Keeping Watch at Night ?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Just because someone labels themselves differently, does not make it OK for them to endanger the rest of us with their reckless behavior. Idiotic behavior is what makes one an idiot.

Most of the sailing icons, and really anyone who spends enough time on the water eventually (via circumstance), is singlehanding.

Joshua Slocum
Bernard Moitessier
Matt Rutherford (solo'd the Americas last year)
Jim Howard (long time sailor, author)

All incredible mariners with staggering sea time and experiences. Labeling them as idiots is a little much.

[Richard5]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I've no barney with singlehanders, but it does break the rules

Barney...Barney Rubble...rubble...rub. You have no rub with singlehanders, so I have that right?

[Richard5]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I just can't see that as something that works long term. We're leaving on the Pacific crossing in the spring and it just boggles my mind that anyone is going to sit there, for weeks, pulling constant shifts just staring into the ocean for hours.

No fishing, no reading, no music, no listening to podcasts... , that's just cruel.

That's not cruel. What's cruel is watching a man after running out of twice watered down liquor and no cigarettes for what's likely to be at least 3 more weeks unless we happen upon another vessel with smokers onboard. That isn't me I'm describing. Watching helplessly is almost as cruel. Just be ware of how he responds.

As for as standing watch, I agree with Barnacle. But this ain't the military with a full watch. When cruising you're short handed even with a few others onboard unless they all are on their A game and all the time. So standing watch means you are wearing many hats which means you can roam the boat looking for things to be done. And there are always things to be done. In fact, if you're sitting in a chair burning your eyeballs you are slacking.

[RaymondR]

In the version I have of the Colregs Rule 3: Definitions (f) states:

The term "vessel not under command" means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to maneuver as required by these Rules and is therefor unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.

Whether or not it is appropriate to heave to and display the correct lights or shapes to indicate a "vessel not under command" whilst a single hander has a nap appears to depend upon whether the need to have the nap might be considered "exceptional circumstances". One might validly claim that in the instance of a severe nap attack there is insufficient competent crew to safely work the vessel. If the court accepted this one would only then have the problem of whether or not you should be out there by yourself in the first place.

[Sabbatical II]

There's seems to me to be a huge gap here between theory (or ********?) and practice. I have been on many fully crewed boats on passage with a 24/7 watch system. I would probably trust the dilligent single hander more to keep an effective watch than any of these fully crewed boats, one was even as we sat for our yachtmaster ticket with a (yawning) yactmaster instructor aboard. The competent single hander knows and asseses the risks and works out how to best minimise them. He has total control over the human element and can set a whole range of alarms which, although not foolproof, have proven to be more reliable than the human substitutes. The skipper of a crewed boat has to trust that his crew is not day dreaming or even snoozing on watch and my experience is that mostly are.

[boatman61]

Why do folk assume a collision leads to the Criminal Courts... or any Court come to that...
I got T-Boned by a fully crewed sailboat in daylight that then backed away under motor to a distance covering his name on the stern before steaming off into the distance despite my request for help or at least a tow to Salcombe 10 miles away...
I'd been at sea for 47 days.. had no elecs due to a lightening strike 1000 odd miles earlier hence no radio or engine... my Genoa was ripped up the luff as a result of the impact... being poled out at the time to try and catch the faint breeze from astern.. the hull deck joint was split along an 18ft length and there was a vertical split in the hull 3ft long from deck level down... the boat was a Bendi 321...
I found my mobile and switched it on.. luckily it still had some charge so I called 999 and got put through to the CG who put out a call to boats in the neighbourhood to lend assistance as I felt trying to sail with that damage may bring the mast down... oh... and I already had emergency rope lowers from the wires popping during the strike..
Anyway... the Salcombe Lifeboat came out and towed me in... the hit and run was caught trying to sneak into Salcombe 3hr's after dark... and while I was chatting with the HM and the CG man an owner of another fully crewed yacht came wandering down the pontoon and in that typical upper class English drawl said...
"Is this the chappie who needed a tow... Huh... I was 3 miles away when the call came and I thought... Bludi Fool... can't sail or start his engine... serves this silly fool right... shouldn't be at sea in the first place"...
Luckily the CG and HM grabbed me before I got to his throat else there definitely would have been a Court appearance...
Changed his tune when he learnt the facts.... however reading this Thread leads me to the conclusion that there's a few pompous folk of his ilk here... and likely one or two hit and runners as well..
There was no court case.. no police involved... not even for the 4 on the hit and run boat that left a vessel in distress...
But how people here can pass a seemingly deserted boat at sea without checking if all is well on board... then come on CF and shed crocodile tears over someone like Jay going over the side...
Man there's some seriously sad people out there...
You lot should just hope there's someone like me who'll happily go off course to check out something that does not seem right if you ever get into trouble..
Simply quoting COLREG's alongside Courts only serves to demonstrate the depth of your ignorance...

Rant over... back to having a Larf...

PS; Being a recorded CG incident its on record.. boats name Mewa... in case anyone wants to check the BS factor... year Aug 2001

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

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

dave

Yes, Dave. The person ON-watch cooks.

Sleep is importnat for the off-watch crew and the on-watch crew needs to be active to keep alert. Bouncing up and down the compainwaiy certainly does that.

If they are so incompetant as a cook, or the cruising area so congested, then the off watch will just be on a diet, but at least well rested.

Note again: The CIA/armies etc uses sleep deprevation as a torture.... Note that well! No good sleeep is v bad




Mark

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Just because someone labels themselves differently, does not make it OK for them to endanger the rest of us with their reckless behavior. Idiotic behavior is what makes one an idiot.

With the speed she made it around, I don't believe there was a lot of Heave Too (ing) going on while she slept. (And) It seems like she was applauded for her feat rather than being called derogatory names.

Jessica Watson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

10/8/2009 - 5/15/2010

No watch keeping for this guy either: (while he slept)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Sunderland

Then there's James Baldwin, Robin Lee Graham, Tania Aebi .............

[boatman61]

Hey... come on... she nearly sank a big Chinese freighter on her warm up leg...

[Mr B]

Thats Funny Boatie, Hahahahaha

[dugout]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

It is because of such language, which sounds vague to the laymen but will have clear meaning to lawyers and judges in a maritime court of law, that we laymen should not be making decisions based on our "understanding" of the law.

Why would you think words represent some sort of code in maritime law?
The words are purposely vague for everyone. That is what creates the room for debate and interpretation. That is the basis for the system.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, guys,

I think it's important to keep watch as well as possible, and to keep your boat lit at night.

IMO, there's nothing "idiotic" about shorthanded sailing. Such labeling is offensive. And honestly, reading through all these posts, with whom would you rather share an ocean:

the man who labels you "idiot"?

or the man who'll divert course to see if all's well?


Ann

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

In the version I have of the Colregs Rule 3: Definitions (f) states:

The term "vessel not under command" means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to maneuver as required by these Rules and is therefor unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.

Whether or not it is appropriate to heave to and display the correct lights or shapes to indicate a "vessel not under command" whilst a single hander has a nap appears to depend upon whether the need to have the nap might be considered "exceptional circumstances". One might validly claim that in the instance of a severe nap attack there is insufficient competent crew to safely work the vessel. If the court accepted this one would only then have the problem of whether or not you should be out there by yourself in the first place.

While that is the definition, various guides to the Colregs provide interpretations:

A vessel claiming not-under-command status must (1) find itself in exceptional circumstances, and (2) thereby be unable to maneuver as would ordinarily be required by the Rules. The following are examples of conditions that could result in not-under-command status:

Vessel with anchor down but not holding
Vessel riding on anchor chains
Vessel with inoperative steering gear
Sailing vessel becalmed or in irons
Exceptionally bad weather (relative to vessel claiming status)
Vessels claiming not-under-command status are considered to be underway. That is, they re not considered to be at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground.

About the author's

Chris Llana is a former Coast Guard officer with a B.S. in naval architecture and marine engineering and advanced degrees in marine affairs (MMA) and law (JD). During his tenure as a civilian at Coast Guard Headquarters, he drafted the annexes to the Inland Navigation Rules and wrote other regulations implementing both International and Inland Navigation Rules. Subsequent to that, he worked for Comsat Corporation on policy issues concerning the International Maritime Satellite Organization. He currently writes novels and maintains a web site on the U.S. transition to the ATSC digital TV standard.

George Wisneskey is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and holds a master's degree in education from the George Washington University. As chief of the Coast Guard's Rules of the Road Branch before his retirement in 1982, he oversaw the drafting of the Inland Navigational Rules Act of 1980. He is currently an active player in the Neuse River Foundation from his home base on North Carolina's coast.

Handbook of the Nautical Rules of the Road

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Richard5

Barney...Barney Rubble...rubble...rub. You have no rub with singlehanders, so I have that right?

Trouble , I have no trouble with singlehanders , ie barney rubble , trouble , shheesh what's happened to English.

Dave

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Yes, Dave. The person ON-watch cooks.

Sleep is importnat for the off-watch crew and the on-watch crew needs to be active to keep alert. Bouncing up and down the compainwaiy certainly does that.

If they are so incompetant as a cook, or the cruising area so congested, then the off watch will just be on a diet, but at least well rested.

Note again: The CIA/armies etc uses sleep deprevation as a torture.... Note that well! No good sleeep is v bad

Mark

So the on watch , supposedly watching out and sailing , spends what 30-40 minutes in the galley. !!!

Dave