Singlehanded sailing book recommendations

[Twister]

Originally Posted by Paul Kelly

You might find Stress-Free Sai;ling by Duncan Wells useful. He's a UK author and sailor and his book and videos have lots of useful practical tips.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stress-free.../dp/1472907434

+1


That's a very good, practical, book and there are accompanying videos on YouTube.

[hodgmo]

Originally Posted by Jdeuel

One of my favorite books of all time is “Alone Together” by Christian Williams.

Christian has published another book that explores long-distance solo sailing, "The Philosophy of Sailing."

He introduces it here: https://youtu.be/mwCbQ01HTRA

https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Sa.../dp/0997253118

I enjoyed reading it.

[Littlebit]

I'm surprised no one has suggested books by Francis Chichester or Robin-Knox Johnston. No solo-sailing reading list is complete without these. Also, don't neglect "Alone Through the Roaring Forties" by Vito Dumas. Of all of the books I've read on single-handing, this one is my favorite.

Keep in mind, these books and those by Slocum, Moitessier, the Hiscocks, Smeetons, Graham, etc, are mostly narratives -- stories -- not how-to books or instruction manuals. Certainly, you can learn from these stories, but eventually you'll have to write your own. There are manuals, and you should consult them, but the best teacher is experience -- actual time at the helm. Sometimes, preparation is just procrastination.

I've single-handed thousands of miles. I didn't go crazy like some other posters have warned. My advice is to keep your boat simple and to always tether up. Lines led aft just tangle, and you will have go on deck in bad weather (it's part of the fun). Get real sleep -- not fifteen minute naps.
Be careful in major lanes, but the odds that you'll be run down on the open ocean are infinitesimally small, so rest up; you'll need it. Nevertheless, trust your boat and yourself in bad weather, which happens less than you imagine. Bring books, a journal, and a harmonica for the long periods of boredom. Know how to use a sextant and to dead-reckon because your electronics will fail all the way to the batteries themselves. Maintain your windvane, your sails, and your rigging. Keep your boat and yourself clean. Don't be afraid to go swimming in the calms. Lastly, when you say goodbye to your friends and family, say it like it's the last time. Your mind will rest easier knowing you've done that. Everything else, you'll learn for yourself. Good luck.

[Sindbaad]

Originally Posted by hd002e

I did a 300 mi off shore sail for the first time and absolutely loved it. Do you have any reading recommendations for building my skills for singlehanded sailing?

I singlehanded my Hallberg Rassy Monsun " Athesa" from Sweden to Florida. I ahve written a book on it: Resolve; Diaries of a Sea Voyage available on Amazon.
It is partly technical, partly philosophical and partly historica; in other woirds what went on during the periods that I was alone and had an excellent cahnce of exploration into myself. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Would do it again if my age of 82+ allowed.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Sindbaad

I singlehanded my Hallberg Rassy Monsun " Athesa" from Sweden to Florida. I ahve written a book on it: Resolve; Diaries of a Sea Voyage available on Amazon.
It is partly technical, partly philosophical and partly historica; in other woirds what went on during the periods that I was alone and had an excellent cahnce of exploration into myself. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Would do it again if my age of 82+ allowed.

I checked its a printed book, I wish it was a Kindle. Did you do it when you were 82?

[Sindbaad]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

I checked its a printed book, I wish it was a Kindle. Did you do it when you were 82?

Started after retirement at the age of 63. I cast off from my berth in Vasteras Sweden on May 21, 1999 and docked in Miami Beach Florida on April 21, 2001.

[Time Traveler]

Sleep has already been mentioned several times. No matter what custom and marine law say, we gotta get sleep. After the first three or four long solo offshore passages, my big concerns were how much sleep is enough, and how long can one keep going without becoming dysfunctional.

Lots of fruitless online searching ensued. The recent bestseller "Why We Sleep" was of little use -- the author insists on a solid eight hours, or at least 4 at night and long naps in the daytime. Maybe mid-ocean but not at the beginning or end of a passage, or near sea lanes.

The best evidence-based discussion i've been able to find so far is in "Why We Nap" by Claudio Stampi. Out of print but findable. Key chapter: The Effects of Polyphasic and Ultrashort Sleep Schedules, especially pp 164-170, based on hard data gathered in long-duration solo races: the OSTAR, the Round Britain Race, and the Mini TransAt.

Two major conclusions:

-- First: if sufficiently motivated, you can perform at a very high level more or less indefinitely -- as long as you maintain a rough 2:1 ratio of wakefulness:sleep.

-- Second: this proved true even when wake: sleep cycles were as short as 20:10 (that's minutes!).

Whenever there are likely to be other boats around, a quick calculation of closing rates suggests a ship you cannot detect (visual, radar, or AIS) can still run you over within about 30 to 40 minutes. So, within a 100 miles of port or near a sea-lane, that would suggest that a prudent wake:sleep cycle would be 40:20 or 30:15.

Sometimes there's just no choice. Recently did 30:15 for almost all of 4 days straight running from Jamaica to Panama. That's quite a busy sea lane at best of times but for some reason much much worse than usual on that particular occasion, with never less than 4 ships within a 20 mile radius. My little catamaran was just a frog stuck on I-95 at rush hour.

Bottom Line: Not at all fun and absolutely not to be voluntarily repeated, but it was very reassuring to know it was just painful, and had been done by lots and lots of others for very long periods without falling into hallucinations or gross errors in judgement.

And it helps a lot to have a really loud timer-alarm ;-)

https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Big-Lou...+kitchen+timer

[Dove1955]

Wow, lots of great responses on this subject. Thank you all.

[CodySymons]

how many new ones I took, this is a very cool thread

[tolip]

Just finished reading: A World of My Own: The First Ever Non-stop Solo Round the World Voyage

Recently published this year and I can tell you its a good read.

Now I'm waiting for Matt Rutherford to be done writing his book about his trip around the America's.
Check out his film: Red Dot on the Ocean

[GordMay]

Britain has invaded nine out of ten countries - so look out Luxembourg
Britain has invaded all but 22 countries in the world in its long and colourful history, new research has found. Among this select group of nations, are far-off destinations such as: Guatemala, Tajikistan, and the Marshall Islands, as well some slightly closer to home, such as Luxembourg.
The only other nation which has achieved anything approaching the British total, Mr Laycock said, is France – which also holds the unfortunate record for having endured the most British invasions.
The analysis is contained in a new book:

“All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To”
~ by Stuart Laycock
➥ https://www.semanticscholar.org/pape...0c3bd4487a63a4

The countries never invaded by the British:
Andorra
Belarus
Bolivia
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo, Republic of
Guatemala
Ivory Coast
Kyrgyzstan
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Mali
Marshall Islands
Monaco
Mongolia
Paraguay
Sao Tome and Principe
Sweden
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan
Vatican City

[blu3534]

Originally Posted by hamburking

I recommend the one that started it all: Sailing Alone Around The World, by Josh Slocum. He did it all with no motor, electronics or crew. Many lessons to be learned from his experience, even today. And when reading, keep in mind that there were many things he could not say outright in print, but alludes to them with tongue in cheek humour. Recognized as both a great sailor AND a wonderful writer.

There is also a film: https://slocumfilm.com/teasers/

Thanks for the book mention!

PS: uups that was a rather old thread, didn't notice...

[desertsailor]

Plenty of good books to read, many of which have been recommended in this thread. Also, many YouTube videos to watch. But nothing beats actual experience. If you have your own boat, just go sailing, and be prepared for possible dangers and emergencies. If you don't have your own boat, charter one and practice. Just be aware that not all boat charters will release a boat to solo sailors.