Long-Distance Sailing

[JoeSchmoe]

I am looking to do some long-distance solo sailing. I have some questions:

What size of boat would be good for long-distance and solo?

What is better, a Cataraman or a Monohull?

I am looking for something that is fast, yet not impossible for one person to handle.

Thanks!

[Maren]

Originally Posted by JoeSchmoe

I am looking to do some long-distance solo sailing. I have some questions:

What size of boat would be good for long-distance and solo?

What is better, a Cataraman or a Monohull?

I am looking for something that is fast, yet not impossible for one person to handle.

A lot of this depends on you and your comfort level... and budget. Most solo sailors tend to go on monohulls because there simply are more of them. The fact that they tend to be cheaper doesn't hurt either.

As for what size. A round the world was done on a modified 27' Catalina. Not fast though as your speed, for the most part, is determined by the boat's length. This thread has some related information.

[JoeSchmoe]

I want something that is larger and more stable, yet still can be handled solo.

As for budget, what would the ideal budget be? I have more resources than most.

[svquest2]

Joe, I believe that more single handed circumnavigations have been made in mono-hulls under 30 feet than in any other kind of boat. With the equipment available today to make sailing easier however, the lengths have been going up, so that 35-37 feet might be more popular, but 40 feet or more is quite conceivable.

Mono-hulls are preferred because they are normally self righting and can be the difference between life or death if you get caught in a most horrible storm.

Catamarans are much faster. They are not self righting and are more susceptible to pitch polling, but may have an escape hatch in the bottom for after the storm.-- but you will have to be rescued.

Trimarans are fast also, and can possibly be righted after pitch polling or capsizing by submerging one hull, but wether or not you can do it alone is highly questionable.

Make your pick and take your chances.

Good Luck

Joe S

[Pblais]

What size of boat would be good for long-distance and solo?

What is better, a Cataraman or a Monohull?

I am looking for something that is fast, yet not impossible for one person to handle.

Good questions with impossible answers. To the last question - Which person? If you've not done any sailing then it would not be you. That would be pretty much for sure. Long distance solo is harder. The trick is "how long do you have?" If this is a speed race for the world record then you need several million dollars in sponsor money. That clearly would not be you.

As for which is better the better question is how much money do you have? If you can make the money work then you can be present to try.

So how long distance do you want to go? More importantly where? There is a great many places you could go that are not far and would not require someone along with you.

You've left a lot of open ended questions with no background. It's not easy to come up with those types of answers. People are all quite different and how they see things is also different. We know so little yet you ask so much.

[JoeSchmoe]

Answers:

I have done some distance solo sailing, the longest distance being about 1200 miles, but i was never more than a day away from land.

As for speed, I am not aiming to break any records, but wouldn't want to move along like a snail. I would like to enjoy the trip.

As for money, lets just say I will be able to comfortably spend a sizable amount.

I would like to sail solo from San Diego to Fiji, with stops in Hawaii, Christmas Island, and the Marquesas, among others.

[JoeSchmoe]

Sorry, I meant Tahiti, not Fiji.

[Ex-Calif]

You have resources, you want to go fast and you want to be comfortable.

I'd get a 36 foot or so Catamaran and load it up with labor saving devices like electric winches, redundant autopilot systems, roller furling, tube launched asymetric etc.

[Ocean Girl]

Joe
Usually after traveling solo a good distance there is some idea of what you want and what you need. Think about the boat you took 1200 miles make a list of what you like and start from there. Read, read , read. Lots of articles and books about single handing. There is a kid just finishing up a circumnavigation in a 32 ft Islander. Read Storm Tactics by Lin and Larry Pardey. Read.

The more stuff you have the more stuff will break. After you do all your research go out and get a Tartan 34 or 37 and go

Godspeed to your adventure,
Erika

[captain58sailin]

Or a 36' or 47' Skookum

[Ocean Girl]

Touche' Captain

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

You have resources, you want to go fast and you want to be comfortable.

Here you go: Trimaran IDEC

[imagine2frolic]

Would I ever love to get a ride on a big tri like that. That has to be breath taking.......i2f

[Hud3]

Joe,

The Joshua Slocum Society keeps a list of successful solo circumnavigations, including a little bit about the boats. You could probably Google to find out exactly which brand and model boats were sailed. Perhaps equally of interest would be a list of boats involved in unsuccessful circumnavigation attempts.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Here you go: Trimaran IDEC

I saw that boat in Les Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe. It pulled into the anchorage under mainsail only, one guy onboard. Don't know if it was Joyon or not.

He sailed up to a mooring buoy, stopped dead, right on it, dropped the main (it came down like an avalanche--huge sail), ran forward and picked up the buoy.

It's definitely sailable solo, if you're man enough!