What is the largest sailboat two people can comfortably handle?
If your reaction to that question was:
Wow, lots of variables…there’s no right answer…it depends;
you and I think alike. That was my initial reaction too when asked the question by Steve and Cindy, new sailors, aspiring cruisers, and new members here at Attainable Adventure Cruising.
But then I thought about it some…and then some more…and it struck me that there’s a simple answer:
Phyllis and you both look on the tall side: physical dimensionals play a role here as well. We stopped at 42 feet/16 tonnes (steel) on our “true cutter” because my wife is just a shave over five feet tall. She’s quite strong and just in her early 40s, but just the lack of leverage and height is a real limit for her, despite her better-than-average experience and seamanship for cruising. I have put in sturdy mast steps and triple-blocked purchases in an effort to make the boat manageable for her alone, because that’s the reality, isn’t it? It’s not “how much boat is too much for a fit, tall pair of sailors”, but “how much boat is too much at 0300h when the shortest crew is alone on deck watch-standing and the boat’s hit with a clear-air squall?” Now, you can reef down, you can oversize the autopilot, and you can purchase blocks sized for vast mechanical advantage, but there are limits beyond which it would be foolish to have a bigger boat. Production boats in the 50 foot plus range crewed by fit senior citizens may or may not be “asking for it”, but if you aren’t asking “what in a crisis can I work alone?” in my view you aren’t asking the right questions.
I’m reminded of that very nasty leg break you had, John. Had that happened when MC lurched and you broke it going down a companionway 1,400 NM offshore, could Phyllis have guided MC to a safe harbour (or close enough to shore for you to be choppered off)?
We’ve thought of these things and that’s part of why we have the boat we have. I could have enjoyed 45-50 feet, and would have loved a ketch, but the fact is, deciding on what we could ALL work wasn’t just my decision. At least our son is now bigger and stronger than his mother. That’s actually a form of insurance.
Hi Marc,
Actually, I don’t think that physical size, or lack thereof, is much of an impediment to handling a bigger boat. Smarts, endurance and experience are far more important. The proof: Ellen Macarthur.
And yes, Phyllis could get us to safety if I was injured. It would not be fun for her, but she could do it. Keep in mind she has some 40,000 miles of experience on the boat.
Oh, I wasn’t implying a lack of skill sets, more just the physical challenge of handling a big boat solo for days on end…and possibly tending to an injured crew. If the AP went down, for instance, hand-steering gets old fast.
A lot of sailing is also attitudinal, of course: the “stubborn bastard” type tends to do well. I agree Ellen Macarthur is an inspiration and I believe she’s five two at best, although she looks strongly built. I would be interested to see how her race boats were laid out in terms of winch sizes, etc.
Hi John,
My line of thinking towards situations where a relatively large sailing boat cannot be handled for any reason (fatique, inexperience, rough weather, inadequate body strength, injury etc.) is to at least manage to lower the sails and just use the engine. If lucky enough to have a pilothouse or doghouse then retire there or go below decks. This is a very good reason to have a very reliable and efficient (if possible commercial grade) mechanical propulsion system, which should be installed correctly according to well tried practices with as large fuel tanks as possible and bulletproof fuel filtration system.
Nikolas
Hi Nikolas,
While I agree that reliable engine is vital, there are few things more uncomfortable, and even dangerous, than a sailboat in a seaway with no sails up. So our strategy in the event of getting say overtired or hurt is to heave-to to while working on the problem. Then if we needed to make way, the heaved-to rig would work well while motor sailing with very little load. More here:https://www.morganscloud.com/2013/06/01/how-to-heave-to-in-a-sailboat/
Hi John,
I think this is a very well thought through analysis and will be of value to anyone thinking through this question. I would only add, reflecting your previous recommendation, that the couple try to get some offshore experience on another boat and look for some adverse conditions. Maybe even coastal conditions will do. Get another couple (to back you up), and go out in lousy conditions. It is very hard to imagine, foresee and realistically anticipate how dramatically forces increase when nature raises the ante a bit and things go just a little pear shaped.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
Hi Dick,
Thanks for the kind words on the post, and I totally agree on the importance of heavy weather experience.
It took me a few near to learn that the key to single handed sailing–and I’m sure key to sailing a larger boat short handed–is planning. Do everything a little early. Have sea room for delays. Plan what you are doing before leaving the cockpit. Think all of the steps through. Plan for what you will do if X jams.
It doesn’t mean I can’t press reasonably hard, but I let off a little earlier. I reduce sooner when storms approach. The weather needs to be quite settled for the chute (am I really in a hurry today?).
I would have added injury to the list of failures. Perhaps both of you. There can be no warning.
Hi Drew,
So true on planning and saying ahead of the game.
And yes, important to plan for injuries. Although I can’t see any practical way to manage things if both of you get badly hurt. Some scenarios are just not fixable, and I think that’s one of them, at least if it happens well offshore. Realistically the only option is going to be the EPIRB.
Hi John,
I think that you put it very well. Single fault analysis is surprisingly helpful in thinking through different scenarios although it does have some serious limitations due to ignoring multiple faults. In the engineering world, it is called FMEA (failure modes an effects analysis).
Your point about mechanical aptitude is very important. A number of years ago, I had 2 deckhands working for me and the 5′ 120 lb crewmember with no prior experience could outhaul the 6’2″ 250 lb crewmember any day of the week despite being much weaker physically.
Spending time on larger vessels is extremely valuable in terms of learning how to deal with high loads. Everytime I crank on our jib halyard, I think about how I have tensioned jib halyards on boats that are over 125T with no winches simply because I know how to sweat a line. Things like line handling under high loads, docking, and generally planning ahead are all really important on these boats.
While boats get bigger quickly as you point out, there are some things that get a lot easier. I find that working the deck of a boat with a 3′ bulwark where everything is done fully standing is so much easier than working the deck of our 36′ boat where I am always crouching and can never use my full bodyweight.
With a properly setup boat like a sundeer, I would feel safe sailing with wife on something likely as large as 60′ but I have also been on 40′ boats that I find very difficult.
Eric
Hi Eric,
Lots of good points as always, thank you. I was doing FMEA, who knew? Seriously, I’m always interested in the parallels you draw between engineering design theory and ways of thinking about the best ways to do things on boats.
I agree that although the loads are larger on bigger boats, other things are actually easier than on smaller boats. For example MC is much more stable in a seaway than our old 45-foot boat and that, in turn, makes many tasks go more quickly with less strain.
At 72 and 70, we keep asking ourselves that question. This being our 6 season in Europe, we have watched it happen slowly. Maggie is 15m and weighs 21t in the sling. Docking can been difficult with no bow thruster, so at least we don’t worry about that breaking, but getting off the boat quickly is quite noticeable. We rarely sail without a reef now and always stay ahead on the headsail, including reaching or running without the main. We’ve been sailing her for 24 years and she has been good to us, but having Tony and Coryn Gooch rafted to us in Norway, Taonui’s 44′ looked very promising.
Great article, thanks John
Jim
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your thoughts on this. We too, even though we are quite a bit younger, don’t push our boat as hard as we once did. And yes, we had exactly the same reaction to “Taonui” when they visited us here in Nova Scotia. On the other hand, there are some very nice advantages to bigger boats, as we both know, so like most things, it’s a trade off that we constantly wrestle with.