Keeping Watch at Night ?

[zeehag]

sorry--off watch cooks. on watch does just that--watch

if on watch cooks, then off watch will watch until cook is done cooking and up in cockpit.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

huh, whats happening when you're head is in the galley?

dave

You get rammed by someone motor sailing...

[barnakiel]

ONE or TWO people onboard?

In our boat there are the two of us, and there is NO FREAKING justification for one of us not to be in the cockpit: day or night, hell or high water. The watch is 99.99% of their time in the cockpit.

You are supposed to keep watch at all times. And, to me, if you do not, you are a moron.

Sure thing a SOLO sailor must sleep. In this case I say mate sleep some as I might see your ship because I am keeping watch.

b.

[simonmd]

I'd like to counter anyone who says that someone who is single handing and wants to get some sleep is 'idiotic'. What IS Idiotic is doing so without the right equipment.

I single hand in Med' quite a bit but I made sure my boat is well equipped to do so, fitting radar that has a proximity alarm, AIS, etc.

It's a simple fact that doing anything when being over tired can be as bad, if not worse, than being drunk and no one here would say that's a good idea i'm sure!

Personally, if I have to do a crossing of 20 hours or more, at night I lower the main (sometimes the headsail too) and have one engine running to help her along, taking a 45 min sleep when I feel I need it. I have found this works very well in keeping me alert, combined with a 30nm range on radar and the benefits of visibility making even a small light east to spot, I have no problem with not being physically on watch for that length of time.

The comment about AIS not being reliable is very true. I have seen MANY very large vessels apparently not giving out a signal, never mind the potential for meeting a smaller craft that isn't required to have one (a Princess 64 or half decent sized fishing boat can still appear from no where and do a lot of damage!). Its main use, when you do get a signal, is to be able to see their course and speed in advance and also their name to make it easier to call them on the VHF if required. Many large boats will not answer their radio if not called by name I've found.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

ONE or TWO people onboard?

In our boat there are the two of us, and there is NO FREAKING justification for one of us not to be in the cockpit: day or night, hell or high water. The watch is 99.99% of their time in the cockpit.

You are supposed to keep watch at all times. And, to me, if you do not, you are a moron.

Sure thing a SOLO sailor must sleep. In this case I say mate sleep some as I might see your ship because I am keeping watch.

b.

Personally I don't see the difference between being engrossed in a book in the cockpit or down in the cabin. If you stick your head up and scan around every ten minutes and the rest of the time you're checked out, who cares where the rest of the time is?

We used to go into the cabin to get warm or stay dry, now we go in there to stay cool and avoid the sun at certain times of the day.

And if you have enough shade to keep the sun out of the cockpit at all angles then you effectively reduce the visibility from the cockpit, defeating the point of being in the cockpit.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by simonmd

I'd like to counter anyone who says that someone who is single handing and wants to get some sleep is 'idiotic'. What IS Idiotic is doing so without the right equipment.

I single hand in Med' quite a bit but I made sure my boat is well equipped to do so, fitting radar that has a proximity alarm, AIS, etc.

It's a simple fact that doing anything when being over tired can be as bad, if not worse, than being drunk and no one here would say that's a good idea i'm sure!

Personally, if I have to do a crossing of 20 hours or more, at night I lower the main (sometimes the headsail too) and have one engine running to help her along, taking a 45 min sleep when I feel I need it. I have found this works very well in keeping me alert, combined with a 30nm range on radar and the benefits of visibility making even a small light east to spot, I have no problem with not being physically on watch for that length of time.

The comment about AIS not being reliable is very true. I have seen MANY very large vessels apparently not giving out a signal, never mind the potential for meeting a smaller craft that isn't required to have one (a Princess 64 or half decent sized fishing boat can still appear from no where and do a lot of damage!). Its main use, when you do get a signal, is to be able to see their course and speed in advance and also their name to make it easier to call them on the VHF if required. Many large boats will not answer their radio if not called by name I've found.

Being a Moron and an Idiot I agree with everything in this thread...

[thomm225]

The Singlehanded Transpac Race takes anywhere from 7-23 days or so to complete. The race is from San Francisco to Hawaii.

One of the guys recommends getting up every 20-30 minutes for a quick check. See link:

http://sfbaysss.org/tipsbook/Singleh...irdEdition.pdf

Also see picture on the last page!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by simonmd

I'd like to counter anyone who says that someone who is single handing and wants to get some sleep is 'idiotic'. What IS Idiotic is doing so without the right equipment.

I single hand in Med' quite a bit but I made sure my boat is well equipped to do so, fitting radar that has a proximity alarm, AIS, etc.

It's a simple fact that doing anything when being over tired can be as bad, if not worse, than being drunk and no one here would say that's a good idea i'm sure!

Personally, if I have to do a crossing of 20 hours or more, at night I lower the main (sometimes the headsail too) and have one engine running to help her along, taking a 45 min sleep when I feel I need it. I have found this works very well in keeping me alert, combined with a 30nm range on radar and the benefits of visibility making even a small light east to spot, I have no problem with not being physically on watch for that length of time.

The comment about AIS not being reliable is very true. I have seen MANY very large vessels apparently not giving out a signal, never mind the potential for meeting a smaller craft that isn't required to have one (a Princess 64 or half decent sized fishing boat can still appear from no where and do a lot of damage!). Its main use, when you do get a signal, is to be able to see their course and speed in advance and also their name to make it easier to call them on the VHF if required. Many large boats will not answer their radio if not called by name I've found.

As you point out, AIS is not very reliable and I would suggest that radar is also not 100%. Only recently have I owned a boat with radar so don't have years of personal experience looking at the screen to back this up but have a very interesting example from another boat.

I was in the Straights of FL headed to Key West on a very rough passage and passed a pair of tugs with a string of barges headed to TX. Was a little confused by their lights (one tug was trailing the barges and it wasn't clear to me what the second set of nav lights was about) so was on the radio with the tug captain. As we passed I was about 1/2 mile on their beam and he commented that he could not see me on his radar at all in the rough sea conditions.

This was a large, commercial operation and had a top end Furuno radar so should have spotted me if anything could. I was on a 32' glass boat but did not have a radar reflector at the time so that was a worst case scenario as far as a target. However, like AIS you cannot count on every boat at sea to have a reflector deployed.

No doubt radar will dramatically improve the odds of seeing another boat but still doesn't eliminate all the risk. I would assume a new, HD radar will be even better but don't have one of those, yet.

[Oceanride007]

I've been in some lonely oceans, its surprising how you can cross the Indian Ocean and only see one vessel and yep dead on collision course & despite being the stand on vessel they didn't give way. Its happened twice. Think heaving too, is a good option if you are single handing, its unlikely a commercial vessel would ignore you for the half hour or so you were dead ahead, I would risk it on those lonely passages.

[Tellus]

Originally Posted by Oceanride007

I've been in some lonely oceans, its surprising how you can cross the Indian Ocean and only see one vessel and yep dead on collision course & despite being the stand on vessel they didn't give way. Its happened twice. Think heaving too, is a good option if you are single handing, its unlikely a commercial vessel would ignore you for the half hour or so you were dead ahead, I would risk it on those lonely passages.

Even happened in Biscay at daylight some years ago, by delivering a 50" Helmsman. Not a small boat but very small for a "blind" Bulker. And we were under sails, the skipper lighted the sails by flashlight too - no chance, we turned the boat hard.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

huh, whats happening when you're head is in the galley?

dave

Shouldn't this be in the "I pee in the sink thread"???

[Cheechako]

3 hours worked pretty well for us. Always used an egg timer set for 15 minutes. Person on watch got cat naps alt of the time. When you scan the horizon (well.... use your radar!) scan a long time... sometimes you see or think you see a tiny light... then not sure, then yeah.... pretty soon ... it's a tanker!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

... they were all below having cheese and wine... I was drifting and down below making cheese and toast...
Conclusion... CHEESE IS DANGEROUS...

I had no idea.... I am going to implement new protocol on my boat...

From now on, all cheese shall be suspended from a spare halyard and is only consumed on deck...

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Personally I don't see the difference between being engrossed in a book in the cockpit or down in the cabin. If you stick your head up and scan around every ten minutes and the rest of the time you're checked out, who cares where the rest of the time is?

(...)

Personally, I do not allow my crew to read books on watch. No console games, no mp3 players, no joints, no beer, etc. Only the off watch one is free to do what they please but even they are required to get good rest so that they are 100% ready to grind if such a need arises. While on watch, everybody (on our boat) is expected to watch, keep eye on the boat and, if required, steer.

That's the general rule, I do agree that when the weather is good, boat sailing fine and the horizon has been scanned, it is OK to go down below to use the head, grab a jacket or put the kettle on.

Remember how the sat Gypsy Moth on that reef?

b.

[jackdale]

The case law:

In 1984, Granholm v. TFL Express, the court found a single-handed racer negligent for taking a thirty-minute nap.

The yacht, Granholm, was participating in a qualifying sail for a transatlantic race. With the boat on autopilot, and with all required navigation lights showing, the owner scanned the horizon for ships, set a thirty-minute time, and went below for a nap. Meanwhile, the TFL Express was on autopilot, making eighteen knots; the mate was plotting her position, and the "lookout" was making tea. The Express came up from behind and ran the Granholm down.

The owner of the Granholm sued the Express for her failure to maintain a proper lookout (Rule 5), and for neglecting, as the overtaking vessel, her obligation to keep clear (Rule 13). The court agreed, but placed equal blame on the single-hander, saying, "The obligation to maintain a proper lookout falls upon great vessels and small alike."

50-50 responsibility. But he was still run down.