Singlehanded Sailing

Singlehanded sailing is sailing a boat solo, the discipline behind races such as the Vendee Globe, the Mini Transat, and the Route du Rhum, and a long cruising tradition from Slocum onward. The solo sailor cannot keep a continuous watch, so the practice leans on self-steering by windvane or autopilot, careful sail plans that one person can reduce, and routine of short sleep, which raises a recognized tension with the collision regulations’ requirement to keep a proper lookout at all times.