As a frequent singlehander, I can testify that leaving and returning to the dock are two of the most “pucker-inducing” moments in operating a cruising sailboat.
Heck, as Moitessier himself said in The Long Way,
“For the sailor, the coast is often like a great whore. I should know: two of my boats have been lost. If I do have to sight land, I like it to be from as far off as possible.”
(He was referring more to running into reefs while sleeping…but still, I believe it applies to docking as well.)
Or as our friend Peter Suarez said,
“The water’s not that bad, alright? I mean, the difficulty about sailing is when you come into contact with the crunchy bits that surround the water.”
Anyway, so all of that to say I ran across a handy tip for leaving the dock singlehanded, without running into the “crunchy bits”—thanks to YouTuber and sailor Respect the Risk.
So instead of me saying more words about it, I’ll just let you check it out:
There are some other great singlehanded sailing video tips on Respect the Risk‘s channel (as well as some videos on axe- and knife-throwing and rock climbing), so give him a Like and check out his channel if you find this video helpful.
