Singlehanded Sailing: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics

by Andrew Evans

Overview

"It takes thousands of hours of sailing to get the kind of knowledge contained in this book." — from the Foreword by Bruce Schwab

The ONLY bible for how to sail your boat fast, safe, and alone

Solo sailing is within any sailor's grasp with a little forethought—and this essential guide.

Got a 35-foot sailboat? No problem. Is the wind blowing 20 knots? No problem. Are you racing offshore overnight? Even better. Singlehander Andrew Evans learned the hard way how to sail and race alone—with lots of mishaps, including broaches and a near tumbling over a waterfall—and in Singlehanded Sailing he shares the techniques, tips, and tactics he has developed to make his solo sailing adventures safe and enriching.

Learn everything you need to know to meet any solo challenge, including:

• Managing the power consumption aboard a boat to feed the electric autopilot
• Setting and gybing a spinnaker
• Finding time to sleep
• Dealing with heavy weather

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780071836531
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	10/16/2014
Edition description:	Net
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Andrew Evans has gone singlehanded sailing more than eight hundred times over the past ten years for a total of 3,500 hours of singlehanded sailing –a reasonable start. He has never had a bad day on the water. Evans is a lawyer, Chartered Financial Analyst, and president of a small company in the solar power industry.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Bruce SchwabChapter One/Introduction My HeroesChapter Two/The Mental ChallengeStress and CopingHallucinations/Hearing Voices /Boredom/Emotional Inertia Sleep Approaches to SleepPolyphasic sleepThe 3:00AM EffectChapter Three/Sailboat Design and SetupWhat Boat to Look ForKey Features of a Singlehanding SailboatHelm/Cockpit/Mast/Single backstay with no running backstay/Below Deck/Rudder DesignMultihulls Insurance for the Singlehander Boat SetupJack linesTetherIt Does No Good If Not Worn LiefelinesHandrails Chapter Four/Four Boats Designed for Singlehanding Figaro Beneteau IIMini 6.50The Class 40IMOCA 60Chapter Five/Keeping the Boat UprightWater BallastCanting Keel Rudder Load What Does the Daggerboard Do Dynamic Stability SystemsThe MastFinal ThoughtsChapter Six/Self Steering SystemsAlternative Self Steering MethodsShock-Cord Sailing Tiller Line System – for BeatingStorm Jib Steering SystemDownwind – Poled Out Jib SystemSheet to Tiller systemsAutopilot or Wind Vane Using a Wind VaneAutopilots Tacking and Gybing using an autopilotRemote Control Wind Vanes Homemade Wind Vane Chapter Seven/Power SystemsPower Generation Chapter Eight/Singlhanded Boat HandlingLeaving the Dock and ReturningAnchoringMooringClimbing the Mast Folding the HeadsailChapter Nine/Singlehanded Sail Handling and Sailing Understanding sail trimSailing upwindChanging foresailsThe Symmetrical SpinnakerGybing the SpinnakerGybing the Spinnaker without an AutopilotDousing the Chute When things go bad—fouled spinnaker Tweakers – Use them properlyGybing without the PoleAsymmetrical spinnakerDousing an AsymmetricalExtreme windsHeaving-toChapter Ten/Racing – Get into ItHandicap adjustment for singlehanding against crewed boatsThe starting lineRounding the windward markLeeward markChapter Eleven/Maintaining a Winning Attitude for the Duration of a Long Distance Singlehanded RaceThe Most Important Point: Sail Harder Comparing with the IditarodAssessing FactorsExperience/Confidence /Self SponsorshipThe Disconnect: Singlehanders Need to Actively Sail the Boat for SuccessEnergy and LethargyImproving EnergyMindfulnessMindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach The Role of CompetitionRacing against reports Race against herself Improving ComfortFinal ThoughtsChapter Twelve/See and Be SeenNavigationMaintaining a LookoutRadarAIS Radar ReflectorsActiveFlashlightPassive Radar Reflectors A Testament to the Centerboard SonarChapter Thirteen/Managing Heavy WeatherHeavy Weather Accounts Key Heavy Weather ConsiderationsDroguesDrogue Launching and RetrievalDrogues and SinglehandersChapter Fourteen/Dealing with DamageCase Studies: DismastingDealing with Dismastings—An Alternate Approach Mental Approach to Major Damage Other Varieties of DamageThe Role of Ingenuity and How to Prepare for DamagesLessons from the Crash Test Boat/Yachting Monthly—Dealing with Punctures [h1]Case Study: Losing a HeadstayChapter Fifteen/Living Singlehanded, Including First Aid FoodClothingOther Matters Looking After the bodyUrinatingBowel MovementsDiaper Rash – not just for babies anymoreKeeping CleanFirst AidMedical References First Aid Kit Advice from the SHTP 2012 Seminar Series Chapter Sixteen/Spiritual Side to SinglehandingThoreau's InsightsBuddhist Perspective Christian PerspectiveReferences for Singlehanders Index