Sailing solo isn’t just for the elite Vendée Globe athletes or the sailing loners of the Golden Globe Race, writes Ian Herbert-Jones.

It’s an adventure waiting for anyone with the drive to challenge themselves and the desire for the freedom to sail whenever they choose crew or no crew.

With the right preparation, a few smart modifications, and a determined mindset, sailing solo is achievable and rewarding.

Starting solo sailing can feel overwhelming, but set yourself a challenge by beginning with short, local trips to build your confidence over time.

My journey to sailing alone started with a bit of a challenge: I signed up to participate in the 2022 Golden Globe Race despite having exactly zero solo sailing miles at the time.

My first solo passage was a modest 80-mile round trip across Cardigan Bay.

Dropping anchor at sunset in New Quay and then sipping coffee in the cockpit at sunrise, just my Tradewind 35, Puffin and I, alone for the first time, is something I’ll never forget. That was it, I was hooked.

The Fastnet rock followed, then the Azores and so it went on.

With each trip I refined my skills, learning from mistakes and adapting my procedures and the boat’s setup, until eventually I had logged the 4,000 solo miles needed to qualify for the race and found myself slipping lines in Les Sables d’Olonne for the solo voyage of a lifetime.

Take a friend when starting solo sailing

It may seem counterintuitive, but taking a friend (just one though) along on your initial ‘solo’ training is really helpful.

They can act as a safety backup and provide support as you develop solo techniques.

Work through each manoeuvre, from hoisting the mainsail to docking, until you have a step-by-step ‘solo’ procedure for every task.

Make your own solo sailing manual and laminate key manoeuvres to stick on the bulkhead or chart table.

Many things will be second nature but remember you’re going to be alone with no one to point out what you’ve missed or to remind you of what comes next.

If you are mindful of this process, it will also help you work out any changes you want to make to the boat’s running rigging and systems. Do nothing new.

Try not to do anything for the first time when solo – once you have a procedure try to stick to it every time, allow the muscle memory to develop and then you can refine your techniques or the gear over time.

Choosing the right boat for sailing solo

What is the ideal boat for solo sailing? The answer, of course, is the boat you already have, at least to start with.

While some boats have been developed specifically to be sailed short-handed, such as the Mini 6.5 or the Beneteau Figaro, almost any boat can be adapted for solo sailing, although certain characteristics will make handling easier.

When it comes to size, I feel less is more.

Generally, smaller boats, between 23ft and 40ft are easier to manage alone and yet still very capable of making decent passages.

Above this size loads begin to increase dramatically, and everything becomes less forgiving.

Simplicity is also key; boats with straightforward systems and minimal complexity are preferable.

You may be tempted by designs that seem to allow for easier sail handling, such as self-tacking jibs or in-mast or boom furling systems, but I would argue against these; it is best to keep it all as simple as possible.

A tiller offers direct steering with fewer potential issues than a wheel and is very often favoured by solo sailors.

In the cockpit layout, essential controls such as mainsheet, traveller and jib sheets should all be within easy reach.

Equipment for solo sailing

• Electronic autopilot An electronic autopilot will make the transition to solo sailing far safer and less stressful. It’s fair to say that most solo sailors will spend very little time at the helm unless they’re racing. There is a growing range of autopilots, from those driving the latest foiling race boats, with highly sophisticated software to the most modest tiller pilot. Whichever you have, go through the pain of RTFI (Reading The Flaming Instructions). Given that the autopilot is your only other crew member, it’s a good idea to get to know each other a little.
  

  An autopilot remote control allows helm adjustment from anywhere on board. Credit: Paul Wyeth

  With crew on board, many of us only know how to go from Auto (ie On) to Standby (ie Off). Learn how to use the tack and gybe functions or practice these manoeuvres using the +/-10°option to control the speed of the manoeuvre. Your autopilot may allow you to steer to a wind angle, meaning your heading will change as the wind shifts, or steer to a magnetic heading, leaving you to trim sails as the wind conditions change. Learn to adjust the rudder sensitivity or gain, this comes into its own as sea conditions change, especially for downwind sailing. If your autopilot is integrated it needs to be calibrated correctly with your other sensors for wind direction, rudder position, electronic compass etc. Autopilot remote control is a great upgrade allowing you to adjust the helm from anywhere on the boat, at the mast or in your bunk. Most also have a safety feature that will turn the boat into the wind if the skipper falls overboard, although I wouldn’t like to rely on it. One final note on autopilots is to never completely trust them. They are notorious for dropping out at seemingly random times, so always have one eye on the electronic crew member, at least until you get to know each other.

• Wind vane steering For longer passages wind vane steering is arguably the best friend of the solo sailor.
  

  Wind vane steering is valuable for long-distance solo sailing. Credit: Peter Poland

  It steers all day, doesn’t eat anything or use any power and never answers back. However, assuming you have an autopilot, don’t feel you need a wind vane as you first transition to solo sailing – that can come later.

• A bombproof mainsail reefing system It’s essential to be able to reef on any point of sail, including downwind. A mainsail that won’t come down could turn into a serious safety issue. Invest in mainsail cars and sliders. Your reefing system needs to be simple, low friction and not require you to be in two places at once.
• Furling headsail Despite not being a fan of the in-boom or in-mast furling, I can’t deny the obvious advantages of furling headsails of all kinds. Ensure the furling line is routed to reduce friction and can be secured so there is no possibility of it escaping and letting your genoa unfurl in 40 knots of breeze.
• Self-tailing winches These are crucial on larger boats, allowing you to handle sails with one hand while keeping the other for the helm or yourself.
• Boom breaks or gybe preventers Not common on crewed boats, but consider one of these as an extra fuse in your system.
  

  Boom breaks add in an extra layer of security to prevent a crash gybe when solo sailing. Credit: Rachael Sprot

  Conditions can change rapidly, autopilots can fail and before you know it the boom is demonstrating the power of an unintentional gybe, breaking the gooseneck or worse.

• AIS This is one of the most important items of safety gear for solo sailing. It gives you – and importantly other vessels – vital information to make good collision avoidance decisions in a timely fashion.
  

  AIS is essential if you’re sailing solo

  Most AIS systems will also allow you to set audible alarms alerting you to a developing risk of collision.

• Active radar target enhancer This can make your tiny GRP sailing boat look more like a big steel fishing boat on a ship’s radar.
• Alarms Modern chart plotters allow alarms to be set for changes in the wind direction, wind speed or the boat’s course. This alerts us to trim sails, or to the fact that the autopilot has decided to drop out. n Alarm clocks You need to sleep at some point and be woken in a 100% reliable way. Simple mechanical kitchen timers work well and pro sailors now use hard-wired alarm systems. Alarms need to be placed well away from where you rest, forcing you to get up for a visual check.
• Reliable communications Make sure your VHF and DSC work correctly. The one-press red DSC button is all you may have time for in a serious incident. A handheld VHF radio, ideally attached to your lifejacket, is also good to have.
• Whistling kettle When you’re distracted it’s easy to forget you put the kettle on.

Setting up your boat for solo sailing

Even small adjustments to the boat’s set-up can make a huge difference in reducing physical strain and keeping you in control.

•  Lines to the cockpit While running all lines to the cockpit may seem ideal, it can really increase friction resulting in the need to go forward to the mast to pull down the mainsail or free up reefing lines at the gooseneck. This leaves you needing to be in two places at once. It’s better to keep reefing simple and at the mast, where you can position yourself securely, see exactly what’s going on, help the sail down, and deal with reefing lines and halyards all in one place.
• Mark your lines Mark halyards and reefing lines with a permanent marker or whipping to indicate proper positions for each reef and consider choosing colour-coding lines for easy identification. If you do have a ram’s horn and ring combination, consider converting the horn to a carabiner on a short strop; this allows you to clip on the tack ring, avoiding its tendency to jump off the horn, before tensioning the halyard and the reef clew line.
  

  Marking halyards where they exit the lower part of the mast allows you to determine how tight they are

  A solid boom vang can remove the need for a topping lift and make sail handling easier. It also allows the topping lift to be kept as a spare main halyard. Lazy jacks can also make life much easier when hoisting and dropping the main. They need careful thought when first setting up to ensure they won’t foul the aft end of the mainsail battens. Also, rig the lazy jacks so they can be pulled forward to the mast and kept out of the way if needed.

• Jack lines Staying on the boat is the only option when sailing solo, so give your jacklines some serious thought. Rig them as close to the centre line of the boat as possible, so when tethered you can’t fall far enough to get over or under the lifelines.
  

  Rig jacklines close to the boat’s centreline. Credit: Jake Kavanagh

  Have multiple sets of jacklines to cover each area of the boat. A pair running the length of the cockpit will give you full range of movement and allow you to clip on before leaving the cabin. For going forward, rig a single jackline across the middle of the coachroof to the mast and pair on the side decks, as inboard as possible, and finally another down the centre line of the foredeck.

• Pre-rigged boom preventer tails Although I suggest a boom break is worth considering, you should still be ready to set a full boom preventer when needed. Set up a permanently rigged boom preventer tail, about 2/3 the length of the boom, long enough to allow you to attach the new leeward preventer after a gybe by sitting safely on the coachroof.
• Preventers Always lead the main preventer line all the way forward to the bow, never to the midships cleat or tow rail, which significantly increases the load on the boom and reduces its effectiveness. At the bow, route the preventer around a turning block and back to the cockpit to a winch. This will give you full control over the preventer when under load and from the cockpit.
• Handholds and granny bars Adding more handholds, especially along the coachroof and even down the centreline of the foredeck, is a great addition to safety.
  

  Granny bars close to the mast are very useful for solo sailing. Credit: Graham Snook/Future

  The same goes for the cabin, allowing you to monkey swing from handhold to handhold as you move about. If you’re going to reef at the mast, consider fitting granny bars – you will come to love them.

• Centre cleats It might seem like a mundane upgrade, but the humble centre cleat will pay you back so many times when it comes to short-handed docking.

Managing risk alone at sea

Safety is always critical, but solo sailing further reduces your margin for error.

Preparing for potential issues and mitigating risks is essential.

Watchkeeping: this is part of the vital self-discipline that is needed in solo sailing. You are 100% responsible for your own safety and that of others out on the water.

We should all know what the COLREGS require of us – being tired and alone is not an excuse.

Build active watchkeeping into your procedures aboard. Don’t get too comfortable under the dodger or at the chart table, even if you do have a chart plotter and AIS in front of you.

Inshore or near shipping lanes, the 20-minute rule is a good standard to aim for.

Getting into the cockpit for a visual check of the full horizon will also keep you alert to changing weather conditions.

Set AIS and radar collision alarms for additional security but avoid relying on them solely.

• Take early action When managing busy traffic, taking action early is key. Don’t allow a situation to develop that’s going to require you to make a rushed manoeuvre. It’s good to talk: I love AIS for its ability to give me a ship’s name and call sign. Don’t hesitate to call a vessel on VHF radio to explain your intentions; the officer of the watch will either reassure you that they are monitoring you and will pass safely, or they’ll alter course slightly to give you a wider berth. Be polite and professional, ask to use a working channel and remember to wish them a good watch as you sign off back to Ch16.

Personal safety equipment

Stay on the boat: this is the first and last rule of solo sailing.

• Clip on I could say always wear a lifejacket and, of course, that makes sense, but the first priority is to stay on board so always clip on.
  

  It’s always best to clip on when sailing solo. Credit: Katy Stickland

  To clip on you need a harness, this then gives you a choice of wearing a full lifejacket with an integrated harness or just a harness. There are some great harness-only options available that are easy to put on and lighter and more comfortable than a lifejacket, especially in hot weather.

• Safety tethers Use a two-clip tether with both a long and short length. I like the tethers that have a loop to cow hitch to your harness, rather than a clip. This removes the temptation to go on deck without a tether or to inadvertently unclip both ends in the dark. I have clear memories of being on the foredeck during the Clipper Race and giving my tether to crew members, so they could make their way back to the cockpit while I recovered the tethers that had been ‘lost’ by unclipping both ends. In the confusion of a messy sail change, at night, it’s easily done when tired and a little overwhelmed by the conditions.
• Lifejackets Buy a quality lifejacket and wear it. Also, learn how to service and check it yourself. There are a lot of great lifejackets on the market now, I personally like TeamO’s back-tow models that have a special device to turn you onto your back in the event of falling overboard while still tethered to the boat.
• Personal locator beacons (PLBs) and AIS man overboard device (MoBs) If the worst happens and you do end up in the water and away from the boat, and if you are wearing a lifejacket, the next challenge is to be found. Offshore chances are more remote, but for inshore waters, this is a real possibility so personal AIS MoB and PLB devices come into their own. When sailing in the Golden Globe Race, I tended to think about offshore and inshore safety differently; I always wore a lifejacket inshore, which had built-in AIS MOB and a PLB in my pouch on the belt. I’d have felt stupid if, after sailing halfway around the world, I then drowned within sight of land.
• Carry a knife Fit it to your lifejacket belt or on a lanyard in a pocket. Ideally, it should have a fixed serrated blade with a rounded, blunt tip.

Managing fatigue

Remember that sailing alone can be more mentally and physically tiring than sailing with a crew, even on short passages.

One of the greatest challenges of solo sailing is managing fatigue; it’s critical not only for your comfort and enjoyment but also for your safety.

It is important to stay hydrated and fed. Hydration is key to staying alert and you need to feed the machine to keep your energy levels up.

Taking time to eat and drink during the day and the night is critical, so make it a priority.

Prepare easy-to-eat meals and snacks in advance, have a few freeze-dried emergency meals on standby in case things get rough, and consider using caffeine more strategically, saving it for when you really need it.

Being overtired can be compared with being drunk when it comes to decision-making.

Balance tasks with moments of rest and avoid pushing through exhaustion.

When inshore, I find that a cycle of 20 minutes of ‘sleep’ and 10 minutes of being up works well.

I get up, check the AIS and chart plotter on my way to the cockpit, and then check the horizon, the weather and the sail trim before going back to my bunk, almost without waking up.

Doing this during hours of darkness means that I could get around five hours of ‘rest’ (not necessarily sleep) in an eight-hour night.

I can then continue the process during the day as needed.

Further offshore I’d extend this to 30 and 40 minutes with longer, real sleeps, once away from the shipping lanes.

Sail techniques

Remember that slow is pro. Slowing down any procedure, and breaking it into a series of steps, can help you manage a manoeuvre in a smooth, unhurried way.

This allows you to play the part of three people during a tack or a gybe.

• Tacking If you use the autopilot or the wind vane to tack the boat, it will probably be slower than tacking manually. This can give you that extra moment to both cleanly release the old working sheet and haul in the new sheet just as the boat passes through the wind. The aim is to never let the headsail get outside of the lifelines leaving you with a flogging sail and a lot of winching to do.
• Gybing The key to doing this single-handed is to forget the headsail, allowing it to back, while focusing on the mainsheet. It must be sheeted in close to the centre before the gybe and then released quickly but under control. Using the autopilot can be very useful here, taking the boat downwind in +10° increments while sheeting in the mainsail, then passing through the gybe with three or four quick presses of the button. Release the main under control and once the boat is back on a broad reach, bring the headsail over.
• Cross-sheeting Consider cross-sheeting headsail lines to bring the working sheet to the high or windward side. This allows you to have one hand for the tiller and one for trimming the sheet. If this becomes a go-to technique, set up a turning block to bring the sheets across.
• Reefing early and often This applies even more when sailing alone. Reefing early will keep your boat manageable and reduce the risk of accidents from being overpowered.
  

  If you reef early, your boat will be easier to handle. Credit: Graham Snook/Future

  Your reefing procedure will depend on your boat’s set-up; you may be reefing at the mast or have lines brought back to the cockpit or a hybrid of both. Either way, remember you don’t need to come head-to-wind to reef, that is the last thing you want to do in a big seaway and it will leave your main flogging horribly. Simply depower the mainsail, by easing the sheet, vang off and topping lift on, then lower the halyard and secure reefing lines depending on your system. What you are looking to achieve is tight luff, without any horizontal wrinkles, and the foot of the sail should be flat and snug against the boom, sitting on top of the bunt of the sail. The whole operation should only take a few minutes at most.

• Heaving-to This is an invaluable skill for the solo sailor and it’s not just for heavy weather. Take time to find how your boat likes to heave-to and use it whenever you want to hit pause for a while, rest, sort out an engine that won’t start or calmly organise your lines and fenders before going into the marina.
• Balancing the sails This is even more important if you are using an autopilot or a wind vane most of the time. Badly balanced sails will create excessive weather helm forcing the autohelm to work harder, dragging more rudder through the water, both slowing the boat down and using more battery power. Adjust trim carefully. When the boat feels good to sail and light on the tiller, then engage the autohelm or wind vane and put the kettle on.

Boat handling

Leaving the dock and coming alongside is where planning and preparation really meets performance.

Make sure you visualise what’s going to be happening with the tide and the breeze and form your plan before you ever step aboard.

There are no rules to say you must do this solo, don’t hesitate to ask for some help with your lines or be shy to radio ahead to the marina office and ask for a helping hand.

If you do take help, remember you’re still the skipper; brief the new shore crew on exactly what you want them to do, and don’t allow anyone to use their imagination. The same rules apply to coming alongside.

A ‘drive-by’ is useful to allow you to assess tide and wind effects before committing yourself.

If you’re not sure of the final berth, prepare lines and fenders on both sides and if you’re not happy with the spot you’ve been given, find another berth, wait for slack water and move again if needed.

• Slipping lines One approach to slipping lines is the short stern spring method. Assuming you are bows into your slip, use an additional mooring line (leave your other lines alone for the moment) from a point mid-cockpit, such as sheet winch, and run it around a pontoon cleat near the stern and back to the winch ready to slip. Put the boat in forward tick over and she will pin herself against the pontoon. Adjust engine revs as needed, and when you are happy remove the bow and stern lines and step aboard. You should be able to reach the tiller and engine controls. Hold the short spring line ready to slip on the winch, put the engine into neutral and start to slip, and then reverse as you slip the line clear.
• Coming alongside Now is where the midships cleat is so useful. One go-to method when single-handed is to rig a long line, made off on the stern cleat outside the lifelines and back through the middle of the midships cleat and to a cockpit winch.
  

  The midships cleat is useful for coming alongside

  This loop creates a stern spring and a midships line in one. Give yourself plenty of slack and drop or lasso the loop over the first cleat on a finger pontoon as you come alongside. Follow this with a blast of reverse, then quickly pull in the slack around the winch. Put the engine into forward tick over and the boat will be pinned against the dock, allowing you to sort out the lines at your own pace.

Embrace the challenge of solo sailing

Transitioning from crewed to solo sailing is challenging, but the rewards are immense.

With a little prior preparation and practice, sailing solo becomes a skill that opens up the freedom to set your own course – no crew required – and embrace some new adventures.

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