Another French sailor, Sebastien Saulnier from Moshi Moshi, a Sunfast 3300, tells me ‘Personally I like to sail doublehanded on long races because it allows me to experience strong emotions with my co-skipper. The trust we must have in each other is important and I love the discussions we have at sea. I find that the emotions expe- rienced are stronger than in crewed racing. In my opinion beautiful friendships are often born thanks to these races’. There is often the challenge to simply sail well enough doublehanded offshore as there can be a lot of time alone on deck. Done well, this can bring a sense of satisfaction which goes beyond whether or not you win the race. Often just completing a tough offshore race, with just two aboard and little sleep, already tests your limits of endurance to a level that is satisfying enough before adding the element of com- petition.
Combine that feeling with pulling off some slick shorthanded manoeuvres and making good tactical decisions and there can be a huge sense of achievement... even if your results remain doggedly mid-fleet! With two aboard you are really playing all the roles, whether you are good at them or not, and with that you are forced to continue to learn; there is always something you can do better. Then there is the very strong sense of community among the dou- blehanded sailors – in fact across all the shorthanded fleets including our solo brethren!
In the UK, the Doublehanded Offshore Series co-ordinates training and coaching for the teams and publishes a regular newsletter to keep everyone well informed. There are often socials at the end of races to share ideas and experience, with everyone being surprisingly generous in sharing their advice on what made their race go well... or not so well (with two crew it’s also easier to buddy up with other boats for dinner at a busy restaurant).
Everyone is keen to improve and this creates an energetic learning environment to exchange ideas about everything from boat set up to sleep patterns and weather. Ellie Driver, 20 year old co-skipper of the Sunfast 3300 Chilli Pepper and 2022 British Sailor of the Year, tells me what motivates her in doublehanded racing. ‘It’s a challenging discipline with a friendly yet competitive fleet who are always encour- aging the newer crews. I also appreciate the evolving trust and respect that you build with your co-skipper’.
Inspired by the UK series the Australian doublehanders set up their own Sydney Doublehanded Series in 2021.
According to Jules Hall, winner of the first doublehanded trophy in Sydney-Hobart 2021 on his J/99 Disko Trooper, ‘doublehanded sailing
Left: the steady growth of two-handed interest in the Fastnet Race is seen here in blue, since first admitted in 2005. Meanwhile growth on the US east coast has remained relatively static when measured by interest in the Newport Bermuda race (red). Late to the party, two-handed interest in the Sydney-Hobart spiked in the ‘first’ two editions (green); talk with the Australian two-handed community and they expect at least double this number of two handers to line up on Boxing Day 2023. Cap-Martinique winner Ludovic Gérard and William le Coz (opposite) head out past the Needles on their JPK 10.80 at the very windy start of the 2021 Fastnet – they finished 20th out of 59 two-handers in IRC and 66th overall. 20-year-old Ellie Driver (above) and father Jim had a superb 2022 on their Sun Fast 3300 Chilli Pepperincluding winning the Morgan Cup overall in IRC; the writer (top left) races this Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mistin an all-girl pairing with Claire Dresser, seen practicing for the latest RORC Transatlantic Race
is still relatively new to mainstream racing in Sydney. ‘This is primarily because 2021 was the first year our pinnacle event, the Sydney-Hobart allowed doublehanded entries. That garnered huge attention in our local sailing community and this year the race went one better allowing us to compete for the big prizes against the fully-crewed yachts. I have no doubt the 2023 race will set a new record for two-handed entries.
‘Australian sailors have been especially attracted by the accessibility and camaraderie of two-handed offshore racing. Sydney offshore rac- ing has been dominated by 40ft+ boats the past 20 years. Today people are finding it too expensive to run these boats and too hard to find regular crew. Doublehanded addresses both those issues – smaller boats, smaller crew.’
Interestingly the doublehanded community also appears to be more inclusive than some areas of sailing. In the UK Doublehanded Series there is broad appeal with young and older, male and female, pro and Corinthian sailors in the fleet. In the 2022 UK series female partici- pation was 22% and exactly one-quarter of sailors were aged 25 or less. With just two people aboard, it can make it easier for younger sailors and women to be able to contribute without being elbowed out by ‘louder’ members of the crew – whether done consciously or uncon- sciously.
Communication is easier when it’s just a one-on-one between two people, and any misunderstandings or lack of confidence are resolved more easily. The young adults I’ve talked to who recently joined the UK fleet soon feel reassured to contribute onboard and so are able to rapidly step up their game. Compared to previous races on a crewed boat, inevitably with a lot of time on the rail, they love the chance to now try out literally every role there is.
I spoke to young Irish sailor Conor Corson, who together with fellow youngster Josh Dawson came fourth in the Doublehanded class in the 2022 Round Ireland race. They raced the Sunfast 3300 Asgard generously loaned to them by its fellow Irish owner. Conor says, ‘I didn’t find doublehanded racing as difficult as I expected. I knew my co-skipper well and felt very comfortable when he was helming the boat which allowed me to really sleep deeply.
‘I had full trust and faith in him, which in a way was easier than fully crewed racing where there is too often someone you need to worry about... The race was really rewarding, that we had such tight com- petition was a further bonus. We gave it absolutely everything and so finishing well was something we are both very proud of.’ Kate Cope, Director, UK Doublehanded Series
q SEAHORSE 33
RICK TOMLINSON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126
