I personally think that a well-sailed double hander will always be faster than a well-sailed singlehander - only because the number of activities is subsetted into double the amount of brains and hands.

For example. My Crew trims main MUCH better than I could do it alone while driving. He's constantly looking at telltales and sawing that sheet - making us fast fast fast. He reacts to my changes in course much faster that I could alone, just because thats ALL he's doing upwind whereas my brain would be focused on driving first, and trimming second. He also does a great job of telling me when my driving sucks when his arms get sore <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I used to sail a H17. I hated sailing it alone. I hazard to say that I was bored while sailing solo recreationally.