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Can a Wayfarer be cruised single handedly? I am thinking about a boat with a roller furling foresail with the jammers towards the back of the boat and of course with an engine. Would it be feasible to tow a small inflatable too?
pete
I sail single-handed quite a lot and have set the boat up so that in theory I can reef single-handed whilst afloat. Frank Dye achieved extraordinary cruising distances singlehanded so it demonstrably can be done.
However, I would have some cautions. I have never actually tried out my reefing system whilst sailing alone, and I don’t really want to. In any dinghy, even one as big and stable as a Wayfarer, it will be much better to have one person helming and controlling the boat whilst a second person can set the reefs; this also applies for anchoring, rigging and de-rigging afloat, and even just digging out that bar of chocolate that you can’t quite put your hands on.
One interesting question is how would do singlehanders go to the toilet whilst under way 🙂
Also, whilst singlehanding is great fun, I lack the necessary weight to ever get the boat fully powered up, so I spend a lot of time either spilling wind or going sideways…. which probably means I should have reefed down more. A heavier person than me might get more satisfactory performance from the boat.On the inflatable, I also sail a yacht and never tow anything anywhere (well, if it was less than about five miles I would consider it) because of the loss of performance. On a Wayfarer there is the added problem of the reduced size between tug and tow, which could cause interesting control problems.
I would have thought that there were two ways around the problem- use the inflatable as it was intended, stowing it between uses, or secondly do what most people do and use the Wayfarer itself as as a dinghy. You might want to consider altering your anchor setup so that you can set up a running mooring. This will probably work out much easier than trying to carry an inflatable.OK I’ll scrub the towing idea:-) I usually sail in coastal waters so I could moor up when needing a leak or for reefing. I don’t feel I would have any problem sailing on the mainsail alone and I would only be cruising as I also do not have enough weight to sail fully powered up. The big fear is capsizing when alone as I am certain I could not right the boat alone. I may have to think about a different boat:-(
pete
@No Disgrace wrote:
I sail single-handed quite a lot and have set the boat up so that in theory I can reef single-handed whilst afloat. Frank Dye achieved extraordinary cruising distances singlehanded so it demonstrably can be done.
However, I would have some cautions. I have never actually tried out my reefing system whilst sailing alone, and I don’t really want to. In any dinghy, even one as big and stable as a Wayfarer, it will be much better to have one person helming and controlling the boat whilst a second person can set the reefs; this also applies for anchoring, rigging and de-rigging afloat, and even just digging out that bar of chocolate that you can’t quite put your hands on.
One interesting question is how would do singlehanders go to the toilet whilst under way 🙂
Also, whilst singlehanding is great fun, I lack the necessary weight to ever get the boat fully powered up, so I spend a lot of time either spilling wind or going sideways…. which probably means I should have reefed down more. A heavier person than me might get more satisfactory performance from the boat.The answer to all of the above: Heave to and board up.
Insufficient sea-room to reef with board up? Then reef with board at least partly down to reduce side-slip, but first furl away at least half of the genoa (if you haven’t already done so), to reduce windage. With a well-organised reefing set-up you should be able to be sailing again within 2-3 minutes, so you would have to be in a very tight spot to have a problem with that, and probably ought to have had the reef in earlier anyway. Easy to say sitting here though!
@Turtill wrote:
The big fear is capsizing when alone as I am certain I could not right the boat alone. I may have to think about a different boat:-(
peteDon’t do that, you need to read Frank Dyes book “Sailing to the Edge of Fear” and also Lee Hughes book “The Biggest Boat I could Afford”
A Wayfarer may be a struggle to manhandle on shore but with care you can’t beat it on the water even single handed.
That is what I am hoping once my boat is fixed the way I want it. I am having a second line of reefing eyes in the main sail but I need a smaller jib as I only have a genoa at present. I am hoping to sail my wayfarer until I am too old and have to transfer to a cruiser.
pete
@Turtill wrote:
OK I’ll scrub the towing idea:-) The big fear is capsizing when alone as I am certain I could not right the boat alone. I may have to think about a different boat:-(
pete
All depends which Wayfarer version you have. It is generally accepted that double bottomed self draining versions (Mark 11 SD, World, Mark 4) are very likely to turn turtle and difficult to right without considerable weight. Other versions (Mark 1, Mark 11) are less likely to invert and easier to right from either on their side or even upside down. Righting lines may also be a good idea for singlehanding. I would never go to see in a boat I could not right (assuming it has no keel).
DaveI have a couple of Mk1’s which seem pretty sturdy and stable. I was in a Mk4 earlier this week which we capsized on purpose and that came up easily enough but it had a mast head float.
I have a Squib, a campervan to tow it with and another Mk1 and I intend to sell all those and spend the money making sure I have a top Mk1.What I really need is a Wayfarer expert renovator in or close to Ipswich to do the work.
pete
These guys are just the ticket and not too far from Ipswich:
John Parker Boats,
Unit 1,
Willow Marina,
Riverside Estate,
Brundall,
Norfolk,
NR13 5PL
Telephone: 01603 713952Mast head float while singlehanding is a good idea IMHO.
Hi Guys
Just passing by this thread and interested that Swiebertje says heave-to and . I have never specifically thought to have board-up when hoven-to – I thought board down would stop sideways drift. What is the reason for suggesting board up?
KRs
Trevor Thompson
It stops the boat from “tripping over” the centreboard – a useful technique in strong winds, but only possible with plenty of room to leeward.
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