Re: Singlehandling a P19

Bill Blohm (bblohm@boi.hp.com)
Mon, 31 Aug 1998 11:55:16 -0600


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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There has been a lot of good comments so far, and I'm going to
throw in my own observations. Most of this is based on other
boats as I've not had the P19 long enough to solo in it yet,
but have had it out a couple times with an eye to what I need
to do to make it more, well, "solo-able."

The P19, at least mine, already has the sheets run back to the
cockpit so sail control is taken care of. You asked about raising
and lowering the sails. Here's how I handle this at the moment,
and here's what one of my winter projects is to improve this.

At the dock, I hank on the jib and prep the main, leaving them
down. The jib lays on the foredeck, the main should be stowed on
the boom but usually I'll leave it in the cabin at the bottom of
the companionway. I do, however, have the head of the sail
already attached to the main halyard. The boom I hook onto the
backstay using the line attached there so it stays put rather
than swinging about as I go out. I plan to add a topping lift
so that I can down the main whenever I need to rather than
needing it to be over the boat or hit water. If you're worried about
the jib filling on you, leave it's head attached to the jib halyard
and the rest down the hatch on the v-berth. Then motor out from
the dock to a clear area and into the wind. Raise the jib, leaving
the lines free, move back and raise the main. Once both are up,
kill the motor, raise it, and sheet the sails home. Oh, and I
drop my keel at the dock as well. :-)

The problem here, though, is that you must go forward to hank on
the jib and to the mast to raise/lower both main and jib. My winter
project is to create a bracket that will sit under the mast step
on the top of the cabin. It will have three elongaged holes in it
on each side where the plate sticks up and away at about 45 degrees
from the sides of the mast step. I'll attach pulleys there. I will
add in a main downhaul and jib downhaul and run these lines back
to the cockpit, utilizing these pulleys. I'll also get longer
halyards and run them back. That way, I can raise and lower the
jib from the cockpit, and similiarly the main. This should be safer
than working my way forward to drop the jib.

If necessary to drop the jib or main in a heavy wind, heave to
and throw out a drogue. With the sails loose, go forward and drop
the sails as required. The drogue will keep your head into the
wind. Then down the iron sail, pull in the drogue and head home.

I have sailed a P15 to the dock and away, with no problems, and
other small dinghies. With practice, it becomes easier to judge.
However, it CAN be rather embarassing if you screw up this. I've
come in, let loose, and ghosted up to within three feet of the
corner of the dock. The damn boathook was below, the pulpit wouldn't
let me leap to the dock with the line. All I could do there was
curse under my breath as I watched the dock move in, stop, then
move out of my reach. Had to get aft and sheet home the sail again
and return to the dock. Worked the second time. Couldn't motor in
because I'd sheared the pin on my prop. (Had spares but didn't
know what had happened at the time.) So, as you can see, planning
ahead is necessary, and just take it easy.

Hopefully, this is of some use to you. I'd definitely and strongly
recommend the use of downhauls on both main and jib if you're
going to be soloing, if only for safety. I'd also recommend a
topping lift if you don't already have one.

Once you have the boat rigged for soloing, the only thing to
do is get out there, in gentle conditions, and practice, practice,
and practice. You may look silly or stupid at first, but hey, when
you've got it down, people will be impressed. No doubt about that.
When you're comfortable, then move up to slightly more stronger
conditions until you get to where you want to be as far as soloing
goes. Some go the whole hog and plan on doing most of their sailing
solo, others go part way and set up for when they have to go solo.
Your choice how far you want to rig the boat for single-handling,
and take the conditions into account when you go out solo.

Good luck and good winds!

Bill B.
P19 #454 "Dream Catcher"
Nampa, ID

> Although I've been sitting here watch the Potter traffic for well over a
> year, I have never asked a question.
>
> The interesting thread on single handling the mast raising and my own
> situation in which I'm beached because I have no solo experience and no one
> I can call upon to cruise with me leads me to ask an open ended question
> about other aspects of singlehandling the boat.
>
> Simple sail handling appears easy enough once the sails are up and in place
> but how about the process of raising sails? How about approaching the dock
> or slip without another pair of hands? Anchoring seems a breeze next to
> docking. Oh yes, in the northwest we have a lot of buoys; how do I tie up
> on a buoy single handed? There have to be a lot of other, similar
> situations that I haven't thought of. Your answers as a group of interested
> sailors would be appreciated and they may encourage me to get this boat out
> of my driveway and back in the water where it belongs.
>
> Dick Neumann
> neumannr@gte.net