I find that being a solo sailor in a harbor is sometimes an advantage for being included in social activities. It’s also refreshing to find than many male sailors are quite accepting of a solo female sailor, and I’ve not felt condescended to (as some of my friends thought might happen). Talking to mechanics and marine technicians has been a good experience, and they (usually men) have been very helpful with advice. Perhaps I’ve been lucky to meet the right people.

My crew is other single sailing women and occasionally a couple or a man. The experiences have all been positive, and I’ve built up a list of friends who try to join me when they can. For passages longer than about 36 hours I try to have at least one other person aboard. So far I’ve done about 5,000 miles of singlehanding. I didn’t have much experience as a solo sailor before 2003, so most of the learning has taken place since then, especially learning to maneuver and dock in marinas. A midships spring line is a blessing! Solo coastal cruising is definitely more challenging than an open-water passage.

Before the transatlantic, I was experienced in all aspects of boat maintenance, and I do all my own work, sometimes with the welcome help of friends. Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual and Jean-Luc Pallas’s Marine Diesel Engines are among the books that have taught me so much, as have mechanics and other technicians who took time to answer my questions with good explanations. In the winter I read a lot of technical books and articles to improve my knowledge and stay aware of changes in technology or to learn new ways of doing things.

While it’s definitely more fun to have friends aboard to share the smooth and rough times, I’ve also discovered that solo sailing has many benefits and rewards