How to Setup Your Sailboat for Single-Handed Sailing

[goboatingnow]

yeah Markj , I have one of thoese double hinged ones www.moorfast.com. Useful for SWMBO to use, It works,

Dave

[hellosailor]

llama-
Here's an easy part. Run your anchor/mooring line up through the bow cleats, then outside the rail aft to the stern. If necessary, use some breakable light twine or cheap rubber bands to hold it up. Install an anchor hanger on the quarter, on the pushpit, on a stanchion, where it is in easy reach for you.
Now when you want to anchor or tie up solo, you just reach over and toss the anschor. The light ties will snap, the boat will faill back until the line is on the bow again, but you're tied up and you can go forward and take in the excess as needed.
Running all the other lines to the cockpit, that's gonna be a little longer project.<G>

[fgd3]

The most cost-effective modification you can make to your tiller-steered boat to make single-handed sailing easier and safer is to install a remote steering line all around the deck. Get six small blocks and a length of 3/8 line. Attach three blocks along the toe rail (or at stanchion bases) to guide the line along the side decks. Loop one end of the line around your tiller, lead it through the three blocks on one side of the boat to the foredeck. Cross the foredeck, then lead the steering line back to the cockpit. Tie the other end to the tiller with a clove hitch. Now you can steer from anywhere on deck.

You can introduce friction in the system by increasing tension on the steering line so that the tiller will stay where you pointed it when you let go. It won't self-steer for very long but it will be stable enough to let you move to a different location or adjust a sail.

Try to route the steering line so that you won't step on it when you're on deck. It will roll right out from under your foot and you'll be likely to fall if you step on it while wearing shoes.

Fabbian

[Hydra]

To catch a mooring ball when singlehanding under power, I use a 2-boat-length line. One end is made fast to the bow. The other end is led aft, outside of lifelines. I back slowly under power against the wind/tide until the stern touches the ball, then I immediately put the engine in neutral (no more risk to catch the mooring with the propeller) and I go down on the swim platform with the end of the line. I pass the line in the ball and lead it immediately to the bow. When I'm there, I have all the time to take the slack in, while the boat turns to face the wind.

Under sail, I tie a very wide bowline knot at the end of a line made fast at the bow and led aft on the lee side. I just have to pass close to the mooring ball at very low speed (as if I were recovering a MOB) and throw the bowline over the ball. It sinks under the ball and I heave the line in, to bring the ball to the bow.

Alain

[knottygurl]

Run the halyards to the cockpit easy enough to do, you can also add a downhaul for your foresail which will allow you to haul it down and tie off so it cannot flair up on you, and tighting the sheet line will keep it dry as well. down the port side run 4 blocks off the toe rail for your rode, install a bow roller with the last block off the main cleat, run your rode to stern and store in a bucket in your hatch, also you can use a winch as well to bring it up and have a cleat there to lock it down and keep in storage position, its a kinda poormans windlass.
also picking up a mooring from the stern will be near impossible, you have enough just keeping it some what aligned with the prop wash on your blade, and she turns like a brick in reverse ( I know I own a hull#962 1976 G-26) so your better off rigging up a tie line from the bow along the outside and pick up from the cockpit and when ready then go forward to make fast for the day or night. As for the autohelo, the ah800 which is what i use works great and I also have a tiller brake installed for the quick junts to the cabin for coffee or soup or what have ya.
I did mine this year along with complete re wire and pre wired for my solar which should be on by july. just building the davits and panel rack at the moment.
have you got a dodger on ?
Also is your main sail reefed already or do you have to turn your boom to reef in, it the old furling boom, if you still have this system the lazy jacks will not work, as they will get wrapped up in the furling boom.
so you either have to have your main punched for reefing to pu on lazy jacks or have a couple bungie cords around and wrap up the main with two bungies, one at the top of the compaionway opening , the second on the other side of the top hatch, as you can reach both from the cockpit.

[JARogers]

Read 'Sailing Alone Around the World' by Joshua Slocum. His boat Spray was over 36 feet in length. He did it in the 19th century with no motor, a compass, sextant, lead line etc. More recently, I have done the same. You can too. Don't let the fear of not having all the latest gadgets get in your way. You can read his book online at: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6317
...Jim

[Dkdoyle]

Great book. Read it a couple times. Did you know he couldn't swim? He considered it a waste of time. Interesting trivia for those interested.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum

[sailorchic34]

I singlehand a lot. Just have the main halyard run aft. I use jiffy reefing at the mast, which works for me so far, plus thats how my boat was set up. When raising the anchor (I have rode and 20' chain) i bring the rode aft to a jib wench and raise it up there. First because I'm a girl and don't have the muscle, but also it puts me by the helm so I can control the boats direction better, with the current and winds.

Once the anchor clears and is 1/2 up I set the helm for a clear path and go forward to girl handle the anchor up the rest of the way. Plus that lets the water wash the anchor off better too.

Dropping the hook, I just go to windward and let the boat speed drop to about 1/2 knot, then walk forward and drop the hook and start feeding out line, letting the wind / current carry the boat. I usually

Lazyjacks and autopilots are your friends

[Dkdoyle]

Canadian llama -
Anchoring - i know the depth where i am anchoring so i also can figure out ahead if time how much rode i need. I get itup on deck before i need it. Then i get the spot and turn into the wind and go up to the bow and drop the anchor and chain. I feed out the rode bty hand and tie it off. Back to the cocpit to back down on anchor to sit it. I pull it up by hand from the bow then back to tge cockpit to either pull up the main or start the motor. An auto pilot is very useful. All my lines run back to tge cockpit. I think you mentioned the jib knot getting caught on the spreader. Thats pretty common. You can minimize that by using a single jib sheet line for both sides. For my 26 footer i bought about 70 ft of line. Find the mddlle of that line and make a loop and put it through clew of the sail. Take the separate ends and pull them both through the loop. Will hold as well as knots in a much smaller area.

The previous posters idea of walking tge anchor rode. Back ti the cockpit is not bad ether but then isn't it a pain to get the anchor back to the bow? I am sure i missed something. Always willing to learn others innovations.

[four winds]

I'm always single handed. And also setup as sailorchic describes above. Replace the wording "girl" with "older man" and I could have composed the post 23.

Works for me fine, for the my first year sailing.

[Eleven]

Great thread, great ideas. Thanks all who shared learnt wisdoms.

[michaelmrc]

i singlehand all the time. the best thing i have found is a tiller pilot i purchased the simrad tp10 more than enough power for my boat. this allows me to go up front set anchor drop sails etc... probably the best singlehanded investment i have made.

[Aussie Sealady]

Hi I am Diana from Australia. I have a Top Hat 25. A 25 foot sloop with an outboard in a well.

This question is aimed especially at ladies and Sailorchic 34, to whom I have sent a private message.
I am very interested in how you sail solo without muscles.
I have been teaching myself to sail solo for the last 5 years.
Have managed 1 coastal trip. 5 hours in the ocean so far solo and lots of enclosed waters sailing solo.

Extra muscles and extra hands are very useful.
But not always available.

So far I have all lines back to the cockpit, lazy jacks, and the outboard has a harness, block and tackle to pick it up and put it down.

Anchoring is a challenge for me in more than 6 metres of water. It just gets too heavy.
I have a furling headsail, tiller and an auto pilot which is mainly used when I need an extra pair of hands. Especially if I need to to go forward or down below.
I can work the lines with the tiller between my knees.

I would love to hear how others manage.

I would appreciate answers that do not require muscles.

Another question is how to read a chart whilst in the cockpit and do navigation 'properly' solo. The wind seems to always blow my charts around.

Thanks and cheers from Australia.

[Aussie Sealady]

I just realised I did not make myself clear.
Dropping the anchor is fine.
Hauling it back up is my challenge.

[Eleven]

Aussie Lady - Anchor Hauling is Hard Work. Consider reducing the amount of chain and adding a floatation buoy (fender) or two a little above the end of the chain to help recovery. There is aluminium chain which is a bit expensive but is coral proof (rope isn't!). Perhaps a spring cleat (like on your halyards) at deck level to suit the anchor rope would at least allow you a breather as you haul it up.
For chart work make up two sheets of perspex, hinged at one edge, (or good tape), so the chart can be folded inside it where it is wind and light rain proof. Dry Board Markers work well for en-route navigation, permanent markers for pre-planned passage way points.
I've marked my charts with the heading required between channel markers if it applies. In the Solent in low vis I'm often holding the heading plus or minus tide drift until the next one appears in the gloom. Keeps me out of the big ship lanes cos they can't stop/won't stop/can't avoid!
I'm re-wiring this week to bring all switches to just below the main hatch - reachable in ten seconds away from the helm. Bright winter days are the best sailing but tend to finish before I reach home!

I've also found yellow rubber coated string gloves help the hands to grip much better, especially when wet. Try any 'Builders' store.
Hope this helps.