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Of all the projects a sailor can undertake, single-handed sailing is probably the one with the most facets. Because if you are sailing alone, you have to take care of all aspects yourself, from mooring and casting off to sailing manoeuvres and navigation. No co-sailors, no division of labour, no excuses is the motto.
You don't need much equipment for single-handed sailing
A common misconception about single-handed sailing is that it requires major technical modifications to the boat. But all you really need is a decent autopilot on board. Without it, work processes such as setting sails, making the boat ready for harbour manoeuvres and the like are already pretty borderline. Some skippers even manage this with lockable tiller or rudder systems, provided the boat is well stabilised.
Furling foresails also make sense, and are standard on the majority of yachts anyway. All other things on board can remain as they are, at least to start with. Of course, for perfectionists there is a long list of possible, very practical additions, such as lazy-jacks so that the main does not have to be stowed immediately, halyards redirected into the cockpit, genoa winches that are easily accessible from the helm or cockpit displays for plotters - but the purse strings tend to set the limit here.
Your own ability is the limiting factor
More importantly, find a feasible destination. Of course, an experienced owner can go on a single-handed holiday or even a long cruise with their single-handed yacht, but why not start with the obvious step first? A weekend training session in the summer: in calm weather, start by anchoring in bays so that you don't have to do all the manoeuvres straight away. Or a transfer to the berth at the end or start of the season.
Or, to start with, a frequently instructive exercise: single-handed sailing with a crew. It sounds silly, but anyone who tries to sail with an idle crew on board takes little risk and learns that you have to pay the "lesson" in the form of damage - perhaps apart from the comments of some spectators about the "lazy" fellow sailors.
Those interested in one-handed manoeuvres must be aware of one thing: All manoeuvres take considerably longer. And planning the details is much more important than when sailing with a crew. If an important line is missing just before the mooring or is not properly attached, time and possibly also space in the harbour can become scarce. Therefore: go through the steps of the planned manoeuvre in detail, think about where lines, fenders, towing ropes and everything else that is needed must be located. Of course, it should also be clear that the autopilot on board works properly and keeps the single-handed yacht on course in waves and wind, for example. The same applies to keeping the yacht upwind to hoist and set the sails. So if the electronic helmsman is not already routine, you should first carry out tests!
Fear factor harbour manoeuvres!
Naturally, more attention must be paid to safety on board, as autopilots do not perform MOB manoeuvres for skippers who have fallen overboard. Everyone should have found their own personal answers to the questions of when to wear a lifejacket, how to peck in when leaving the cockpit and where to tighten stretch belts before embarking on their first solo trip. Interestingly, the biggest concerns of prospective single-handed skippers are not necessarily about sailing the boat at sea, but about manoeuvres in the harbour. No wonder, as this is where you risk the greatest embarrassment in front of the critical dock sailors. And who wants to be responsible for annoying damage to their own or even someone else's boat due to botched manoeuvres?
Here are a few tips: If there is not enough time to prepare the single-handed yacht before docking, or if the situation in the harbour is confusing, it may be worthwhile to first moor the boat to leeward of a dolphin with only one fore line and prepare everything in peace.
Useful for harbours or bays where anchoring is required: The stern anchor, with webbing over a pulley or with chain leader and rope, can be ideally operated from the helm or later moved to the bow. Generally allow plenty of time to find a good spot. When entering pits, the fenders should not be hung outboard too early, as they tend to get caught on dolphins or neighbouring boats and bend railing supports. Forelines should be laid loosely over the pulpit so that helping hands ashore can grab them directly. In many situations, stern-first moorings are the better solution: the skipper has the stern lines directly within reach, can estimate the distance to the pier better than when "parking" forwards and, if necessary, the yacht can also "steam" into the stern lines for stabilisation until a bow line is deployed.
Once the stress of single-handed sailing has been reduced in this way, there are hardly any reasons not to give it a try. Researchers and experienced solo sailors agree: being alone at sea with a single-handed yacht very quickly leads to a deep relaxation that can hardly be experienced with a crew. Being alone in nature, focussing on yourself, releases happiness hormones similar to those of long-distance runners. There is even a psychological term for this: "flow effect". Sounds promising, doesn't it?
Consider these six areas when remodelling
It also makes sense to equip a boat in such a way that you can manage it independently of fellow sailors. Almost any yacht can be trimmed for single-handed sailing without major conversions. There are essentially six areas that should be given particular attention when converting a yacht into a single-handed yacht:
Cockpit
Even if some standard boats are not exactly ideal for solo sailing: Sheets and winches can be positioned and added to in such a way that the skipper can reach them without travelling long distances. The basic principle should be: keep it simple.
Rig and sails
A simple rig is far easier to manage alone than a filigree regatta rig with backstays. However, if you want to go fast, there is no getting round various trimming devices. Setting large downwind sails single-handed is tricky; even many owners and charterers travelling with a crew often do without them. However, gennakers can be handled safely using a furling tube or modern furling systems.
Reefing system
It is important that the sails can be set, reefed and recovered from the cockpit in the shortest possible time. And in as few steps as possible. With the main, this can be done using a single-line reefing system and lazy-jacks. Or using a furling system in the mast or boom. Nowadays, headsails are usually run on furling systems in series production - not only for simplicity, but also for safety reasons: They save you having to go on the foresail. It can also make sense to retrofit a self-tacking jib; it makes tacking up considerably easier.
Securing on deck
Wilfried Erdmann, probably the most experienced German single-handed sailor, put it in a nutshell: "The top priority of a single-handed sailor is to never fall overboard: Never fall overboard." On the way to the foredeck, safety belts on both sides of the superstructure provide safety. The lifeline should never be clipped onto the railing, as it would hardly be able to withstand the forces. The advantage of belts compared to stretch ropes is that they do not roll away if you step on them. If they are attached in the area of the genoa winches, you can secure yourself in the cockpit for the way forwards. If you do lose your balance, this attachment point gives you the chance to grab the pushpit while dragging alongside the side of the boat or to pull yourself back on board using the swim ladder.
Automatic control system
The most important additional equipment for a single-handed sailor is without question the self-steering system. After all, you can't just steer all the time. Which system you choose - electric, hydraulic or mechanical via wind vane - depends on the area of use. A wind steering system is recommended for long ocean passages, as it maintains a constant angle to the wind without any power supply and is operated by the passing water pressure. They are very common among blue water sailors and operate almost silently. For cruising along the coast, a simple tiller pilot or a self-steering system installed below deck is also suitable, as power consumption is not an issue here and there are rarely trips lasting several days without interruption.
Visibility and visibility
As it is impossible to keep a permanent lookout on longer solo trips, single-handed sailors should extend their own radius of vision and use electronic alarm functions. Modern radar devices can be programmed to give a signal when an object is located at a predefined distance. If this investment is too high for you, you can at least ensure that your single-handed yacht cannot be overlooked on the radar screens of other ships. This is made possible by active radar reflectors. They are also equipped with a notification function: Whenever the antenna comes into the cone of a foreign radar, the device sounds an alarm and draws attention to itself by emitting an amplified echo. This improves visibility on the radar units in the vicinity of ships.
Assess yourself correctly
There is also a wealth of other useful equipment designed to make sailing with a single-handed yacht easier for soloists. New systems are added every year. However, old master Wilfried Erdmann recommends a very simple alternative to anyone who wants to start sailing single-handed. Instead of starting with a fully equipped yacht, he advises starting with a robust travelling dinghy: "This is for those who think you can only sail single-handed on the open sea and with real yachts."
In fact, it is not so much technique that makes solo sailing a pleasure, but first and foremost experience and good seamanship. Even more so than when sailing in a team, it is important to anticipate situations and react instinctively. And the only way to do that is to practise!
The perfect one-handed yacht
- Swimming ladder:Indispensable for getting back on board. Should be permanently mounted at the stern and - when folded up - also be unlockable from the water.
- Self-steering system:It is essential for single-handed sailors, as you cannot steer day and night. Depending on the sailing area and duration of the voyage, as an electrical system or mechanically with a wind vane.
- Fender:If the neighbouring boat or jetty comes dangerously close during harbour manoeuvres, the airbags for the boat cushion potential damage. The more and the bigger, the better. A ball fender is the minimum.
- Storage compartments in the cockpit:To avoid unnecessary trips below deck, there should be as many storage compartments or pockets as possible within reach of the helmsman.
- Large cockpit benches:They make your stay in the cockpit pleasant and also allow you to take a little nap.
- Redirected traps: Useful for setting and trimming the sails from the cockpit, even if the friction is greater and the operating forces higher.
- Optimised line guidance:Ideally, all sheets should be operated directly within an arm's length of the skipper.
- Single-line meeting:Enables the sail area to be adjusted from the sheltered cockpit in just a few simple steps.
- Sprayhood:Protects against wind and weather, thus protecting the skipper. Sturdy stainless steel brackets also secure the gangway on deck.
- Lazy-Jacks:Prevent the main from flapping uncontrollably and blowing out to leeward during reefing and sail furling. Lazy bags (see illustration) also save you having to tie up the reefed sheet and also simplify sail recovery.
- Mast steps:If you sail single-handed, you cannot winch yourself into the rig. Steps (preferably foldable) enable maintenance work and inspections without outside help.
- Self-tacking jib:Makes it easier to cross, especially in narrow waters. Also useful as a supplement to the large genoa in stronger winds.
- Roller reefing system:Helpful when setting and recovering the headsail. Can also be used as a reefing aid, although the position of the genoa is then impaired.
- Railing rollers:Reduces the tendency of the sheet, clew or foot to snag on the sea fence during manoeuvres.
- Bow thruster:Expensive and heavy manoeuvring aid in the harbour. Replaces the man on the foredeck when the bow has to be kept clear of the jetty or neighbouring berths.
- Draw ropes:Enable continuous securing to the boat, because you can stay pegged in from the cockpit to the bow.
- Handrails:Are increasingly going out of fashion in modern boatbuilding. However, solid holding options are essential for safety on deck. If necessary, fit additional brackets in the cockpit and on the superstructure.
- Line-adjustable hole points:Serve to optimise headsail trim on all courses. Operated from the cockpit, they save you having to go to leeward on the side deck, which can be exhausting in windy and wavy conditions. Rarely fitted as standard, but nevertheless easy to retrofit.
- Scuff plate: During harbour manoeuvres, it protects the hull from scratches if it is not possible to cast off everywhere, and allows the boat to "lean" against dolphins and wooden sheet piling for short periods.
- Centre cleat:Point of attack for the Spring, which is a great relief during harbour manoeuvres and can make a bow thruster obsolete.
- Plotter or GPS daughter display:Important navigation aid in the cockpit; allows quick synchronisation of position and course without the skipper having to go below deck.
- Self-tailing winches:They can make handling much easier. A smooth-running crank, two gears or an electric drive save additional power.
- Radio in the cockpit:Ideal if the skipper needs to signal a lock or bridge but cannot leave the helm.
- Rear anchor:Simplifies anchoring manoeuvres because the skipper does not have to move forwards. The line can be attached to the bow after digging in. Always ready to drop, even as an emergency anchor.
- Throw and drag line:Useful for all eventualities, preferably buoyant, at least twice the length of the ship.
- Life raft:Having it is one thing. But it must also be possible to get it ready for use quickly and single-handedly. Mounted on the pushpit, it falls into the water after unlocking and then only needs to be released.
