Sailing a yacht single handed. A tutorial with hints tips and techniques to make it nice and easy

Thank you!

good job a lot of good practical tips.

Brilliant video. I felt like you were providing all this excellent insight and info off the top of your head.
I love taking my 25 footer out solo. It is the absolute best way to relax and enjoy life. It was great to include your arrival and preparation, it rings so true.
btw- your dingy looks like you could snap a plastic lid on it and it would keep your leftovers fresh.
I look forward to watching your other vids. Nice to discover you.

Great video with some great suggestions. I’m 67, always wanted to learn how to sail, but did not want to spend a season or two at a sailing school in a little dinghy in the harbour. So last August I bought a pre-loved 27 footer and set about teaching myself to how to sail single-handed. My thought was, if single-handed was the only way sailing was done we’d all figure it out eventually. With the help of lots of YouTube videos like yours, just two weeks in I accomplished a 20 km return trip. So a sincere thank you for taking the time to put this video together for the benefit of newbees like me. She’s on the hard at the moment covered in Toronto snow but goes back into Lake Ontario in 8 weeks. I will definitely be incorporating some of your suggestions. THANKS!

Great video and delivery of content...thanks for doing this !!

what difference does it make which side your sail is on?

The joys of life, without a woman to fuck it up. Good for you.

Great vid, thanks. Check your autohelm manual for "steer to wind" mode to solve the autotack being too long. Steer to wind functions like a windvane and will tack your boat to the exact opposite tack based upon the wind assuming it has wind data or you can add it to the autopilot. Normally when following a compass course, autotack is a 100 degrees course change regardless of your boats needs. Also it saves a lot of sail trimming if you have the sea room :-)

Very informative video. Thanks for uploading.

very nice boat, good for you.

What if your engine has broken down and you can't use it? Why not teach people to backwind their jib so the boat begins to turn into the river away from the boats and away from the dinghy on the port side? Before doing that just make sure the dinghy is tied to the mooring line on the port side; then backwind the jib and when the boat has beared off enough, pull in the jib and the main if it is up, and continue on. It isn't hard. I learned to sail off of moorings and make landings at moorings without ever using an engine.

Well thought out and constructive video good to see a video where you are see the machanics of someone sailing

This is the best practical sailing video I've seen and you made it interesting and entertaining. Please make more instructional video's.
A problem I'm experiencing is maneuvering/docking into a 4 post berth (much wider than my yacht) with a firm a cross wind, almost single handed (as the admiral is not keen on participating in this "Sailing stuff" lol!) .... Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this.

Do you have to tie off onto both forward boat cleats or is one ok?

Thanks for the advise re: headsail. I pretty well only single hand and have a massive genoa. I thought hauling in metres of sheet, tiller jamed against my 'leeward knee' and getting totally 'out of shape' hoping no one's watching while I sort it all out bouncing on white caps... was just part of the fun! What you said makes perfect sence, just a bit embarassed it never occured to me!

Great video, lots of really helpful tips and clear explanations. Thanks for putting the effort in!

Thanks Foxwell, that was a fun video. I single hand in eastern Lake Ontario. Nice to go for a couple days or a week and anchor out at a range of different places. Cheers bloke, David

"Forgot the boat hook" - Leaves the camera on board... ;) Thank you for these tricks. Hope to one day own a boat..

You make it look and sound easy.