My first solo offshore in a Mini 6.50
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oioi
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Good right up. I like your honesty and recognition of strengths and weaknesses. Good luck and keep pushing the boundaries.
Awesome write up! Great pictures and video too. I think this is a pretty successful trip for your first time in the Mini offshore, solo, overnight, in challenging conditions. Next time will be much easier.
I'm surprised you didn't mention autopilot upgrades in your synopsis. I haven't ever sailed a Mini but it's my impression from transat stories that those guys try to let Otto steer absolutely as much as possible. They spend a lot of time and money getting an autopilot setup that they can trust in almost any conditions. Seems like that would have made it much easier for you to change clothes when necessary, stay a little dryer, and get more rest. What kind of autopilot do you have now?
I'm surprised you didn't mention autopilot upgrades in your synopsis. I haven't ever sailed a Mini but it's my impression from transat stories that those guys try to let Otto steer absolutely as much as possible. They spend a lot of time and money getting an autopilot setup that they can trust in almost any conditions. Seems like that would have made it much easier for you to change clothes when necessary, stay a little dryer, and get more rest. What kind of autopilot do you have now?
Snore
Super Anarchist
Great write up! One of the things I learned in Watertribe is the "sacrosanct" clothes.
These are a separate change of clothing that is your last step before hypothermia. For the brief offshore 24 hour crossing of bimini and back I had two sets. As I progress, my plan is to add a third and fourth with the assumption that the AP can drive while I strip and change. Also that the first set can reasonably dry down below.
I carry two jackets a light wind breaker and a foul weather jacket. Overheating results in sweat. When sweat gets cold it creates a chill- once again a lesson from Watertribe.
Like others said, the AP will allow you to boil some water for a dehydrated meal, change, etc. An alternative would appear to be heaving too.
But I am eager to hear what the sages of offshore have to say.
These are a separate change of clothing that is your last step before hypothermia. For the brief offshore 24 hour crossing of bimini and back I had two sets. As I progress, my plan is to add a third and fourth with the assumption that the AP can drive while I strip and change. Also that the first set can reasonably dry down below.
I carry two jackets a light wind breaker and a foul weather jacket. Overheating results in sweat. When sweat gets cold it creates a chill- once again a lesson from Watertribe.
Like others said, the AP will allow you to boil some water for a dehydrated meal, change, etc. An alternative would appear to be heaving too.
But I am eager to hear what the sages of offshore have to say.
branchingfactor
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Thank you for posting such a great write up.
SailingwithSoul
New member
Thank you for posting and putting together that fantastic write-up! I'll sub to your blog and "Like" your FB page.
Roleur
Super Anarchist
Good stuff. You are learning what you need to learn. The obvious saying is, "If it were easy, everyone would do it."
There is no debate that at times out there, it is not fun. It simply is not. Only a fool would not rather be someplace else. But at the end of the day, perhaps it is due to the overall challenge, the satisfaction and the highlights always seem to outweigh the down points. Over time you'll keep looking back on this as an extremely positive experience and you'll get to carry that fond memory with you for the rest of your life. It's a funny thing, selective amnesia.
I do agree though, that whether it be the autopilot itself, or the your sail configuration, you have to figure out a way to get the boat going on auto regularly so you can sleep. No matter the condition, there should always be a way to get some rest. You should be steering when it is going to help the overall performance (the long-term, not the short-term), not because you have to.
There is no debate that at times out there, it is not fun. It simply is not. Only a fool would not rather be someplace else. But at the end of the day, perhaps it is due to the overall challenge, the satisfaction and the highlights always seem to outweigh the down points. Over time you'll keep looking back on this as an extremely positive experience and you'll get to carry that fond memory with you for the rest of your life. It's a funny thing, selective amnesia.
I do agree though, that whether it be the autopilot itself, or the your sail configuration, you have to figure out a way to get the boat going on auto regularly so you can sleep. No matter the condition, there should always be a way to get some rest. You should be steering when it is going to help the overall performance (the long-term, not the short-term), not because you have to.
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That's definitely a topic for a future post. I have a Raymarine X5 course computer and above-deck ram that plugs in on deck. I inherited this setup from the former owner. It's not what I would have gone with. You're right. Mini sailors in Classe Mini--at least those with sponsorship money--try to go high end on the AP. What I've learned is that you can't go bottom basement on an AP if you want to sail single-handed offshore. You need one that you can absolutely trust. One of the top course autopilot setups used by Classe Mini sailors is the NKE gyro pilot. But this setup, not including installation, goes for about USD 13,000 from what I've seen. It's more money than I ideally want to spend.
That said, I learned on my qualifier to trust my AP a little more. Yeah, she screwed me when we got hit by a rogue wave, which threw the boat off course, and she couldn't correct, which led to a crash gybe. But that was partially my fault for putting the boat in her hands in those conditions. Live and learn.
Rail Meat
Super Anarchist
Top notch write up. Persevere - you are on the right tack and thinking about it in the right manner. It gets easier and more instinctual.
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I was surprised to read that you sailed in the separation zone. I thought one was supposed to avoid them. I re-read the navigation rules, and 10(e) states:
(e) A vessel, other than a crossing vessel or a vessel joining or leaving a lane shall not normally enter a separation zone or cross a separation line except:
in cases of emergency to avoid immediate danger;
to engage in fishing within a separation zone.
Am I interpreting this wrong? Or does it apply only to commercial traffic?
I was surprised to read that you sailed in the separation zone. I thought one was supposed to avoid them. I re-read the navigation rules, and 10(e) states:
(e) A vessel, other than a crossing vessel or a vessel joining or leaving a lane shall not normally enter a separation zone or cross a separation line except:
in cases of emergency to avoid immediate danger;
to engage in fishing within a separation zone.
Am I interpreting this wrong? Or does it apply only to commercial traffic?
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r.finn
Super Anarchist
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Abilyn,
If you decide to go over there, you should get the top of the line autopilot before you leave. In my experience, and having sailed a few races there with only a Navman pilot, you will lose a huge amount of miles in big breeze downwind without the NKE level pilot. I'm estimating 25 miles a day if you have to put up a code zero to sleep downwind. You have to be able to sleep with a code 5 downwind in 30 knots, period. There is not an entry level pilot on the market that will allow you to do that, and I've tried on several boats. If all you want to do is gain experience in solo sailing, the Raymarine is more than enough. Good luck out there.
If you decide to go over there, you should get the top of the line autopilot before you leave. In my experience, and having sailed a few races there with only a Navman pilot, you will lose a huge amount of miles in big breeze downwind without the NKE level pilot. I'm estimating 25 miles a day if you have to put up a code zero to sleep downwind. You have to be able to sleep with a code 5 downwind in 30 knots, period. There is not an entry level pilot on the market that will allow you to do that, and I've tried on several boats. If all you want to do is gain experience in solo sailing, the Raymarine is more than enough. Good luck out there.
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Tunnel Rat
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On the issue of hanked on headsails you might try hanking the new sail onto the forestay between the tack and the first hank of the sail that is already set. Then it is quite quick to unhank the old sail secure it and then hoist the new sail.
I have also heard of pre feed cassettes that you hank on the new sail that allow you to load all of the hanks onto the forestay in one go. I have never seen or used one of these, only heard about them.
Have fun!
I have also heard of pre feed cassettes that you hank on the new sail that allow you to load all of the hanks onto the forestay in one go. I have never seen or used one of these, only heard about them.
Have fun!
mrpelicano
Anarchist
This is a superb write up, which suggests your next career (after lawyer and professional offshore yachtsman) might well be in sailing journalism. I followed your voyage via those periodic "snippets of despair" on the tracking system and it was nail-biting. Glad to offer up encouragement and a bit of black humor to help you through.
Mr. Finn is spot on about pilots - without a top-of-the-line, bullet-proof set-up, you can't race offshore. You can sail offshore but not seriously race. For better or worse, NKE is the gold standard for Minis (and Classe 40's, and probably most singlehanded applications - though I've had very good experience with B&G on bigger boats (e.g., 50 feet) in biggish breeze (25-30 knots) shorthanded).
Can't wait for the B1-2 saga, forthcoming.
Best of luck!
MrP
Mr. Finn is spot on about pilots - without a top-of-the-line, bullet-proof set-up, you can't race offshore. You can sail offshore but not seriously race. For better or worse, NKE is the gold standard for Minis (and Classe 40's, and probably most singlehanded applications - though I've had very good experience with B&G on bigger boats (e.g., 50 feet) in biggish breeze (25-30 knots) shorthanded).
Can't wait for the B1-2 saga, forthcoming.
Best of luck!
MrP
Roleur
Super Anarchist
This...
When we bought our boat 3 years ago, knowing we would do a lot of shorthanded ocean miles we decided the one thing we would not scimp on was the autopilot. It needed to be bulletproof and smart to do what we wanted to do well. We forked over the large sums needed to get an NKE. We did the installation ourselves, my wife doing most of it, and that saved us thousands. It's not hard at all.
For single-handed racing an excellent autopilot should rank above just about everything. Above new sails, smooth bottom, routing software, etc...
