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Old 02-05-2015, 18:51   #106
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Cargo tend to follow pretty fixed routes, sort of like there are highways in the ocean and then there are much less traveled patches between the highways.

Study the routes then stay away from then (when you want to sleep) or stay with them (when you want to get rescued).

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Old 02-05-2015, 19:22   #107
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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Originally Posted by scottmills View Post
Hi Avery,
I almost never solo overnight but, when I did for a couple of nights I ran at a slow speed, 2-3 knots and woke myself up often. Have no AIS, but radar reflectors and a good sized boat. Run with as many lights as you can, and leave your radio on loud.
That's what I did, and it worked. But I wouldn't do that anywhere near shipping lanes or where there are a lot of trawlers or fishermen.
Sounds like you have all the devices you'll need.

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Old 02-05-2015, 19:27   #108
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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Originally Posted by basenay View Post
Check out Watch Commander which goes to 80 db alarm if not reset within a 1-3 minutes after low alarm. Around $250 but can build your own if handy with electronics. Can find plans in recent Ocean Cruising Club bulletin.
There's gotta be an App for that.
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Old 02-05-2015, 19:38   #109
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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Originally Posted by barnakiel View Post
Cargo tend to follow pretty fixed routes, sort of like there are highways in the ocean and then there are much less traveled patches between the highways.

Study the routes then stay away from then (when you want to sleep) or stay with them (when you want to get rescued).

b.
Not really. They travel the shortest routes.

Amver.com - Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System - Density Plots

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Old 02-05-2015, 19:47   #110
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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Nope, although that was the initial speculation... But that's not what the investigation by US SAILING determined, and the SPOT data makes it appear pretty obvious they crashed straight into North Coronado Island...

Report Sheds Light on Deaths Aboard Aegean - Inside Practical Sailor Blog Article

What's very curious to me, is that I can find no reference to the final report of the investigation by the US Coast Guard, which was "ongoing" at the time that US SAILING released their own findings...

It's been a few years, now... One would think the CG would have wrapped up their investigation by now, no?
Thanks Jon, I had not realised that. Very strange isn't it. Missed a way point and just kept going. Every one asleep or everyone 'unconscious' I wonder?

I also notice the conspiracy theorists are full ahead In the comments.
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Old 02-05-2015, 19:48   #111
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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There's gotta be an App for that.
the good old Iphone has this ability and it's loud when it goes off. Set at 10 or 15 minute's.
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Old 02-05-2015, 21:06   #112
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

I agree, that @ 7 knots or so, you'd expect the hull would have stayed intact. Let's assume that three of them were below and one at the helm at 1:30 AM. It's fairly easy to be become confused at night and three of them never made it out from being.

I've had dunker training in a mock up of a CH-46 helicopter fuselage. The last drop is with darked out glasses over your eyes. It's quite an experience the 1st time. The fuselage hits the water, rolls over, you're belted in and you're blind. Theirs a mad scramble of seven people to clear the fuselage with some knocking around to get to the surface.

If they're had hit the shore line during the day, then, I'd be puzzled as to why all four of them were dead. However, at night, it's a different story. I know of one 4 man crew of a Blackhawk helicopter that hit the ocean with a low speed impact. All four of them should have made it out. However, only one survived, the other three crewmen never cleared the aircraft.

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Old 02-05-2015, 21:36   #113
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

A few more random thoughts from a solo boat...

Coastal really isn't nice, get off the shelf as quick as possible. Most fishing boats stay in shallower water, off the continental shelf things get much quieter.
In the Atlantic, I can't remember seeing a boat offshore which wasn't transmitting ais. This was with radar one most of the time as well.
I'd sleep an hour at a time with ais and radar alarms on a 5 mile radius. Radar is great for picking up squalls as well so you can get ready to top up drinking water and maybe have a shower. Wake ups were not really wake ups, but sort of half wake ups with a good look round to see if everything is OK then back to sleep. Important to write this in the log otherwise you won't remember anything. If anything needed attention then coffee time and get fully alert before making any decisions.
Though technically contravening the IRPCS collision risks solo offshore can reduced to an acceptable level, imho. Coastal, that's a different ballgame.......
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Old 02-09-2015, 20:14   #114
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Does anyone have any stats relating to the frequency of a solo sailor colliding with another boat XXX miles offshore? With the speed of the mini transat and open series boats (amongst others), certainly the standard 15-20 minute "typical cruiser" guideline is reduced, so likely fewer visual scans overall. I'm unaware (I'll have to "google" it) of mid-ocean collisions. Of course, "lost without a trace" situations are potential collisions also. Does anyone have access to a source of data?
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Old 02-09-2015, 20:21   #115
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

Well, once you figure out WHO has the responsibility to report those incidents, and WHO has the responsibility to record them and collate them, I'm sure one of us can find out.


But until then you are asking "How many people lose their hats every winter?"


There's no central place, means, way, or organization to report that to, even if anyone wants to.
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Old 02-09-2015, 22:09   #116
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

I've noted many posts indicating I slow down at night" or rarely heave to. Questioners wonder about running into something when the solo skipper is sleeping and the boat still sailing. I'm not as bright as I was a half century ago, but I don't think that the chances of a collision are changed depending upon whether your boat is moving or not. The chances of another boat passing over any particular spot on the ocean is the same. If your boat is stationary you will be hit by another boat IF it tries to occupy the same space as you're occupying. But if you are moving that boat won't collide with you. Another will that wouldn't have had you remained stationary. Your chances of a collision are the same at any particular moment. The only difference is that there will be fewer "moments" if you are always traveling toward your destination than if you were to draw out your passage by stopping of slowing down. The longer you're out there the greater the chance of collision. The longer you're out ther the greater the chance of weather problems. About the only danger that a longer passage will avoid is a land based accident.
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Old 02-09-2015, 22:38   #117
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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I've noted many posts indicating I slow down at night" or rarely heave to. Questioners wonder about running into something when the solo skipper is sleeping and the boat still sailing. I'm not as bright as I was a half century ago, but I don't think that the chances of a collision are changed depending upon whether your boat is moving or not. The chances of another boat passing over any particular spot on the ocean is the same. If your boat is stationary you will be hit by another boat IF it tries to occupy the same space as you're occupying. But if you are moving that boat won't collide with you. Another will that wouldn't have had you remained stationary. Your chances of a collision are the same at any particular moment. The only difference is that there will be fewer "moments" if you are always traveling toward your destination than if you were to draw out your passage by stopping of slowing down. The longer you're out there the greater the chance of collision. The longer you're out ther the greater the chance of weather problems. About the only danger that a longer passage will avoid is a land based accident.
You're right. Although I suspect if any of our members are really good at kaos theory, they can make a valid case for there being a greater(or lesser) chance of two objects attempting to occupy the same space at the same time when both at moving versus when only one is moving.

It's a big ocean out there and there are very few boats. The odds of this happening are very, very small. So small as to be statisically insignificant (once you are not in shipping lanes).

Of course I'm getting older also and therefore like you - not quite as smart as I once was (sigh).
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Old 03-09-2015, 02:14   #118
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Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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I've noted many posts indicating I slow down at night" or rarely heave to. Questioners wonder about running into something when the solo skipper is sleeping and the boat still sailing. I'm not as bright as I was a half century ago, but I don't think that the chances of a collision are changed depending upon whether your boat is moving or not. The chances of another boat passing over any particular spot on the ocean is the same. If your boat is stationary you will be hit by another boat IF it tries to occupy the same space as you're occupying. But if you are moving that boat won't collide with you. Another will that wouldn't have had you remained stationary. Your chances of a collision are the same at any particular moment. The only difference is that there will be fewer "moments" if you are always traveling toward your destination than if you were to draw out your passage by stopping of slowing down. The longer you're out there the greater the chance of collision. The longer you're out ther the greater the chance of weather problems. About the only danger that a longer passage will avoid is a land based accident.
Dang, Sam, that sounds pretty astute to me! And for the record, I don't remember you being all that clever 50years ago... were we not both flogging our brains out in our silly little boats on SF bay then?

At any rate, I agree with your analysis of the odds of coinciding with another object at any given time not being affected by your velocity. The only thing that might be a factor is that hitting a stationary object will be nastier if you are going fast, so if you were so unlucky as to hit that other single hander who was hove to and stopped, it would be better to go slowly!

But I bet you will have a hard time convincing most of the other punters of your logic.

Cheers,

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Old 03-09-2015, 04:55   #119
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pirate Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

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Frankly my biggest concern with singlehanding any significant distance is loss of the AP. I've considered various backup systems, but also wonder if heaving to (easy with my boat) & resting might be a realistic & viable alternative should I lose my self-steering. It doesn't seem like you often read or hear about this option in the specific context of being forced to hand steer solo over long distances.
Well it can be done.. and is more than folk realise..
My example happened in '05.. from Beaufort, NC to the UK..
My new Simrad WP died on me.. (they had crap belts) just N of Bermuda.. I had the option to turn back as I had the previous year in my first attempt when a wave dumped on top of me and punched out a bulkhead.. however this time I chose to press on.
It took a total of 40days to reach Horta from Beaufort.. hand steering dawn till dusk then heaving to, making something hot to eat then getting my head down till the light woke me around dawn.
Should add.. this included being hove to for near a week for my back to recover after being thrown across the cockpit onto a winch by a bigger than usual cross wave slapping my stern..
First week was the hardest.. shoulders and upper arms killed.. then I got the feel for using my feet to spell myself and life got better.
Be surprised what's possible when the **** hits the fan..
From Horta it took near 40 more days to reach Poole, UK.. still hand steering..
Ahh... to be young and hardy again..
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Old 03-09-2015, 05:14   #120
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pirate Re: Advice, How to Maintain Watch & Sail When Solo Thru 24 Hr's. (+) Time Periods ?

With reference to the mention of folks who have run aground while asleep...
My technique is simple.. if I look like making a landfall after dark following long passage I consult my Pilot Chart (have one for each Ocean and the Med) note the general current direction then assess my distance from land and the wind direction.. I will then heave to on the safest tack.. even if it means moving away from my destination at around a knot or so.. sometimes the wind and current will favour carrying on in the general direction at a knot or so..
I have an aversion to closing solids in the dark.. I know only to well how one can suddenly start seeing what one wants to see.. as opposed to what is actually there..
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