Physical limitations
Sailing on your own requires a reasonable level of physical fitness. Every manoeuvre is slower and more arduous when sailing alone, so you’ll need the endurance to handle longer passages. It’s really easy to become dehydrated, so keep a bottle of water in the cockpit, preferably in a pocket along with a few biscuits to keep your energy up and help you deal with tiredness.
‘If you’re feeling a bit tired to begin with, if you’re going to sail a long way that is only going to get worse and will probably guarantee seasickness,’ explains ocean sailing legend, Pete Goss. ‘Sometimes if you just take it a bit easy at the start of a longer passage that makes things easier for the rest of the trip. Plan to only go a short distance before possibly anchoring up for some hours, to make sure you get some rest and you have properly got your sea legs. That can be the difference between a great solo passage and a terrible one where you are tired and sick from the off. No-one functions well in that sort of condition.’
‘Eating is a really important thing to focus on too,’ says Dee Caffari. ‘It is really just getting the balance right and realising the effect hunger has on your body and mind. I did a lot of work with sports psychologists before doing big races to understand myself a lot more. Much of it was focused on understanding when I am tired and when I am hungry. There are moments now when I realise I just need to eat and take a 10-minute break, and then I am a totally different person. Clearly not everyone has access to a psychologist, but taking the time to notice the signs of sleep deprivation and hunger and what they mean in terms of how you function is crucial.’