11 April 09 - Longest Single Handed Passage

21 nautical miles

The wind looked like it was going to be gentle today... and it was the Windfinder graph below shows it was between Bft 2 and Bft 3 for the whole time I was sailing.

It was a spur of the moment sail, so I texted Tim to see if he wanted to sail but he was otherwise occupied. So, since the wind looked light I decided to go out single handed. As it turns out the wind was light and so this became the longest single handed passage I have done.

Neil and Paula helped me into the water - the only problem with a Wayfarer single handed is she is just too heavy to get in and out by myself. The wind was gentle enough I could put the tiller into the shock-cord and do things around the boat... then starboard tack off towards Dhekelia... 4-5 knots most of the way, the self bailers working on and off. None of the Dhekelia Sailing Club boats were out, which is sad as the wind was really lovely for sailing. Then further up the coast towards Cape Pila.

We turned and broad reached back... doing 5-6 knots the whole way... and time for some lunch while we sailed. We then turned along the coast past the port and marina... and a ship from Middelburg in Holland. The crew came out to the bridge wing and waved and yelled... I was tempted to stop off for some nice strong Dutch coffee...

I had managed a gybe single handed, doing it the yacht way, by hauling in the main sheet letting it gybe and then letting out... but when Neil and Paula did a dead run in to the club I decided that trying goose-wing with a whisker pole single handed was past my level of competence, so sailed past the club so that I could broad reach back in.

All in all a very enjoyable sail.