Safe to sail alone?

I don't sail alone because there are quite a number of single points of failure on my boats that would render me unable to get into safety if they failed.

If you think about a cruising situation you would ordinarily expect to have two forms of propulsion in the boat, say sails and engine, sails and oars, that sort of thing, so if the mast breaks you can still get home.

In a racing situation my second form of getting in is the club safety boat, or if say I'm sailing the boat over the the IOW for an event then I'll sail in company and the second form of getting in is my mates boat.

I think you've got to ask yourself what your means of getting in is if, say, you lost mast, rudder or centreboard, and to what extent are you prepared to trust your neck to it... If you want to just carry a paddle, say, could you paddle well enough to get back the beach before the ebb tide washes you out to sea?

Edited by JimC - 28 Apr 13 at 2:37am

Always tell someone where you are going, what time you are leaving and what time you will be back. And if you are not back by that time to try and contact you. Take your mobile phone in a waterproof pouch.

What you want to think through is: how likely is it that X happens and what would be the result if it did? Breakages, capsizes you cannot recover and capsize followed by separation from the boat being the likeliest. Then, what could you do to mitigate the risk e.g. carry a small multitool and some line for lash-up repairs? 

I used to climb and you got used to doing this quite systematically. How likely am I to fall here and if I did, what would happen? Do I therefore want to make this move or not? If my partner falls and injures himself, what I am able to do? You can't eliminate all risk but you can assess and manage it.

In small-boat solo sailing the main variables are the wind strength and direction, current and waves but also very much air and sea temperature.  When it's cold, a bad situation gets worse very quickly whereas in late summer, if it all goes horribly wrong your chances are far better. At this time of year the water is still pretty cold.

Dinghy cruising is the use of sailing dinghies for purposes other than racing - which can be anything from coastal sailing to pottering in a sheltered lake.

The Dinghy Cruising Association does publish safety recommendations - none of which seem applicable to a Laser.

Sailing on your own does mean not relying on other people to get you out of trouble. This is much the same ethos as climbers, hill-walkers, single-handed sailors...

I have sailed alone in a Laser many times.  The most useful peice of kit is a spare short length of line tied to the back of the toestrap.  It's often tied on kicker or mainsheet blocks if they come undone and once tied the gooseneck to the tack when the rivets failed, on each occasion allowing me to sail home quite happily.  Best advice is to be sure of your own capability and always stay within it.