Crew

Currently, I plan to single-hand on this trip. My wife has made it well-known that she has no interest in this adventure. While I have never sailed anything other than small boats single-handed, I have sailed numerous times with people that had minimal boating experience; their contribution (while underway) being solely to maintain the helm while I was on the foredeck.  Boats that I've chartered with auto helm have minimized even that. However the dependence on equipment is significantly escalated when single handing. I would not leave port single-handed on a multi-day trip without a wind vane steering system, electronic autopilot, AIS, and radar at a minimum. I am no stranger to functioning with a lack of sleep; on numerous occasions I've worked 30 to 40 hours without sleep, however this has been in an office environment, quite different from being at sea.

Certainly having at least one crew member is enormously easier.  Maintaining a watch, assistance in times of crisis, conversation, etc., are all circumstances that are helped greatly by having another person on-board.  However, having an incompatible person on board I suspect may be worse, especially during the 3 week non-stop from Bermuda to the Azores.

As the trip draws nearer, I will be reconsidering this decision.