Solo cruising vs crew cruising

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

So married sailors have divorce as their ultimate goal?

Seriously tho, if I ever fall for a landlubber who's willing to live on a boat and go cruising, I'd be more then fine with that.

Thing is, landlubbers usually aren't (been there, done that, doesn't work), and I don't want to go back to land, so I opted for single handing.

I rarely sail with crew unless short afternoon sails (or 'floats', to avoid heeling etc...) with landlubber friends. Sailing with male sailors usually means ending up with 2 captains on a boat, and that never ends well

I know some people love it, but of the few single handers I've met in various ports, most say they wouldn't do it alone if that was an option. In any case, it's not for me.

[Lizzy Belle]

As I've done most of my sailing alone, I don't really know what it's like to sail with a partner. I've had relationships and I've had boats, and I've learned those 2 don't usually mix well

I'm in my 40's now, I think I'm too set in my ways to learn how to sail as part of a couple, or whatever you want to call it. For short trips (just weekends to the UK and day trips) it's fine, for cruising ... not sure. Sleep and rest are an issue.

But the only other option is taking on crew, which I'm not too enthusiastic about (small boat, single female and all that jazz). We'll see.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

and now....... for the single most important feature of a boat for singlehanding..... wait for it...... an egg timer!

OK, I give up... why the egg timer?

[Lizzy Belle]

To wake you up when Zzzzzz'ing in the cockpit.

Set eggtimer every X minutes, look around you, set egg timer, sleep, look, set, sleep, look, set, sleep ... Night watched s*ck for solo sailors

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by Mark Killam

try this video. It has it all. Ericson, alone, windane. and a lot of talking to himself.

BTW, Older coastal cruiser, not a full keel, double ender, blue water boat. No solar panels, no dodger.

What a great video. Thank you very much!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Don C L

OK, I give up... why the egg timer?

Helps stop folks getting Paranoid..

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

To wake you up when Zzzzzz'ing in the cockpit.

Set eggtimer every X minutes, look around you, set egg timer, sleep, look, set, sleep, look, set, sleep ... Night watched s*ck for solo sailors

AHH! I had an image of a little hourglass! Shows my vintage. I'd be a very bad singlehander. I'd probably just rely on the AIS alarm and heave-to and get a good night's sleep. I'd never get anywhere! I guess I'll have to switch to the sailor's confessional to talk about the times when I was a kid and I slept while singlehanding without AIS or radar!

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I'd probably just rely on the AIS alarm and heave-to and get a good night's sleep.

Depends on where you are - when I finally make the big jump to those elusive coconuts, I plan to sleep like any normal person. Mid ocean there can't be too much traffic, so I'll trust AIS and luck.
Plan to just reef and keep going (slowly). If I heave-to I'll never bloody get there, haha!

On, say, a trip to the UK and back, not so much ... Every 15 mins a damn alarm goes off

[Foolish]

There is a NEWER version of the free singlehanded book available here:
http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/Sin...rdEdition2.pdf

This book has a large section on what makes a good singlehanded boat. Luckily the older, less expensive boats from the 80s with small cockpits and fewer running lines are perfect.

Regarding cruising, you will be surprised to find that you actually meet far more people if you are cruising solo than if you are with another person. I've done it many times. The first thing that happens when you pull up at a dock is that the woman in the next boat feels sorry for you being alone, or the man in the next boat wants to hear about your solo adventures, or they are both tired of staring at each other across the chart table, and you are invited over for dinner and drinks. This will happen night after night.

...and now nothing more.
I want to be alone with my essential sea...
I don't want to speak for a long time.
Silence! I want to learn.
I want to know if I exist.



Have fun out there! Tandem Solus

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by Mark Killam

try this video. It has it all. Ericson, alone, windane. and a lot of talking to himself.

BTW, Older coastal cruiser, not a full keel, double ender, blue water boat. No solar panels, no dodger.

Love his videos, he needs to do more.

[barnakiel]

IMHO any boat is OK for solo cruising unless the boat is too big for you to dock /-un-dock. A big boat is OK because in your fits with humanity you can have guests and not infringe on /-get infringed on their/ -your privacy. A small boat is OK but will limit your options of playing a host.

Then again, my second thought is that you may in fact be asking on solo vs. crewed sailing. It is a common thing to mix the two and as soon as you start sailing to places rather than away from them, you are cruising.

Still, just in case I guessed right, IMHO (what else) there are some boats that are better suited for solo navigations, I believe these features may play some role here:

- size (too big for you is bad) & PLS include your aging in this picture,
- layout, mostly deck and cockpit, less the interior,
- boat synch with you (boat A is good for Johnny X, not for everybody),
- reliability (if things break, you are neither sailing nor cruising),
- systems (windsteering, APs, staysails, AIS B, etc.)

Everything can be attempted and some things can be adjusted BUT if you take off with the wrong design then that's just about that.

I think a boat like a Vancouver 27 is a fine small solo cruising boat. I think a boat like a Pogo is a fine bigger cruising boat. I think many other boats can be converted to solo sailing. Da pink girl sailed a S&S 34, Bill sailed a W32 and John sailed a Passport. Etc. I am not sure but maybe MarkJ is sailing solo too (?).

Look up Webb Chiles blog for his most recent cruising adventures. Look at his earlier boats too. I think they were all good boats for solo cruising. You can always drop him a msg and ask his advice.

A have a deep respect for your drive to being left alone (when you need it). I am a bit like this too: I love the crowd on the dock as son as we anchor off.

Cheers,
b.

[Lizzy Belle]

Originally Posted by Foolish

There is a NEWER version of the free singlehanded book available here
//
The first thing that happens when you pull up at a dock is that the woman in the next boat feels sorry for you being alone

Thanks for that link; missed that updated version somehow.

About it being easy meeting new people: probably, for male single handlers. As a female, I have noticed a lot of females don't want me talking to / near their hubbies. Sad but true.

[TheThunderbird]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

As I've done most of my sailing alone, I don't really know what it's like to sail with a partner. I've had relationships and I've had boats, and I've learned those 2 don't usually mix well

I'm in my 40's now, I think I'm too set in my ways to learn how to sail as part of a couple, or whatever you want to call it. For short trips (just weekends to the UK and day trips) it's fine, for cruising ... not sure. Sleep and rest are an issue.

But the only other option is taking on crew, which I'm not too enthusiastic about (small boat, single female and all that jazz). We'll see.

Lizzy, I am in Holland by the end of this month, and we can meet up with my Dutch friend, and possibly sail with us soon after, at leisure, cat included (no tigers please)

Thus you may check how it is to sail in company, with a goood cook and on a laarger boat

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by Foolish

There is a NEWER version of the free singlehanded book available here:
http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/Sin...rdEdition2.pdf

This book has a large section on what makes a good singlehanded boat. Luckily the older, less expensive boats from the 80s with small cockpits and fewer running lines are perfect.

Regarding cruising, you will be surprised to find that you actually meet far more people if you are cruising solo than if you are with another person. I've done it many times. The first thing that happens when you pull up at a dock is that the woman in the next boat feels sorry for you being alone, or the man in the next boat wants to hear about your solo adventures, or they are both tired of staring at each other across the chart table, and you are invited over for dinner and drinks. This will happen night after night.

...and now nothing more.
I want to be alone with my essential sea...
I don't want to speak for a long time.
Silence! I want to learn.
I want to know if I exist.



Have fun out there! Tandem Solus

Some aren't aware that Foolish is the author, Andrew Evans.

And a really good book it is too. I love the simple self steering setup using knicker elastic and string, or was it surgical tubing . . . . . Ah! yes!, the knicker elastic was for the home made bug screens I'm making.

It IS available in paperback too, and very worth buying (I got my copy off Amazon).

Then if you ever bump into Andrew, he might be talked into signing it.

On solo sailing, a 32ft has always been my 'sweet spot' (big enough for comfort, practicality - food, water, fuel, spares - and maintenance and improvement expense), but after failing to get 3 x 32ft boats, it looks like all is on course for a 34ft. A 35ft is my personal upper limit (expenses go way up dramatically once past that imho).

I like the Classic Plastic (like Don) but also like the crossover boats just prior to the fully post Classics. Encapsulated keel, cut away forefoot, rudder on a skeg. Solid hand layup (the one I'm in the process of buying has a 7/8" hull layup), drop dead gorgeous lines, reasonable draft (approaching shoal draft) so can get into more places to anchor up, not too beamy, but wide enough for a couple of the larger solar panels. A solid boat with a comfortable motion on the water. That sort of thing.

[Lizzy Belle]

I

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

Thus you may check how it is to sail in company, with a goood cook and on a laarger boat

I'm always up for a sail
And have sailed with others many times -- as in, hopped on someone elses boat, found a comfy spot and enjoyed not having to do anything for a change, haha!

But that is VERY different to sailing as a couple or with other sailors on my own boat - for obvious reasons

Originally Posted by Ribbit

Some aren't aware that Foolish is the author, Andrew Evans.

Oops, I was not.

If you're still online: thanks SO much for your book, Andrew / Foolish!!