My son and I sail from Chichester Harbour through the Solent into Poole Bay, and in waters to the seaward side of the Isle of Wight. The boat is always equipped with fixed compass, pump and bucket, anchor, warps and personal buoyancy. We like to sail single-handed and enjoy boisterous conditions with winds up to Force 4 and 5. This article considers some of the requirements for my type of single-handed sailing, together with resulting modifications made to the boats I have sailed and the equipment carried.

In the early 1970's I sailed a Wayfarer for four seasons before changing this for a Devon Day-Boat. Although Wayfarers are fine sea boats and generally easily handled, I found they had substantial limitations when sailed single-handed. It requires two people to hold a Wayfarer down in any sort of wind over about Force 4 to 5, even when well reefed. It was difficult to change the headsails at sea and so I had a small storm jib cut which was just sufficient to hold the head up; this was 2.6m along the leading edge and 0.75m deep at the widest point. I still carry this jib today. I also found that rather than reef the main, it was better to replace it with an Enterprise main which I carried for the purpose. This set better than the reefed mainsail and gave much better control. In windy conditions it could also be roller-reefed, but once reefed down towards the hounds, drive started to be lost. In spite of these precautions and sailing, as I judged, carefully, I was nevertheless capsized twice in windy conditions. I thus concluded that Wayfarers were not safe single-handed. I note that Margaret Dye now sails a Wanderer and assume she came to much the same conclusion. Wayfarers are also wet boats and it was difficult to keep my gear dry.

During my time with the Wayfarer I lost a shroud on one occasion and a forestay on another. It was due to good luck rather than good management on each occasion that I was able to reach the shore, and that without further damage.

For all these reasons I concluded I should change the Wayfarer for a more inherently stable boat if I was to continue sailing single-handed. I thus replaced the Wayfarer with a Devon Day-Boat.

The Devon Yawl and its subsequent development, the Devon Day-Boat, have a total ballast of 162 Kg, within a waterline of 4.9m and a beam of 1.9m. The steel centreplate weighs about 120 Kg and, when fully down, has a draught of 1.4m. The remaining 42 Kg of ballast are built into the boat, half on either side of the centreboard casing. The boat is thus remarkably stable and has enabled me to sail in comfort and safety in winds up to Force 6, and occasionally considerably more.

This has given me the confidence that, even if I misjudge the weather, I have a good chance of returning home. The ballast enables me to move and even walk about without upsetting the trim, and the high gunwales provide a deep and secure cockpit.

An extra inner forestay and one extra shroud on each side have been rigged. These are shackled on to strong U-bolts which are bolted right through the deck. The entire area of the small foredeck and the side decks have been reinforced with 5mm marine ply, heavily glassed on to the boat. The forestay is shackled to two U-bolts, one on each side of the bowsprit, and the extra shrouds are led somewhat abaft of the existing ones. All three are fastened to the mast just below the hounds. I can thus lose either forestay or a shroud on either side, and anticipate that the mast will continue to stand.

The boat was supplied with Holt-Allen roller-reefing which, over seven years' sailing, has proved highly successful and given no trouble. The only maintenance required has been to replace the light line to the reefing drum, and last year to replace the forestay which was becoming worn by the rotation of the reefing drum at the base of the stay. I had a new and slightly larger Genoa type roller reefing headsail cut because I felt the original was too high above the deck, thus losing wind, and it did not extend to the top of the roller reefing spar, thus also losing wind between the headsail and the mast. A halyard reeved through a block attached to the head of the inboard forestay allows me to set the small Wayfarer storm jib, and a further halyard and block to the head of the main forestay allow me to set another extra jib flying in this position. I have never had to use these sails, but anticipate they would allow me to set a suitable amount of headsail in the event of the roller reefing becoming unusable or the main jib carrying away.

Devon Day-Boats, unlike the Devon Yawl, do not lie head to wind on the mizzen alone. Although the Yawl sails well on the headsail and mizzen alone, the Day-Boat does not do so. I also believe she is not quite so weatherly as the Yawl. It seems likely that this is due to windage on the cuddy of the Day-Boat, which blows the head off, and this will obviously be more marked in higher winds. I have always thought that the mizzen sail is too small for the Day-Boat and that this exacerbates the effect. I am thus obtaining a new mizzen which will be 1.2m on the foot compared with 0.9m for the regulation mizzen, and which will be 0.25m longer on the luff, taking up unused space in the mizzen luff groove. I also plan a long batten, like a gaff, in the upper part of the sail. It is anticipated that these changes will improve windward ability, and that she will lie to more readily. The ability to heave-to whatever the conditions is always an essential safety factor, and is especially important when single-handed.

I have a 'storm main' permanently bent onto a boom 1.80m long. This sail extends to the top of the mast and thus provides a very long trailing edge for maximum drive with minimum sail area. This sail provides easy control, comfortable sailing in an upright position and good windward ability in winds of Force 5 or 6. I find it is easier and quicker to strike the main and stow it still rolled around its own boom, and hoist the storm main, than to tie reefs in the main. A further advantage of this small main is a great deal more room in the cockpit. The storm main, rolled around its own boom, stows conveniently underneath the port gunwale where it is instantly available.

In preference to the more elegant and weatherly Yawl, I chose a Day-Boat because it has a good cuddy to both house equipment and provide somewhere to sleep. A 'shelf' of Netlon netting of 1.5 sq. cm. mesh has been rigged in the forward part of the cuddy. Here I can keep essential equipment dry whatever the weather; this includes two extra sweaters and wool hats, a complete change of clothing, sleeping bag, food, and tools for both the boat and the Seagull. Immediately aft of this I have a 'mini-hammock' rigged athwartship for ready-use pullovers, binoculars, fruit, etc. This is very useful so long as care is taken not to use it for equipment which becomes entangled in the mesh.

Also in the cuddy, on the starboard side, I have constructed from Iroko an enlargement to the sideseat to provide a bunk 2.2m x 0.7m. Cushions 2 cm thick make this somewhat more comfortable for sleeping. Beneath the bunk further stowage is obtained. High up on either side of the cuddy, and abaft of the Netlon shelf, I have been able to arrange a series of belaying pins from which I can suspend warps, waterproof gear, personal buoyancy and a canvas bucket. In this latter are the hand-bearing compass, charts, tide tables, torch, sea knife and pliers.

LEGEND TO DIAGRAM OF DEVON DAY-BOAT 'ANN' (not to scale)

Existing rigging and sails indicated by hatched lines where appropriate. Additional sails and rigging indicated by solid lines.

(1) Small main (2) Proposed larger mizzen sail with long batten (2A) and reef points (3) Extra jib can be set here (4) New forestay (5) Extra shrouds set aft-of existing shrouds (6) Topping lift (7) Heavy duty mooring cleats (8) Tool box enclosing tabernacle (9) Extra jamming-cleat for foresail sheets, set aft near tiller (10) Existing forestay with roller reefing (11) Cuddy

I carry two red parachute flares, red and white hand flares and smoke canisters. These are fixed in spring clips to the underside of the roof of the cuddy where they are out of the way but easily accessible. In the pocket of whatever outer clothing I am wearing are three hand-held 'Skyblazer' rocket flares; if I go overboard and the boat sails away, I hope these will allow me to attract some attention. It is important not to allow these to give a false sense of security. I fired one in the garden and it was clear they should only be used when help is reasonably close by. I previously carried 'Mini-Flares', but on firing these I was even less impressed than I was with the 'Skyblazer'. Before relying on this sort of equipment, everyone ought to fire one or two in broad daylight and judge for themselves how far they might be visible. A pack of Fluorescin Stain is also carried. There are two waterproof torches in case I am inadvertently benighted. I ought to have a high power torch in addition.

As always on small boats, stowage and handling of an anchor is difficult. I have a 7.5 Kg. CQR shackled onto 2m of 9mm chain, which is in turn shackled onto 4m of 7mm chain, which is spliced onto 50m of 10mm multi-plait nylon warp. This is kept flaked down and tied figure of eight fashion beneath the transom where two 5L regulation plastic petrol cans and fenders are also stowed, all readily available. A Seagull Silver Century is mounted on the transom bracket (where it keeps surprisingly dry) and has never failed to start.

I have been unable to make the boat-self-steer, having tried all combinations of attaching the tiller to the sheets of the headsail, main, and mizzen. The only points where any success has been obtained are with the wind slightly ahead or astern of the beam. I conclude that part, if not most, of the difficulty is that the boat pivots on the deep centreboard plate, thus rendering the whole self-steering gear highly sensitive to small changes in wind direction or speed. I expect the new mizzen will result in some improvement. Currently, 'self-steering' is by the simple expedient of 2 or 3 pieces of shock cord stretched from gunwale to gunwale and looped around the tiller; continued attention is, however, required.

Amongst other small items added to the boat are a small 'box' which was built on the cuddy around the tabernacle to contain tools and equipment whilst working on the forward deck area. Such boxes are well described elsewhere and are absolutely invaluable in preventing loose items going overboard. They also contain halyards which have not been properly hanked up. Mine is built of oiled Iroko, measures 15cm deep and 27.5 cm sq. Drainage is obviously essential.

A topping lift has also been rigged. This makes it easier to use the main boom to support the weatherproof cover on the mooring, but it also enables both main and storm main to be immediately scandalised. I have also used the main boom as a derrick.

For camping I carry the necessary food, together with a small alcohol burner to heat soup and soft drinks. Because both my son and I like to sail well out to sea, there is also emergency tinned food and water for about three days.