The proportion of singlehanded sailors has increased dramatically.
Before now a singlehanded sailor was a rare bird. Now here in Porto Santo there is at least 5 singlehanders may bee 20% of the fleet.
Modern electronics like RADAR, AIS and radar transponders has made the sailing much safer. Now there is always someone on watch and that someone keeps an outlook much better than any crews ears and eyes. On a dark rainy night many times you can not see even half a mile. Now 20 – 30 miles is no problem
Also navigation and sailhandling has been revolutionised. To find your position even in a dark stormy night is only a matter of looking at the plotter.
Also now the sinlehander has an engine to his help and it is the boats most powerfull propulsion system, many times stronger than the sails. It has an endurance of hundreds of miles. And of course it can push the boat right against the wind. No need to tack.
Sattelite phones and compact shortwave radios lets the sailor communicate whith people a shore.
I am sure much more is to come like electronic charts with tide currents and weather. Even systems to navigate your boat from your house ashore may not be impossible for the whealthy in the future. With helicopter delivery, then the sailor can chose the most pleasant parts of an ocean passage. When bad weather arrivies he cals for the helicopter and puts the boat on selfsteering, then when the bad weather is gone the sailor let the helicopter put him back onboard and takes over the sailing from the automatic systems.