Single Handing

[jerzyjoe]

I am considering some re-rigging of my CD 31 so i can sail her single handed. My primary requirement would be to raise the main sail from the cockpit. Is that advisable, has anyone done it?

Thank you
Jerzyjoe

[rorik]

FWIW:
I single hand and prefer to go forward. Keeps everything simple.

[tjr818]

I have just last season converted Slainte, our beloved 27, to having the halyard lead to the cockpit. Using even the very best blocks you will still be adding a lot of friction. I still go forward to raise the main. We are still glad that we lead the halyard aft because now we can lower the main to reef and, most enjoyably, we can drop the main right into the lazy jacks when we drop sail. This has made single handing so much more enjoyable. I can stay at the tiller and drop the main while maintaining course. No longer do I have to worry about the bow falling off, or even worse, me falling off. This is one of the best safety improvements that we have made. I would highly recommend it, but caution that you still might have to go forward to raise the main, unless you are willing to take your time and winch up 30', or so, of sail.

[sgbernd]

I have a 28 and single hand nearly always. It works fine to raise and lower the sails from the mast. In fact, you are up there anyway to flake and tie or untie them so it is hardly any benefit to run halyards to the cockpit.

I use the engine and auto pilot to keep her pointed into the wind when things get nasty for tucking in a reef or dousing a sail.
s.g.bernd

[tjr818]

I have a 28 and single hand nearly always. . . I use the engine and auto pilot to keep her pointed into the wind when things get nasty for tucking in a reef or dousing a sail. s.g.bernd

I have a tiller pilot and had often done the same thing, always with the vision in the back of my mind of me falling off and the boat motoring away while the tiller pilot held it on course and I was left with a long swim back to shore. Have you ever tried to swim with a life vest on?

[adamganz]

I sail almost exclusively single handed - CD28 - and have thought about bringing the halyard back to the cockpit and installing lazy jacks. Haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I have a couple of situations where things get hairy and would like to piggy back on this thread to see what techniques others may be using.

In most cases I raise the main, even in somewhat high wind, while on the mooring, and then run back and forth from bow to stern as I get off the ball and hope to hell the bow doesn't drift far enough that i catch any wind. We have an extremely tight mooring field so this is a source of entertainment for everyone except those who are moored directly next to me. Any secrets to this process?

Where I have the most exciting moments are when I want to drop the main and head back to the mooring. It's usually windy as hell. Ideally I'd like to end up sailing downwind with the genoa until I make a turn into the protected mooring field area, at which point I'd fire up the engine.

Methods I've tried for bringing the main down:

1) No tiller pilot and no engine. Bring in genoa entirely; sail close to the wind; release tiller, jump up on deck and wait until we naturally cross the wind and then quickly drop the main while it's luffing; secure main sail while on deck; run back to tiller and pull out the genoa again. Usually by this time the boat has turned nearly 180 degrees and I'm getting heavy seas from behind. Not fun.

2) With tiller pilot, engine on: same as above but with the hope that the tiller pilot will keep me on course; it usually does not. Also not fun.

3) With tiller pilot, no engine: i sail as close to the wind as possible, and let the wind out of the main so the tiller pilot is reacting only to the genoa; keep genoa full of wind and run up on deck to let the main down (and hope to god I stay on course). This works but the risk is that the boat could cross the wind while I'm on deck with the genoa initially on the leward side of the boat suddenly on the windward.

Anybody else have a method that they care to suggest?

[tjr818]

As I stated above we lead the halyard aft because now we can lower the main to reef and, most enjoyably, we can drop the main right into the lazy jacks when we drop sail. This has made single handing so much more enjoyable.
Two additional points that help us a lot:

We added TidesMarine StrongTrack for the main. The main now drops like a rock and it has been trained to fold itself pretty well. No more tugging and pulling.

He also lead the hoist for the retractable lazy jacks aft to the cockpit so I can snug up the lazy jacks before dropping the main.

[jerzyjoe]

I have just last season converted Slainte, our beloved 27, to having the halyard lead to the cockpit. Using even the very best blocks you will still be adding a lot of friction. I still go forward to raise the main. We are still glad that we lead the halyard aft because now we can lower the main to reef and, most enjoyably, we can drop the main right into the lazy jacks when we drop sail. This has made single handing so much more enjoyable. I can stay at the tiller and drop the main while maintaining course. No longer do I have to worry about the bow falling off, or even worse, me falling off. This is one of the best safety improvements that we have made. I would highly recommend it, but caution that you still might have to go forward to raise the main, unless you are willing to take your time and winch up 30', or so, of sail.

the added friction is a big concern to me. But you might recommend a 2nd halyard to the cockpit primarily for mainsail lowering purposes?

[robh]

I have just last season converted Slainte, our beloved 27, to having the halyard lead to the cockpit. Using even the very best blocks you will still be adding a lot of friction. I still go forward to raise the main. We are still glad that we lead the halyard aft because now we can lower the main to reef and, most enjoyably, we can drop the main right into the lazy jacks when we drop sail. This has made single handing so much more enjoyable. I can stay at the tiller and drop the main while maintaining course. No longer do I have to worry about the bow falling off, or even worse, me falling off. This is one of the best safety improvements that we have made. I would highly recommend it, but caution that you still might have to go forward to raise the main, unless you are willing to take your time and winch up 30', or so, of sail.

the added friction is a big concern to me. But you might recommend a 2nd halyard to the cockpit primarily for mainsail lowering purposes?

I read it as they pull the halyard down at the mast to raise it, and then pull the slack back to the cockpit. So it is still just the single main halyard, it just terminates in the cockpit. That is how I've done it on boats that have aft leading halyards from the mast a lot of the time anyhow, since it tends to be a lot easier to haul the halyard directly down than it is down and back through the block(s).

I singlehand my CD28 the majority of the time. I don't have any kind of autopilot, and I merely lash the tiller amidships (or not at all if there isnt a lot of chop) and move smoothly (but not run) to raise or lower the main. Without having any kind of lashing in place means I have to go back to the cockpit once to correct the helm back into the wind. If there are winds above 5 knots, I tend to just be lazy and kick on the engine in dead ahead slow to keep me pointed into the wind a bit nicer. I've thought about routing my lines backwards, but the added friction (as many point out) has lead me to not do that so far. If I had lazy-jacks or a dutchman then it would be quite different.

[Skipd]

I almost exclusively single-hand on my 25D. Downsized from a larger boat to keep things more manageable as I age. Here is a list of thoughts/needs that make it so enjoyable and safe:

- do main halyard work at the mast. Prefer it that way as it makes reefing and other work simple. With a clear path to the mast it's never been an issue.
- autopilot for when under power on long stretches and to "take the helm" in testy weather for raising/lowering the main or working the the anchor.
- AIS Class B
- wind pilot windvane for long stretches under sail. Fantastic piecce of equipment.
- gimbaling single burner camping stove for hot food underway
- roller furler, though often consider going back to hank on sails for better sail shape under different conditions.
- lazyjacks. Keeps things more manageable when most appreciated.
- Asymetrical w/snuffer



Hope this helps.

Thanks

Skip

[camroll]

I sail almost exclusively single handed - CD28 - and have thought about bringing the halyard back to the cockpit and installing lazy jacks. Haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I have a couple of situations where things get hairy and would like to piggy back on this thread to see what techniques others may be using.

In most cases I raise the main, even in somewhat high wind, while on the mooring, and then run back and forth from bow to stern as I get off the ball and hope to hell the bow doesn't drift far enough that i catch any wind. We have an extremely tight mooring field so this is a source of entertainment for everyone except those who are moored directly next to me. Any secrets to this process?

Where I have the most exciting moments are when I want to drop the main and head back to the mooring. It's usually windy as hell. Ideally I'd like to end up sailing downwind with the genoa until I make a turn into the protected mooring field area, at which point I'd fire up the engine.

Methods I've tried for bringing the main down:

1) No tiller pilot and no engine. Bring in genoa entirely; sail close to the wind; release tiller, jump up on deck and wait until we naturally cross the wind and then quickly drop the main while it's luffing; secure main sail while on deck; run back to tiller and pull out the genoa again. Usually by this time the boat has turned nearly 180 degrees and I'm getting heavy seas from behind. Not fun.

2) With tiller pilot, engine on: same as above but with the hope that the tiller pilot will keep me on course; it usually does not. Also not fun.

3) With tiller pilot, no engine: i sail as close to the wind as possible, and let the wind out of the main so the tiller pilot is reacting only to the genoa; keep genoa full of wind and run up on deck to let the main down (and hope to god I stay on course). This works but the risk is that the boat could cross the wind while I'm on deck with the genoa initially on the leward side of the boat suddenly on the windward.

Anybody else have a method that they care to suggest?

I just sail up to my mooring with just the main, with the motor running of course. Once you pick up the mooring the boat will point into the wind and you can easily lower the main. When leaving the mooring I raise the main then walk the mooring lines back to the stern. This usually puts the boat on a broad reach. Drop the lines and away you go. Motor running of course!
Russ

[Neil Gordon]

I'm reading way to much about running to the mast, running to the bow, running back to the tiller. My 28 just doesn't react so quickly that I need to run anywhere...

Raising the main, without the auto pilot, I get some momentum into the wind, shift to neutral, walk to the mast (pulling sail ties along the way) and raise the main. If the bow falls off, the sail fills and the boat heads up again.

Lowering the main, sheet in, let go the tiller, let the boat round up. Walk up on the windward side, then release the halyard when the main luffs.

Reefing, heave to and take your time.

No running required.

[adamganz]

I think my situation may be somewhat unique, requiring fleet (and safe) movement, unless I motor with no sails to and from the mooring, in which case there are no issues. I'm in Brooklyn NY, and like housing and the subway, our mooring area is packed like an ant farm. If the wind is from the west, I have about 5' to the east of my mooring to the stern of the Pearson in front of me, and about 5' from my stern to the mooring ball west of me. Same on all sides, and we all have short mooring lines (10' or less). Before moving my boat here I had never seen anything like it. Collisions are...well sort of common. And I blame this situation for my inability to finish the teak on my boat. What's the point if I'm likely to get T-boned by my neighbor (I say to myself after another year passes). In any event, if I had more space, sailing to and from the mooring would be a breezewith this boat.

My question about dropping the main when there's a bit of wind before heading back to the mooring...I'm curious to know at what point of sail people head up to drop. My technique has been to go up on deck when there's still a little wind I'm the sail and then drop when we're naturally
crossing the wind.

[Mike Thompson]

A lot of good sense in the answers so far. I also single hand a CD28.

It is amazing how well behaved the CD28 is when left to its own devices. Just let go of the tiller and then go forward to the mast.

I like things to be simple so I have no lines back to the cockpit. (Except jib sheets!)

When sailing with a genoa it helps to heave-to before reefing the main.
The genoa is then on the wrong side and acting as a break so the boat is hardly moving. The tiller is tied to the
windward jib cleat. The main sail can be pulled down and reefed easily.

One does not have to always motor into the wind before raising or lowering the main as the boat is quite willing to
round up if the tiller is free.

[Sea Hunt Video]

The tiller is tied to the windward jib cleat.

Mike: Leeward jib sheet