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SINGLE-HANDING

Single-handing is often considered a sailing technique reserved for the extremely talented or the very adventurous sailor. "Single hand-able" is also thought of as a capability of certain vessels possessing special equipment. In reality, single-handing it is a type of sailing that places different requirements on the skipper than crewed sailing, but not necessarily harder requirements. It can also be achieved with any craft, provided some organization of gear is undertaken.

The first requirement of single-handing is self-sufficiency. Many people have this quality, but don't realize that on a vessel at sea this includes taking care of themselves in a medical emergency, and also that they will not be picked up by crew if they fall overboard. Good health, injury avoidance, and a safety harness (to keep the sailor from falling overboard) are mandatory for these reasons. The safety harness can be in the form of a climber's 'seat' or 'sit' harness, which is better for clothing changes, tanning, etc., or in the form of a chest harness which is more traditional in sailing. Both can now be obtained at marine equipment suppliers for about the same price. Their usage must follow the rules of other safety gear, in that simplicity and redundancy are carefully followed. Simplicity takes the form of simple and obvious tether lines and knots connected to the harness, and redundancy takes the form of such things as double carabineers or shackles (if non-locking designs are used) in case of failure or mis-connection by user. Be sure to keep the tether line (s) as short as possible. This will minimize fouling and keep you actually 'on' the vessel after a fall, as opposed to being dragged behind your boat.

Organization of deck gear and running rigging is the second requirement for single-handing, however this does not necessarily mean adding special or expensive equipment. Keeping the clutter off your deck will reduce confusion and fouling when you are running back and forth and handling multiple lines. Routing certain control lines aft will keep you in the cockpit near the helm (avoiding dangerous deck transits), but don't try to make your boat a 'puppet' with too many control lines as this ultimately leads back to the confusion and fouling one tried to avoid by clearing deck clutter. Keep it simple as possible, and also as standard as possible so when you sail crewed again they can relate to the deck arrangement. A roller-furling unit is standard equipment on most yachts today, and allows both crewed and single-handed sailors to deploy the jib quickly from the cockpit. If you have to use a standard hank-on jib, however, try to keep it flaked and sail-covered neatly on the deck as opposed to constant bagging and stowing below. It will have less creases and mildew, and it can be deployed quickly with a simple hoist with its halyard (often from the cockpit) almost as fast as deploying a roller-furled jib. 

Finesse is the last requirement for single-handing, and gets better with practice. You must be able to multitask, but on a large sailboat this multitasking is in the form of vintage computer operating systems (i.e. you actually stop one activity first before you attempt the second). As an example, you may sometimes have to leave the helm and run up to the foredeck to do a task, stop and run back to correct the helm, then run back up to the foredeck and resume what you were doing, often in many repetitions. Proper light footwear or bare feet makes deck work much easier and safer for doing this. Going to the bathroom or eating can also be a challenge while trying to helm a sailing craft, particularly in bad weather. Keep in mind that you must be 'on watch' at all times, and that a quick trip to the marine lavatory or food locker can cause your boat to run over flotsam or wander into a collision course with another craft. If possible, try to do as much near the cockpit as possible, which may require some creative thinking.