Singlehanding - Sleeping - Good Idea ?

[Sam Plan B]

As long as we are talking about sleeping, I live on my Columbia 41 and I was thinking about how to have a useful sea berth in the aft cabin. The full width of it is taken up by a large bed. While this arrangement works well in port, not so much at sea. I came upon the following website that provided dimensions and details for a Royal Navy pattern hammock. http://www.hmsrichmond.org/hamock.htm. As luck would have it, my aft cabin is exactly long enough to fit.
After a trip to the art supply store for canvas, in a few evenings I was able to make a fair copy of the original item. Guess what? It works just fine. I have been sleeping in it for the past two weeks with no ill effects. I understand that the RN originally issued a thin mattress with the hammock and that is my next task. Perhaps a thin camping pad in a canvas cover will do the trick. We shall see.

[pillum]

Great post James, a voice of sanity and reality in a world slowly becoming tepid.

[Kapena]

I single hand. I use radar warning, alarms for wind, arrival, depth. Also set an alarm clock, so I do the 15 minute thing. Longest passage was 45 days. 1st long passage (11 days San Diego to Hawaii) was the worst and it took 2 weeks to recover from fatigue. Now I arrive feeling just fine. I scan the horizon every 15 minutes, something a lot of watch keeping boats fail to do.

In the last 7 years I have had only one boat or ship ever sight me first. That sail boat was directly into the morning sun and I never did get a look at it. I have passed several ships that had the bridge unmanned at night, a common occurrence among asian crewed vessels. A lot of single handers, I think they all fall into a routine that works for them.

[Last Call]

Whats a SSB rig?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Last Call

Whats a SSB rig?

Single Side Band, or High Frequency radio.

See ➥ What is SSB?
http://www . sgcworld.com/whatisssbtechnote.html

[osirissail]

I have single-handed for a decade without any problems. I sleep in small cat-naps around the clock rather that try to stay up all the daylight hours.
- - My secret is I designed cockpit cushions that are thin and hard foam. Sleeping more than 20 minutes is literally a pain in the butt and I have to wake up and shift position. During the wake-up I check the radar and navigation systems to make sure nothing is within 10 nm or so and then go back to another cat-nap.
- - However, when close to shore or islands I plan to stay awake for the passage and plan the passage distance to match my ability to stay awake.
- - Close to islands there are numerous unlighted little fishing skiffs/pangas even miles offshore and at night. So it takes some serious alertness to avoid these guys.

[Billy Higgins]

Osiris - Have you thought of becoming more nocturnal? This would give you several longer periods of sleep during the day and not stress your body so much with constant cat-naps. You'd gain the REM sleep periods that prevent halucinations, and I think this method would be safer too as you'd be awake all night when risk of collision is highest. As you point out, of course no method works well close to shore where constant vigilance is more important.

[osirissail]

Billy - after 40 years flying through most of the world's time zones a half dozen or more times per month, my body has no idea of any difference between day and night. Technically it is termed diurnal cycle. So cat-napping is second nature to me and besides, the "hallucinations" are quite enjoyable since they normally involved nubile nymphs cavorting in all manners of ways.

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by osirissail

besides, the "hallucinations" are quite enjoyable since they normally involved nubile nymphs cavorting in all manners of ways.

Do you know of any programs/training available to help achieve this?
Not for me..... for a friend.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Do you know of any programs/training available to help achieve this?
Not for me..... for a friend.

Can't train for it.

Either you got it or you don't.

I have one favorite nymph............

PS. Sorry for your friend.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Do you know of any programs/training available to help achieve this?
Not for me..... for a friend.

Having done some hard core long distance kayak racing, I can tell you there is significant anecdotal evidence that hallucinations are associated with heavily processed foods. I left Tampa heading south to Key Largo, up the coast to Ga., up the St Mary, 60 mile portage, then down 70% of the Suwannee without a hallucination. That included several 60 hour runs inside the boat, living on cat naps. I ran out of the organic dehydrated food coming down the Suwannee and had a cold cut hoggie for lunch and 2-3 Dinty Moore beef stews for dinner. That night I hallucinated, damnedest thing is that the hallucinations disappear in a emergency- just when you can really use some help! At cedar key I was able to some healthy food and had no issues during the 45 hour run back to Tampa... You are what you eat!

IMHO to train, no smoking, serious cardio work and no processed foods. You also need the determination of a pit bull. I slept with my sleeping bag open so that when I got cold I would wake up. There is another post in this thread that the poster slept on uncomfortable cushions to make his bum hurt.

Finally it is worth stating, that the people who do this type of foolishness have the skill set to back it up. I know that when I move up to a large boat I will not be doing any 60 hour runs for a very long time.

Bill

[Jace]

LOL! Extemporaneous.

[Jonathan Reiter]

This IS an interesting thread, one that I spent a lifetime working out the answers to. I read a few responses from like-minded people who came to the same conclusions as I did--set a 20 minute countdown alarm and lie down fully turned out in the cockpit after standing on the cabin top and taking a good look around. When the alarm goes off, believe me, a shot of adrenaline will bring you fully awake. Get up on the cabin top and have a scan around the horizon. If you see lights, say, on the stb. bow, take the appropriate action, if nothing is sighted, press the alarm button and lie back down. Very quickly your mind and body will adjust and you will rack up around five hours of sleep during a night. Then, when the sun rises, you will start another day at sea, catching cat naps. The best investment a single-hander can make is a radar detector that goes off when a vessel's wave guide strikes it and gives a range and bearing. I'd rather have a detector than a radar set on a sail boat. Finally, someone posed the very good question of what type of boat a single hander needs. My humble opinion is: a sailing vessel has to have the ability to claw off a lee shore under sail power alone and be able to heave to unattended. She needs a quarter berth one can't be tossed out of. Sorry to be long-winded, but picture this: hove to in reasonable weather with your radar detector on; rocked in the cradle of the deep...sweet dreams. Read Blondie Hasler's book and realize that life is an adventure that will throw challenges at you no matter how many precautions you take. I didn't put the salt in the ocean or kill the Dead Sea, but I learned from my mistakes and listened to others' sea stories and I'm still here,shipmates. Fair winds

[Last Call]

Mine would probably be ex wives with steak knives chasing me.

[Last Call]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Reiter

This IS an interesting thread, one that I spent a lifetime working out the answers to. I read a few responses from like-minded people who came to the same conclusions as I did--set a 20 minute countdown alarm and lie down fully turned out in the cockpit after standing on the cabin top and taking a good look around. When the alarm goes off, believe me, a shot of adrenaline will bring you fully awake. Get up on the cabin top and have a scan around the horizon. If you see lights, say, on the stb. bow, take the appropriate action, if nothing is sighted, press the alarm button and lie back down. Very quickly your mind and body will adjust and you will rack up around five hours of sleep during a night. Then, when the sun rises, you will start another day at sea, catching cat naps. The best investment a single-hander can make is a radar detector that goes off when a vessel's wave guide strikes it and gives a range and bearing. I'd rather have a detector than a radar set on a sail boat. Finally, someone posed the very good question of what type of boat a single hander needs. My humble opinion is: a sailing vessel has to have the ability to claw off a lee shore under sail power alone and be able to heave to unattended. She needs a quarter berth one can't be tossed out of. Sorry to be long-winded, but picture this: hove to in reasonable weather with your radar detector on; rocked in the cradle of the deep...sweet dreams. Read Blondie Hasler's book and realize that life is an adventure that will throw challenges at you no matter how many precautions you take. I didn't put the salt in the ocean or kill the Dead Sea, but I learned from my mistakes and listened to others' sea stories and I'm still here,shipmates. Fair winds

You mentioned the good boat for a singlehander would be " My humble opinion is: a sailing vessel has to have the ability to claw off a lee shore under sail power alone and be able to heave to unattended." If their are not to many to mention could you name a few I have been eyeballing a double ender but I dont know if she will fit the bill. They say the type boat goes to wind well but I want other opinion than the broker who's trying to sell it.
1978 True North 34 Bluewater Cruiser cf Tayana Shannon Pacific Seacraft Stan Huntingford Design sailboat for sale in Florida
How many years into your sailing life passed before you decide to go it alone? I would never risk the life of my family member just so I would have help. Their is no one in my family who could stand being around me for months on end. Its just a difference in characters. I am afraid if I am ever to offshore I will be going it alone. I dont mind the alone part but I am not stupid either, I will wait till I feel competent myself. When you say claw of a lee shore you dont mean literally as you beached her then wait for the tide change or just close enough in where many boats would struggle being pushed leeward enough to have troubles?