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Single Handing or Single Handling?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by YachtForums, Jul 12, 2017.

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  1. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Single Handing or Single Handling a boat. Which term is right, or is it both?
  2. AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    With boats, there is without the L, Single Handed or Single Handing...
  3. Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    I agree with Lars
  4. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Handing, as they said.

    Although I wouldn't find anything objectionable to someone saying handling.
  5. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Thank you gents! Most impressed that English isn't the first language for Lars, but he's teaching me proper!
  6. JWY

    JWY Senior Member

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    Gee, I'm surprised at the responses. Is this a case of descriptive grammar versus prescriptive grammar? I would have thought "the yacht can be single handed" or put another way, "the yacht is great for single handling."
    o_O
  7. 30West

    30West Member

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    Interesting question. I always used "single handed" based on a hand being a deckhand, a crewmember. I found that definition in one nautical dictionary, but not in others. One mentions "all hands" meaning all ship's company, enlisted and officers.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I still think it's a hard task for a one handed person to operate a boat.
    :rolleyes:
  9. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    If its properly laid out, and the person has some stamina, then its not as bad as one would think.

    A number of older gentleman have raced across the ocean, and around the world, while sailing their vessels by themselves.

    Phil Weld even made the comment that single-handed sailboat racing was one of the few sports he could still be competitive with the younger generation, even at his advancing age
    http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1984/11/8/famed-sailor-philip-s-weld-dies/

    http://melrosemirror.media.mit.edu/servlet/pluto?state=30303470616765303037576562506167653030326964303033353731


    Reply
  10. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    Ah, here is one of those references, "Ocean racing is a sport "where the accretion of wisdom can offset diminishing physical power". So says Phil Weld, a 65-year-old grandfather who shattered every previous record with his victory in the 1980 Observer Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race"
  11. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    My friend, I fear you missed my pun but I'll keep going;
    Your example is of great person, but he still had two hands (left & right)..
  12. bliss

    bliss Senior Member

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    It is handing according to my sort of careful reading of my 1960ish copy of The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. The hand in the word handing refers to a person as a crew member, not a five fingered body part. Handling is a manner of treating or dealing with something or someone as in managing. Confused yet?
  13. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Can you define "pun".
    Sorry nobody is getting it.
    Probably to many sailors in here.
  14. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Most of us have probably operate as a one handed crew many times...
  15. HTMO9

    HTMO9 Senior Member

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    Single handed or single handing is an very old term used by sailors (crews of sailing ships :)) and just means the task or boat is handled by one man. In the old days there was a saying: "one hand for the ship, one hand for yourself", when working in the mast or during a storm on deck of an square rigger. So, actually one man had only one hand for the ship. That's why it's called single handing or single handed.

    Just my two (Euro) cents

    men in the mast.jpg
  16. brian eiland

    brian eiland Senior Member

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    Thanks, I had forgotten that old saying.

    Imagine those guys in that photo you posted standing on frozen lines and reefing those sails as they sail around the Cape in the stormy winter months. !!
  17. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    Is that Capt. Irving Johnson on the Peking, third from the port side?
    Scratch that; he's taking the picture if it's the Peking.