The art of sailing a small boat single-handed for long periods has been perfected by the Jester Challenge sailors. Jake Kavanagh picks up some tips for keeping skipper and boat safe on extended passages
You don’t need a large boat to sail offshore, you just need to be well prepared – as Jester Challenge veteran and offshore adventurer, Roger Taylor has proved numerous times.
Many leisure sailors will face a situation when they need to make a long passage with inexperienced crew, or perhaps with no crew at all. While single-handers are often criticised for not being able to keep a proper lookout, a tour of some of the boats collecting for the 2023 Jester Baltimore Challenge (JBC) proved just how well-equipped and safe they all were.
As one skipper put it, “I could have a crew of two with me. But what if one–or both–get seasick? Then I not only have the boat to look after but also two incapacitated adults. In that situation, I’m much safer on my own.”
Starting from Plymouth and Pwllheli, this year’s challenge would vector boats about 250 miles across the Celtic Sea to the Republic of Ireland. As the voyage could take anywhere from 60 hours to six days, the sub-30ft yachts in the fleet were all suitably equipped. They were also completely mismatched in a way that would bemuse an official race handicapper. This is another reason why the Jester Challenge (JC) concept is not classed as a race, just a group of like-minded individuals challenging the sea.
As a long-term supporter of the event, PBO managed to get aboard several JBC yachts at the Plymouth start to see how they’d been modified for solo longdistance sailing. Most were popular production models, such as Westerlies, Sadlers, Twisters, Moodys and Colvics, with one or two notable exceptions. As such, we could see how many of the modifications would work on any yacht that needs to sail single-handed for more than 24 hours at a time, the usual limit of human endurance without sleep. Here are some of our favourites.
Self-steering
Jesters rarely steer their boats except when entering or leaving harbour. On passage, the job is given to some kind of self-steering system, most commonly a transom-hung windvane device. These hold a steady course in relation to the direction of the wind, working tirelessly day and night without requiring a single amp of electricity. Instead, the considerable force required to work the yacht’s rudder comes from a thin blade trailing in the water, which is twisted out of alignment by the vane when the yacht wanders off course. As hydro-dynamic forces push the
