wind, breeze was increasing when I got towards Cowes which I was expecting. Got past Cowes and it was still 24 over the deck which I wasn't expecting, weighed up whether to plug on but thought better of it and went to East Cowes. Spent the day here, had a lie in, moved the boat to a different berth, thought about going to Newtown but with springs I thought better of it. Got the ferry to Cowes sat on the seafront. Came back, relexed in the sunshine drank some beer, thought about doing some work, nothing HAS to be done, so staying for away for another night.

All very relaxed with no one to answer to (or back).

The boat seems to have forgotten how to wash up though...:0)

Thank you Snooks. You have very cleverly just summarised the delights of singlehanded coastal sailing ☺ Enjoy! Hope your battery is ok now as you have no crew to help you lift it out of the boat.......

Colin. Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk