Ronnie Simpson

First off…Who are you? Where are you from? What would you consider your Home Port and sailing locale?

Ronnie Simpson- I grew up in Atlanta, GA, but moved to San Diego a couple of years ago. Most of my sailing has been done in San Diego. Gearing up for this race, i’m in Alameda, and really like the Bay Area, so I don’t really know my home port.

Please describe your sailboat. What type of boat is it? Year? Make? Model? How long have you had it? Any major modifications made to your boat for solo sailing or offshore sailing?

It is a 1999 Jutson 30, built to the Mount Gay 30 box rule. The boat is a veteran of 1 Singlehanded Transpac and 2 Bermuda 1-2′s. The boat comes with water ballast, but that has been disabled due to a rating hit. Mostly stock, but equipped for shorthanded offshore. SSB radio, NKE autopilot, safety gear, etc. It is not my boat, it belongs to a gentleman in North Carolina named Don Gray, but i’ve been sailing her for the past two months.

How long have you been sailing? When did you decide that the solo experience was for you?

I have been sailing for 2 years. In that time, i’ve been offshore solo, done local solo cruising, and raced on crewed boats pretty much every weekend; buoys, random leg and local ocean racing. I love every type of sailing, so far. I decided very early on that I enjoyed sailing solo.

A piece or pieces of gear you would not do without? Self-Tailing winches? AIS? Egg Timer? Gimbaled cup holder? What do you value and consider vital for safe, comfortable Singlehanded Sailing?

Reliable self-steering

Most memorable trip/passage/ adventure you have had so far sailing solo?

I tried to singlehand to Hawaii 2 years ago. There was a category 4 hurricane nearby, and somehow my rudder broke off of the boat. With no rudder I ended up being picked up at sea by a freight ship, and ending up in China. So I bought a bike and rode 9,000 through 21 countries, finally ending up back in San Diego. Yeah, that was probably the most memorable one.

Worries and or concerns when you are out solo? Pirates? Tankers? Whales? Flying fish? What is on your mind?

Probably whale induced massive gear failure. I personally think a whale broke my rudder off last time, but i’ll never really know for sure.

What is your favorite thing or things about being out in the middle of the ocean by yourself?

Being alone with nothing around you. You have these crazy experiences that no one will ever truly know about or understand. It’s just like going on this crazy adventure in the middle of the world, with nothing around. It was really similar on the bike, in the middle of India or China or something.

Solo sailors who have inspired you to do what you do?

I guess all of them. They’ve all done something that I am working hard to experience for the first time. Be it local legends like Skip Allan or Stan Honey, to professionals racing the Vendee Globe, to amateur privateers sacrificing everything they have to complete a Mini Transat. I love reading their stories, learning from their mistakes, reading about their problems and dreaming of being on that very situation.

Future sailing plans or aspirations?

I hope to buy a super low budget cruiser and head to Mexico for a while next year, and I really want to get a Mini and go to France.

Why do you think people are drawn to solo sailing?

I don’t know. Probably for the challenge of racing across an ocean by yourself. That’s what excites me anyways.

And now for the rapid fire, stream of consciousness, quick response section of the questionnaire…

Hank on or Roller Furling? Depends on the boat and situation. I’ve had boats with both, and I think it’s a mixed bag. I have hanks on this boat and i’m perfectly happy. If it were a solo buoy racing or cruising boat, i’d maybe try to get roller furling though.
Wheel or Tiller? Tiller
Fin or Full keel? Either, or… Fin for a racing boat, but I liked my old full keel for cruising.

Dacron or Kevlar? Depends on how much money you want to spend and how long you want them to last, I guess. This boat has a really beefy Dacron mainsail, and I really like it. Value for dollar in an offshore boat, I think it’s the way to go. For headsails, I like proper racing sails though.

LED Tricolor or Deck mounted Kerosene Running Lights?

LED tricolor

Mast Steps or Ratlines? Ratlines. Speed be damned, if I ever end up with a boat suitable for ratlines, i’ll be a happy man.

Depth sounder or lead line? Depends. When I was trying to cruise my Cal 25 on no budget, the lead line was my friend. If you’re not broke and want a nice boat though, probably the depth sounder.

Bucket or a well plumbed head? For cruising, a head for sure. But on this boat/ race, the bucket is the way to go.

Water or Whiskey? If i’m looking to stay hydrated, then water. If i’m looking to offend people and make a pass at someone’s girlfriend, then whiskey is king.

Whiskey or Rum? Big Daddy at RYC was this past weekend. The thought of rum still makes my head hurt right now.

Rum or Kool Aid? I haven’t had Kool Aid in forever!

SSB or Sat Phone? SSB, but Sat Phones are nice back ups.

Large meals or Steady Snacking? Both

Coffee or Tea? Coffee

Dodger or No Dodger? Again, situation depends, but for this race I built a very small fiberglass dodger.

Autopilot or Windvane? For cruising, I liked my old Aries for sure, but on a serious racing boat, i’d go with an autopilot. If I were doing this boat on something like Adam’s Folkboat, I would have a wind vane for sure. They’re more fun to use as an added bonus.

Traditional Boom Vang or Rigid BoomVang? Either

Fresh water or saltwater showers? on this race, i’ll be washing with salt water, if at all.

Solar Panels or Wind generators?

Depends. I’m having that argument with myself right now. Wind should dump power into the batteries constantly, but solar seems to do really well whenever the sun is out. My old cruiser had both, and that was a nice luxury.

Three Strand or Spectra? Depends on budget/ application. This boat? Spectra. My old Cal 25, and probably next cruiser? Whatever’s cheapest.

For more info on Ronnie check out his Website