The Singlehanded Fleet is for those sailors who enjoy the challenge of sailing alone. For some, that means developing a higher level of seamanship, navigation, and boat-handling skills needed for successful passage-making in any conditions. For others, it means self-reliance, routine management, and a heightened sense of accomplishment. And for others still, it means solitude, contemplation, and a closer connection with the world around us. For most, however, it is a combination of all of these things in continually varying proportions.  

Singlehanded sailors are a collegial group who share experiences, solutions, techniques, and strategies to help other solo sailors improve their skills. For many singlehanders, racing results are secondary to finishing the course; but all take pride in sailing their boats as efficiently as possible under prevailing conditions. We use PHRF ratings to handicap our events, and most events are divided into two divisions so that the faster boats are in one group while the slower boats are in another. The biggest differences between crewed PHRF racing and singlehanded racing, other than the number of crew, is that singlehanders use autopilots and are permitted to use powered winches. 

SSC’s Singlehanded Fleet series starts with a season-opening Solo Shakedown around the end of May or beginning of June, which is about 100nm long and requires sailing overnight. This event is run by experienced members of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society (GLSS) (solosailors.org) who can provide plenty of pointers for those sailors interested in making a longer passage singlehanded. The second event is Bay Week at Put-in-Bay on the first weekend in August, where the I-LYA has been kind enough to make room for a singlehanded class (three days with courses of various lengths between 14nm and 42nm). Finally, in the second half of August, we end our season with two single-day events: the 45005 (about 40nm long) and the Sandusky Islands Race.

SSC boasts an impressive number of active GLSS members, including Lease Schock, Russ Krock, Jim Otton, Jason Huffman, Jake Thomas, Larry Cadman, and Rob Burger; more than any other club on the Great Lakes. If you’re interested in taking your seamanship to the next level and you want to learn how to be the skipper, navigator, tactician, sail trimmer, cook, lookout, and dishwasher all at the same time, then join the Singlehanded Fleet and get ready for the Solo Shakedown!