Hi Chris,
The Nonsuch is one of the easiest boats to single hand that you can find (for its size and displacement). Noting that you have to tend with a current at your mooring, my technique may not work in your situation, but here’s how I sail off a mooring:
- Your boat is pointed into the wind hanging on the mooring. Get everything you need to be ready to sail away - instruments and radio on, boat hook handy, etc.
- If you have two bridles to your mooring, let one go so you only need to drop one when you’re ready to depart.
- Then raise your sail and leave the sheet loose. The key is to leave the sheet loose so the sail won’t catch the wind. The sail should flutter, you’re in irons, at least your sail is in irons.
- Go forward and drop the bridle and scoot back to the helm.
- Adjust your mainsheet and set off on a beam reach (at least, don’t try to point high at first) until the boat gets some momentum and then set your course.
Coming back to the mooring under sail is a bit trickier but can be done with some practice:
- have your boat hook ready at the helm
- your bridle will be laying downwind of your mooring ball
- approach the floating bridle close hauled and go into irons, let the boat coast slowly under its momentum straight into the wind, until the bridle is abeam of you. This takes some practice so that you are basically dead slow or stopped when you get abeam of the bridle.
- make sure your sheet is loose so the sail flutters
- pick up the bridle with your boat hook and walk it forward to your samson post.
- you should be able to sit on the mooring with your sail up, walk back to the cockpit and drop it, again with the sheet loose.
- when the sail’s down, centre the wishbone, cleat your sheet hard, and go forward and secure your bridles
Remember to leave your choker loose while raising your sail. Trim it after the sail is up, while you are in irons. Loosen it again before you drop your sail. This makes it easier to raise and drop the sail - by reducing friction at the sail track.
You may want to leave your engine running (in neutral) while you practice and get confident departing the mooring - so you can kick it into gear if you have to avoid a hazard.
I’m sure other experienced Nonsuch owners will weigh in with advice. Cat-rigged boats are dream machines when it comes to single-handing in almost any conditions - compared to any other type of rig, especially with the halyard led aft.
I would not recommend sailing onto a dock or wharf until you get really good at coasting to dead slow in irons, and when the wind is right. Most dockmasters won’t want you to do this anyways, but it can be done, and I often sail onto my private floating dock. Our prevailing winds are perfect for this as I can be heading straight into the wind to approach my dock, and the boat is straight into the wind when alongside the dock. I have my dock rigged with a long line fastened at both ends (to dock cleats fore and aft). This line has a loop tied in it at about mid point. I just grab that line with my boat hook and bring the loop over my midship cleat, then I get on the dock with my bow and stern lines in hand and cleat them to the dock, stern first (adjacent the cockpit) then bow.
Have fun!
Greg Silver
Misty Cat - N26C #121
St. Peter’s, Cape Breton