Why Solo ?

[troymclure]

Definitely cannibalism.


also the possibility that other people are simply agents of the yog'shoggoth of cthulu...

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by eyschulman

Some time back I read a biography of Albert Einstein and lo and behold unknown to most of the world he was an avid single hand daysailor and liked to push his boat to its limits( in a small keel boat).

He keeps showing up in different places...violin, chess, boats, you name it. A bit of Elvis really...

[FxdGrMind]

Ok... I have to look way back and analyze far too much of my "inner Me"... to realy take a conserted look at the Why and Whyfor... All stuff I just don't want/care to know.

However, I'll share some thoughts on the times I have sailed with others:

My first Summer of sailing:
Imagine a great summer day in Southern Norway, an unsikable sailboat... I don't remember how big... just that it was "Unsinkable" and that gave me (a 13yr old) currage... Yea like I needed any back then! Now picture this with 3 women on board with me... None even related to me!...
We were flying along the water, healed over and all of us were hiked out to add to balast and gain speed!....
Then... it just peatered out... slowly slowing and the sails went slack. We just looked at one another dumb founded.
We were still going at a good clip though throught the water as a large "Bluff"... yes this is NORWAY... so when talking about a bluff, it's a huge lsland rock formation 100's of feet high.
Then "WHAM" the wind slammed into the opposite side of the boat, caught sail and instantly dumped us all in the water taking the mast to the water and filling the sail with the sea.

Durring this... on shore was the Father (owner of the sailboat) of all 3 daughters... Even though he was 3/4 of a mile away... I could hear his voice... NOT GOOD!

We got it righted, bailed and sailed back... the youngest daughter was still crying when we got to shore.
Alas that was my last time on that little boat.... Can't say I was welcomed to their home after that.

More recently:
Sailing date... Cute blond.. that had a membership with a sailing school. She was working on her Charter captain class, good sailor and very capable.... Alas being self taught and primarily a solo sailor... I didn't understand... "Jibe Hooo"... "Tacking...." bla bla bla.

So as she offered me to take the helm.. I just Tacked and Jibed at will.... Never saying anything...

I wonder why she never invited me out sailing again....?



I like sailing solo... The Quiet... rippling of the water on the bow/hull. Snap of the sail in a tack and the challenge of catching and passing much larger boats out on the water. Guess I just have a deep seated compeditive drive.
If someone was on the boat with me... would they realy understand???

Cheers

[dcstrng]

Solo = my own pure selfishness I suspect… Although Wings is not currently set up very well for single-handing, I enjoy it most when she’ll self-steer and I’m in low traffic areas… crew for day-sailing is okay, helps with clean-up… I’ve enjoyed having the grandson along several times and overnight as well, so I may be changing my tune, but I’m more of a solo-pursuit kinda guy anyway… I’ve ridden two-three hundred thousand on motorcycles over the past 45 years and I’ll bet I’ve had a passenger and/or others riding with me less than 2000 miles total, probably less than a thousand… truth is, I’m content with my own company much of the time and solo sailing has to be one of the most fulfilling things to do by oneself – at least in the recreational arena…

[imagine2frolic]

Actually Einstein showed up at Worst Marine, and I have the T-shirt to prove it. Under the picture of him helming his boat is the phrase ¨: I only imagine it so:

I started single-handing, because I got tired of eating my lunch at the dock when people were no shows. The last straw was when my ex refused to learn to sail, and told me she just might not go with me. Next day I took the boat alone, and never looked back.

To the original poster. Are you seeking help for all these situations? .....just kidding......i2f

[joeblogss]

I sail solo a lot, 3 solo trans-atlantic passages and more.Mainly because I like the time by myself and less hassle.Sailing with good crew that I get on with is my favourite way to go, but so rare that there is someone who fits the description available, it is no good sailing long distance with someone that I don't know well.That can , and has , turned out to be a disaster.I am not a loner by nature, don't like to hang out alone when in port or at home, but under way I've got the boat, plenty to do, time to reflect and read and listen to music etc.It is always good to get into port, but I always go singlehanding again.I recently got a AIS radar, this makes me feel safer when sleeping tho I used to sleep before hand.I think it is a risk that I have to take. Never in coastal waters or shipping areas etc. but after a few days without seeing anything I figure it is time to get rested, being fatigued is as dangerous as not keeping a watch.So I reach a compromise.Way off shore, before AIS I would leave a strobe light on if sleeping at night.I have been criticized for this, by a ship captain who said he would think it was a distress signal and investigate, sure he would, most ships don't even answer the radio, but anyway if the strobe is on so is my VHF. Surely anyone wondering would call on 16 before investigating.I'd rather be criticized than run down !I guess what I'm saying is that everyone has to decide what risks are worth taking, most folks now days are so risk adverse that they'll never get to do half of the fun things in life.

[RedBellies]

Originally Posted by troymclure

also the possibility that other people are simply agents of the yog'shoggoth of cthulu...

What do you mean "possibility"?

[w1651]

I think it's a liberty thing. What is freer then going when and where you want to go if you want to go by using and provisioning your own boat. trusting only in yourself and the sea and the wind. There's a lot of freedom on a voyage by yourself. You get to chose the port to call on or where the hook goes in. You choose when and where to sleep and eat. The time of reflection makes the whole world go away.
And there isn't a Dang Thing She Can Do About It!

[holmek]

Well Done NaCl Primate,; For every reason we can articulate in defense of single handed sailing, there are a dozen that we feel so deeply that it's hard to put into words.Satisfaction for successfull voyages with an undeniable risk factor?, being totally reliant on personal skills/problem solving/self welfare. I guess responsible for ones own life at the most basic level, while realising the insignificance of ones own individual presence on earth, is just so sobering. Not that you have to stay sober mindyou. . . .

[SaltyMonkey]

capt_douglas, skipmac, GordMay, BubbleHeadMd, tgzzzz, eyschulman, hummingway, troymclure, FxdGrMind, dcstrng, imagine2frolic, joeblogss, redbellies, w1651, holmek....

Great stuff here. It's good to get such different views and experiences. Thanks for your postings.

[eyschulman]

Bubblehead- A lot of what you have to learn to single hand well can be learned at the dock with you sitting in the cockpit-You have to look at the way your boat is rigged and how things work and think about how it can be done with one person-you have to think about what can be done ahead of time- like getting all your lines rigged and ready to go at dock or on hook or reefed rather than in a seaway. you have to think about how you can rearange things (rigging to work with one person without running all over the boat- you have to think about how the boat will be steared while you are doing something else-How will you possition your boat to wind to raise and lower sails or reef-will you hove to and how will your boat like that(that you will have to try on water)- Are there times when you will sail with one sail?-will your boat sail in all directions and come about with one sail? If you have a long boom and short foretriangle will do better with main -reverse situation better with jib. Start out with a working jib and main(small foresail)-Somebody can take you out and show you but in the end you will have to work it out and every boat is a little different. don't ever panic slow down and think it through. -good luck

[Ahnlaashock]

Understand the single handed thing, but without music? There is something wrong about that to me!
I strap a large speaker MP3 player to the base of the mast when I am out in a dinghy even! Melissa and Tracy loaded right now.

[SaltyMonkey]

Ahnlaashock - good thing when that freighter sneaks up behind you, you won't feel the pain rocking out.

Seriously, if it works for you great. May even help take away angst and relax. For me, offshore, I pick up small changes in the environment (hear/inner ear/etc) and am not wasting energy or distracted mentally by parsing music in my head - either what's around me or when I am doing tasks - sometimes critical or delicate ones.

[Ahnlaashock]

No!
I am a beginner, still sailing small craft. I completely missed sailing in my youth.
Very few times have I sailed where I had to worry about commercial traffic so far.
The barges on the Mississippi can sneak right up on you, music or not, if you are not paying attention! A Sunfish, a good breeze, a few large boat wakes, and good tunes while I try to see if I can get it airborne or not, is still a large part of the sailing I get to do!
One of these days, I will get out there, but for now, I am stuck right here in the middle of the US with a couple of nice sized puddles to play in!
I am green enough that I still do not know if I will get seasick or not. If anything I say makes someone think I know anything about sailing for real, it is an illusion!

I fully understand quiet time. My way of getting away from people is a cabin on 70 acres four miles from the nearest blacktop, nestled deep in the Ozark hills. I understand becoming part of the environ and other than talking to yourself, not hearing another voice for weeks, except when you check in periodically using a cell phone to let your wife know you are okay!
Is one of the things that attracts me to sailboats. The ability to go off shore for long periods alone.
Given internet access, I think I would stay out there most of the time. Course, I don't drink and I am not real social.

[lockie]

And then there's the pleasure (when it's warm) of not bothering with clothing.

I can't think of anyone on this earth who could withstand unscathed the sight of me thus.