Singlehanding - Sleeping - Good Idea ?

[paradix]

Hi dpex

What a great part of the world you live in!

If you type Jessica Watson into the search function on this forum, you'll discover that forum members have a wide awareness - and an even wider set of viewpoints - on Jessica's circumnavigation attempt...

Welcome to the forum.

[S/V Catherine]

Wow, I am not sure about all the worry about single handing. I feel that a radar set on alarm at a 20 mile distance, a reflector, VHF on loud and shortened sail is a pretty good lookout. 20 min naps will just not cut it for long I don't care who you are or how good of shape you are in. There is an element of risk in long passages but not so much that it would stop me from going. It is just part of sailing alone.

Michael.

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by S/V Catherine

Wow, I am not sure about all the worry about single handing. I feel that a radar set on alarm at a 20 mile distance, a reflector, VHF on loud and shortened sail is a pretty good lookout. 20 min naps will just not cut it for long I don't care who you are or how good of shape you are in. There is an element of risk in long passages but not so much that it would stop me from going. It is just part of sailing alone.

Michael.

Mid ocean on a seaworthy boat is the safest place on the planet to be. There is far greater risk in staying ashore, commuting amoung rush hour traffic, living in a smog bank, than at sea, whether singlehanded or not.

[Toro]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Can you sleep in 20 min. "naps", and remain effective & in command ?
I suggest that anyone contemplating this regimine would be wise to study the subject of sleep patterns, and exhaustion.

Sleeping for short naps, of around 15–30 minutes each, is called “Polyphasic sleep”[(1) (sometimes ‘Uberman Sleep”). The one- to two-week transition period of adapting to a polyphasic schedule can be very difficult, both mentally and physically. Accordingly, single-handers, should probably begin training for a cruise, not less than 2 weeks prior to departure. In addition to pre-conditioning yourself to this modified sleep pattern, establishing a comfortable and sustainable equilibrium, the pre-conditioning regime will establish your ability to adapt.

*1. There is NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE supporting the efficacy of the polyphasic sleep pattern.
REM is the most important phase of sleep, the one in which you experience dreams, and when deprived of REM for too long, you suffer serious negative consequences. The (unsubstantiated) theory of Polyphasic sleep suggests that you condition your body to learn to enter REM sleep immediately, instead of much later in the sleep cycle.
Of course, such luminaries as Socrates and Buckminster Fuller have opined that sleep is just a “bad habit”.

The working theory behind Polyphasic sleep is that your body will progressively decrease the time it takes to go from Alpha waves (Relaxed/drowsy) to REM sleep, the more days you go without it. It has been well proven that this is a natural body mechanism, and that, minute for minute, the longer you have been sleep deprived, the more restful sleep you will get in a shorter period of time.

A natural sleep cycle - that of the descent from theta waves through to REM and back to theta - takes 60-90 minutes. This sleep cycle span can shorten significantly, to the point where 10 minutes of sleep will drop you into REM.

The problem with what these sailors are doing, and the reason why Polyphasic sleep isn't as a good as at least two hours, is that a normal full night's rest will put you through roughly 5-8 sleep cycles, depending on the person, with the sleep cycles becoming more pronounced and longer later in the rest. Polyphasic sleep inhibits this function, a lot. Corresponding awareness and judgement will obviously drop significantly.

...That being said, the world record for sleep deprivation is something like 11 days in a lab, and the dude was still able to beat the experimenters at ping pong. You can't die from no sleep, and you hit a baseline of functioning at some point.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Toro

The problem with what these sailors are doing, and the reason why Polyphasic sleep isn't as a good as at least two hours, is that a normal full night's rest will put you through roughly 5-8 sleep cycles, depending on the person, with the sleep cycles becoming more pronounced and longer later in the rest. Polyphasic sleep inhibits this function, a lot. Corresponding awareness and judgement will obviously drop significantly.


.

That is why last night, like so many others, was crappy. I was called for a case at 0200. Awake till 0430 and then a nap till 0615. Sucks, but feeds the boat fever.

When I quit I plan to NOT do that kind of thing 2-5 days a week, 300+ days a year, very often at all!

[feelsgood]

This is an interesting subject. I served in the services for 10 years and spent most of my time on what is better known as secial ops. This intaile spending alot of time in hiding watching others and compiling information. As you can imagine you have to have a brain that is working to a very high alert level and sleep is a luxery. I found it more important to train my body to respond to unusal sounds so that I was at max alertness for defence or attack. When I did a circumnav after I left the services I used to shorten sail at night and sleep. If anything changed from the norm (nois,wind,waves) I would get up in a matter of seconds and be in a state of complete readyness for any situation. I admit not everybody can do this but beleive me you can train yourself to respond in this way. Today I would have a C.A.R.D system set about 15ft above deck level which would give you about 12 mins to respond to the threat. I always had the yacht ready for emergencies but in 43 months and 34000 miles I never had to do more than change course or attend to the sails.

[dpex]

Originally Posted by feelsgood

This is an interesting subject. I served in the services for 10 years and spent most of my time on what is better known as secial ops. This intaile spending alot of time in hiding watching others and compiling information. As you can imagine you have to have a brain that is working to a very high alert level and sleep is a luxery. I found it more important to train my body to respond to unusal sounds so that I was at max alertness for defence or attack. When I did a circumnav after I left the services I used to shorten sail at night and sleep. If anything changed from the norm (nois,wind,waves) I would get up in a matter of seconds and be in a state of complete readyness for any situation. I admit not everybody can do this but beleive me you can train yourself to respond in this way. Today I would have a C.A.R.D system set about 15ft above deck level which would give you about 12 mins to respond to the threat. I always had the yacht ready for emergencies but in 43 months and 34000 miles I never had to do more than change course or attend to the sails.

I agree with you. As dark comes, shorten sail. Hey! What's the hurry?

Obviously, there are variations on the theme. Like wind to no wind and the accompanying slosh which makes hard for sleeping. Or the weather fax says the perfect storm is coming your way. Well, maybe that's the time to deploy the JSD and go to bed.

Most cheap radars have a threat-warning system; which can be hell on a man's sleep in busy shipping lanes:--)) But you can always reverse the game by staying awake during the night and sleeping during the day. And if some 300,000 ton monster hits your during clear daylight, well maybe your time was up anyway.

But out in the middle of somewhere? Yeah, shorten sail at night and have a good sleep. Let's face it, the faster you go, on any journey, the sooner some petty bureaucrat will have is fingers in your pocket for port-fees, et al. :--))

[dpex]

Originally Posted by feelsgood

This is an interesting subject. I served in the services for 10 years and spent most of my time on what is better known as secial ops. This intaile spending alot of time in hiding watching others and compiling information. As you can imagine you have to have a brain that is working to a very high alert level and sleep is a luxery. I found it more important to train my body to respond to unusal sounds so that I was at max alertness for defence or attack. When I did a circumnav after I left the services I used to shorten sail at night and sleep. If anything changed from the norm (nois,wind,waves) I would get up in a matter of seconds and be in a state of complete readyness for any situation. I admit not everybody can do this but beleive me you can train yourself to respond in this way. Today I would have a C.A.R.D system set about 15ft above deck level which would give you about 12 mins to respond to the threat. I always had the yacht ready for emergencies but in 43 months and 34000 miles I never had to do more than change course or attend to the sails.

Meant to ask. What is C.A.R.D?

[GordMay]

C.A.R.D. is a passive Collision Avoidance Radar Detector.
➥ SURVIVAL SAFETY ENGINEERING

[tanksalot]

Interesting topic!

Years ago in Vietnam we were subject to occasional rocket attacks. I was continually amazed at how easily I could be awakened at 2 am from a deep sleep by a very quiet "whumphh" sound and be instantly wide awake and alert.

[Canibul]

Phalanx takes the worry out of being close.

YouTube - CIWS PAC Fire Aboard USS Kitty Hawk

[feelsgood]

The thing with radar is the amount of electric you need to run them even on snooz mode. I chose the C.A.R.D system because it only uses mili amps. It comes to personal choise but I have a H/H GPS C.A.R.D system and all led lights and 1 x 80 watt solar panel. I have one Battery and can start the engine by hand. I know that we have a 10 hp engine.I have never run the engine for the sole purpose of charging the battery and spend alot of time at anchor. On our liveaboard boat we have all the bells and whistles but that is how she was when we bouht her. I will get around to changing all the systems but for now living on a small budget.

[feelsgood]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Phalanx takes the worry out of being close.

this is a must have to keep the pirates of the boat

[Toro]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Phalanx takes the worry out of being close.

Might need to keep the engine running to power it

[roger.waite]

Originally Posted by Toro

Might need to keep the engine running to power it

And at 3,000-4,500 20mm cannon rounds per minute, that thing has just burnt 1/2 a tonne of shells. But hey, the Phalanx would sink me before the ammo came on board. I might go for an inflatable look-alike ...