Ellen McArthur, a little girl at 5'4" and age 24, sailed a 75 foot triamaran around the world alone. If you studs can't sail your Inter 20's alone, maybe you can get her to crew for you and show you how it's done. It's not that hard to do alone given the right conditions but you have to use some common sense.
I would not go out in the North Atalantic -alone- in 20+ knots on anything but a Laser or a 75 foot tri, but on an inland lake or the intercoastal, or a protected bay, with warm water, etc. all of that figures into the equation.
Depending on skill and sailing location, and of course, weather permitting, it can be done safely. You have to use your head and sometimes you have to say, Nah, it's blowing too hard for solo, I'll find crew or go to the bar, or both...
Now, should we rehash the "What is the perfect boat" thread again? Like I always say, we each need at least 2-3 cats, one for each situation. As you see Jake and some others have figured it out, by owning more than one boat! I'm still saving up for my own 75 foot tri!
I only want one boat. One that adapts to all conditions. It gets bigger or smaller depending on what I'm sailing in (swell, wind, surf, etc).
AND, it only has one string and a tiller to control 3 sails. Oh, and I don't have to pull that hard.
and I can push it around on the beach/trailer with one person.
It won't ding or scratch or sink. Carries up to 20 scantily clad dancing girls (mast is made of brass-like material) but I can singlehand. And a beer cooler
I'm 6' 200#s and have sailed my N20 alone. I've single handed it when crew turns out to be less than usefull; one race while doing everything and trying to encourge "crew" to just throw-up already.
With only half the crew weight on it, it is "twitchy"; not a-class "twitchy" but twitchy.
Sure even a moron can sail her solo but that's not the point.
"House prices have risen by nearly 25 percent over the past two years. Although speculative activity has increased in some areas, at a national level these price increases largely reflect strong economic fundamentals." – Ben Bernanke – 2005
The main point is a safety issue because you can not right the boat solo! The minor point being that you will need some help moving her back up the beach after a sail especially in soft sand.
"House prices have risen by nearly 25 percent over the past two years. Although speculative activity has increased in some areas, at a national level these price increases largely reflect strong economic fundamentals." – Ben Bernanke – 2005
I have righted mine several times, solo, but as I said, you have to get the bows into the wind, get the wind under the mast, and get out on the low board and lean back. I weighed about 190 at that time. If there is enough wind to flip you, there is probably enough wind to help you right it.
Years later, in lighter wind, I could not right my own F16, because there was not enough wind under the sail to help. I could get it half way up but then my body would hit the water and it would stop coming up. It is much easier to right when the wind is blowing, but that's most likely when you might flip too.
Another time, in very light air, with my 8 yr. old son driving my Hobie 18 and me lying on the tramp, a small puff came along and before I could roll over and unclete the main, we were over. The two of us could not right it, not enough weight or wind to help. Luckily a jet ski came by and lifted the mast tip up out of the water for us.
My point is, if you have good conditions and you know what you are doing, you can do it. To say it is unsafe is to say all cats are unsafe, because at times, in bad conditions, well, they are. Too windy or too light, those are the times you should be in the bar.
Nacra 20 is not the boat you need if single handing is your priority. It is the BEST boat ever made, but if singlehanding most of the time is your gig get an A-cat or a Nacra 17. The 17 can carry other folks as well and has a kite. I have an I/N 20 and have singlehanded it and have righted by myself, when my crew abandoned ship. But I wouldn't get one counting on that option. It was blowing over 20 when I had to right mine, and it wouldn't have been possible for me in any less. Tawd
"I said, now, I said ,pay attention boy!"
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea Isak Dinesen If a man is to be obsessed by something.... I suppose a boat is as good as anything... perhaps a bit better than most. E. B. White
As a comparison, I singlehand my HT all the time in the summer when its light, usually under 12 and pretty steady. Flying the spin by myself is fantastic. I can right it by myself with a righting pole and I carry a water bag for backup.
The HT mast is a foot longer than the i20 and the sail area is about the same, so the righting effort is about the same as the i20. I'm 200lbs.
Tyler Burd's Red i20 (he sold it recently, was Struble's at one time) had a custom trailer with long wood planks instead of cradles, the trailer was very low and the boat slid easily off the trailer onto the wheels. That boat was the easiest to get off a trailer as compared to any boat I've sailed.
I think its do-able if you are careful, rig a righting pole, carry a water bag and some sort of communication device and have a launch area with a hard pack or small hill.
It wouldnt be my first choice if it lived on a trailor and I had to rig it solo each time I went sailing.
Re: nacra 20 single hand?
[Re: TeamChums]
#170215 03/03/0909:12 AM03/03/0909:12 AM
The minor point being that you will need some help moving her back up the beach after a sail especially in soft sand.
OK, I'm gonna say it.... HIT THE F'N GYM!!!
You can't be serious anyway you can very easily check while still on land, just flip the boat over and give it a try. And while you are at it take a couple of pictures so you can prove that you’re not just making this up.
"House prices have risen by nearly 25 percent over the past two years. Although speculative activity has increased in some areas, at a national level these price increases largely reflect strong economic fundamentals." – Ben Bernanke – 2005
I think the general consensus is that something as big as an F18 or N20 is probably not a "first choice" for you if your primary sailing will be single-handing. Unless of course you:
are really buff Preferably over 220. Have two pairs of hands for all the control lines, tiller, etc. Only sail in flat water with steady wind under 15 kts. push boat around on hard surfaces and not up steep hills/ramps
Anyways, the pic in my avatar, was very close to the Texas City Dike(before Hurricane Ike), with other boats around, etc. I'm no moron, well, maybe I am. And no, I couldn't right my 6.0 myself, hell it was hard enough with two adults!
There is alot to be said for sailing solo however, and often quite fun, even on a boat like the N6.0, and many others.
Anyways, the pic in my avatar, was very close to the Texas City Dike(before Hurricane Ike), with other boats around, etc. I'm no moron, well, maybe I am. And no, I couldn't right my 6.0 myself, hell it was hard enough with two adults!
There is alot to be said for sailing solo however, and often quite fun, even on a boat like the N6.0, and many others.
OK it's clear now.
That is not to say the N20 is not an awesome boat in fact I would jump at the opportunity of owning one. Just not designed to be a solo platform, for that you need a boat you can consistently right without need for assistance (self reliance).
Last edited by Buccaneer; 03/03/0911:19 PM.
"House prices have risen by nearly 25 percent over the past two years. Although speculative activity has increased in some areas, at a national level these price increases largely reflect strong economic fundamentals." – Ben Bernanke – 2005
Re: nacra 20 single hand?
[Re: Buccaneer]
#170370 03/04/0909:49 AM03/04/0909:49 AM
>>>"Just not designed to be a solo platform, for that you need a boat you can consistently right without need for assistance (self reliance).<<<
Then you had better get a Laser or Sunfish, because there are times when you can't right a cat, no matter the cat.
OR...you could use some -common sense- and not go out in conditions that would be difficult or impossible to right your cat, or when there are no other boats around to help you right your cat. And you had better tie yourself to your cat any time you are sailing solo too, unless there are others (cats, mono's, jet ski's, what ever) in the area that can assist you in recovering your cat.
Here's an example, I will be as vague as possible to hopefully not embarass anyone. There was a regatta a few years back. Day one it's blowing stink, 20-25 with gusts to 33 or so.
There was a fleet of Inter 20's there, about 8-10 of them on the beach. The RC cancelled racing but a couple of the I-20's went out to "have some fun". There was a new guy there who had just bought his I-20, he was new to cat sailing in general but had years of racing mono's. His crew had less experience.
Several of us were standing on the shore watching the two boats that went out, they were flying! Litterally at times. They both flipped in the gybes but got right back up and kept going. Awsome stuff to watch!
But these were two of the top Inter 20 teams in the US at the time. The new guy starts to put up his mainsail. Several of us went over and asked if he was going to go out. "Of Course, why not? Those guys went out."
Well a few of us tried to talk him out of it. He wouldn't listen. Then just before he left the beach, he asked, "What should I do to de-power the boat?" So we gave him some tips and he went out.
He made it about 100 yards off shore when the first gust flipped him. The lake is shallow and his mast tip got stuck in the mud. The two of them spent the next 30 minutes trying to right the boat. I was sure the mast would snap because they were doing it all wrong, but to eveyrone's amazement, they eventually got it upright with the mast in one peice.
He then sailed out into the main body of the lake. We were more than a little worried about what would happen to him if he flipped again wayyy away from shore, because there were no rescue boats out there, racing being cancelled of course. And the wind was blowing away from our shore. Talk like, "OK, Who's going to go out and bring him back?" was going around, with no volunteers.
BUT, his main halyard ring had come off the hook and his main was slowly sliding down the mast, which was really a blessing for him as it was being reefed for him!
When he figure out what was going on, he tacked and came back to shore on the jib alone, main half down and flogging. So, in over an hour, he spent maybe 5 minutes sailing and the rest of the time trying to right the boat, with two adult males on board.
Now, there were conditions when some went out, some didn't and some did who shouldn't have. All with the same boats, same conditions, very different skill levels and results.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Oh, we never saw that guy again. I think he sold the boat shortly after that experience. Too bad he wouldn't listen or take someone else who had more expeirience.
The minor point being that you will need some help moving her back up the beach after a sail especially in soft sand. 
anyway you can very easily check while still on land, just flip the boat over and give it a try.