- - Single-handing can be as safe or safer than having crew on board, especially if they turn out to be incompetent. Which you will not find out until you are in your first storm or difficult patch. I have been primarily single-handing for 9 years and the most trouble has been with extra crew onboard.
- - Safe single-handing really boils down to creating another crew mate using
electronics. Unfortunately, this means having plenty of
electrical power available. On a 25ft
boat that is not normal. So find "non-electric" solutions or
low power electric equipment and add lots of ship's
batteries and a
charging system.
- - #1 is a good
autopilot - for a
small boat that is a
windvane system; for a boat with electricity it is a reliable
electric tiller pilot. IMHO, stay away from
Raymarine, they are very economical but do not have the track
record of other brands. I would recommend the
Simrad WP units.
- - Along with the theme of autopilot/windvane is a set of
sails that easily balances your boat so that tiller deflection is minimal or non-existent. It is common that the boat's set of
sails gets mis-matched over time and the boat ends up with too much
weather or lee
helm. Foresail and
mainsail are a "team" and if matched the boat sails itself straight and true with minimal tiller/rudder effort.
- - #2 is a
radar,
low power draw units are
sold for under $1K. Low
power draw is important as you need to run it all night, set to alert you of anything comes within 6 to 10nm. That gives you an hour, plus or minus, to figure what to do to avoid conflict. A handfull of portable GPS's and a bucket of
batteries. These can be obtained on Ebay for significantly less than store prices, same for the
radar.
- - #3 a set of comfortable
cockpit seat cushion and a set of very uncomfortable seat
cushions. You use the uncomfortable ones at night so that you cannot possibly sleep more than 30 minutes without having to get up and change position.
- - #4 a powerful set of lights to illuminate your sails and boat at night should a large ship come into range and a
mast top strobe light to turn on if they get too close for comfort. It is virtually impossible for a small sailboat to be seen visually or on radar as you drop into wave troughs and are lost in the sea clutter. But they will see the strobe.
- - #5 a good
radio and
antenna and a back up handheld.
- - #6 a calm, cool and collected attitude. Think and plan all the possible problems that might happen ahead of time. Then when something happens you have a recovery plan already in mind.