Question for those who sail at night or solo

[s/v Beth]

I never bragged about my colregs or my driving. If you can't pay attention to little details for at least 12 hours straight then how do you sail or drive?
(This is spoken in jest)

[Roy M]

Dockhead, would you please provide the make and model of your forward looking sonar?

[zeehag]

i drive my cars too fast, i sail at night and i love it...when i am shorthanding, we do watches..on my boat, whatever we want to do ..i can do to 12 hours straight as she is easy to sail. i sleep rtc 15 mins--working nights in intensive care for almost 10 yrs out of 30ish did that to me..but i dont do well at 0400, so i like the other soul on watch then.
i scan horizon every 15 -20ish mins, as that is about the lengthy of time it takes a freighter to get from horizon to close by my position.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I must say that I find it ironic when folks who rattle on at length about nuances of Colregs and other safety issues then start bragging about driving when so fatigued that they were less than fully competent, and about ignoring speed limit laws.

Odd how we prioritize things...

Jim

Yeah - When I reached my 60th birthday I decided to join the Iron Butt Association (Google it). To do this I did what I call their "sissy ride", the Saddlesore 1000, 1000 miles in 24 hours. On my bucket list is the 50CC, 50 hours coast to coast.
And before anybody starts freaking out, this does not involve maniacal speeds by drug fueled riders. It's just a matter of determination and technique (and not stopping unnecessarily).

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Yeah - When I reached my 60th birthday I decided to join the Iron Butt Association (Google it). To do this I did what I call their "sissy ride", the Saddlesore 1000, 1000 miles in 24 hours. On my bucket list is the 50CC, 50 hours coast to coast.
And before anybody starts freaking out, this does not involve maniacal speeds by drug fueled riders. It's just a matter of determination and technique (and not stopping unnecessarily).

Ah, the joys of riding with a catheter.

I hitchhiked from LA to Chicago in a little less than three days. Got a ride out of LA to Barstow right quick then had to stand on the Freeway for hours after midnight for my next ride. Got picked up by a Mexican going to Chicago. Took a short nap and woke up in Nevada as he stopped for gas. He came back with a Mexican women after he went inside to pay. Never did figure how he hooked up with her as they spoke only Spanish for the rest of the ride. He turned the driving over to me and climbed in the backseat with her. Drove straight through to Chicago as they only came up for air when I stopped for gas. Hitched up to Madison to see my soon to be ex girl friend and then back on the road to Ann Arbor and summer school to take the one course I needed to graduate.

That was in the Summer of love, spring of '67. Took a 1947 Packard Ambulance from Michigan to SF and down to LA with 6 people. They stayed on they stayed on so I hitched back. Didn't realize till they got back that we'd done the entire trip on 7 of 8 cylinders in the flat head straight 8 motor. Thought it was kind of gutless in the Mountains.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Ah, the joys of riding with a catheter.
---

Seriously LMAO.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by roverhi

To be of use for a boat on a passage, a forward looking sonar would have to be able to pick up an object from 7' under to the surface at least 200 yards in front of the boat preferably a half mile for single handers and inexperienced watch standers. Any lees than that and it's just the bow lookout on the Titanic. Haven't used or seen one of these forward scanners but doubt that they have that kind of distance capability. They have a use in slowly finding your way into an anchorage but will remain a toy for the gadget obsessed and very wealthy.

minbe is really useless, If it shows anything its still up to interpretation what it is and the range us very limited. hummingbird 900 series

[Capt Phil]

I recall driving towboats in the PNW, you got pretty good at picking out deadheads (widowmakers) and logs lying low in the water at night. The water would break just a little different, even with a chop or bit of a sea running. Skipper and mate asleep below so as junior crew, regularly took the dog watch. We always throttled back at night and only remember hitting a couple of logs over about a 10 year period with little or no damage.
Single handing offshore, down for 30 min and up for 5 min or so at night, catnap during daylight. On deliveries always tried to have two up for the dark watches in case one fell asleep. Travelling north or south off the left coast, always stayed out at least 50 miles. Tankers travel out of Valdez, AK at least 40 miles and travel around 16-18 knots but they keep a good watch. Inside of that, pleasure craft, fishboats and general traffic increases so do the hazards. Also more crap in the water.
Forward seeking radar is a feature that came on stream after my time but sounds like a reasonable investment for night passages. Phil

[bfloyd4445]

why not just heave to at night when single handed instead of sailing on with no watch?

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by bfloyd4445

why not just heave to at night when single handed instead of sailing on with no watch?

Some of us don't want to take twice as long to get somewhere. A 21 day passage to the Marquesas could turn into a 42 day trip. No thankyou!!!!. A guy tried heaving to at night on a sail from Mexico to Hawaii on a small catamaran. He was blown so far off course while hove to he made very little headway. Ended up abandoning the boat.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Some of us don't want to take twice as long to get somewhere. A 21 day passage to the Marquesas could turn into a 42 day trip. No thankyou!!!!. A guy tried heaving to at night on a sail from Mexico to Hawaii on a small catamaran. He was blown so far off course while hove to he made very little headway. Ended up abandoning the boat.

That I understand, however, when in a hurry I always ask myself one question: Is making better time under these conditions worth my life? And my answer is almost always, no it isn't and I back off.

[Stu Jackson]

Thread drift...714 miles, western NY State to Chicago, 12+? hours, 1971 VW Super Beetle, all four cylinders working, in 1972, back then I was all of 27.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by bfloyd4445

why not just heave to at night when single handed instead of sailing on with no watch?

If you are bobbing around in the middle of the ocean at night, I question if there is much safety difference between the two, with the possible exception of hitting a container that's awash at minimal speed compared to cruising speed.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by FSMike

If you are bobbing around in the middle of the ocean at night, I question if there is much safety difference between the two, with the possible exception of hitting a container that's awash at minimal speed compared to cruising speed.

That's true, would be more of an issue when traveling inshore. I've hit things but nothing that's ever done any damage except to my pride.

[Group9]

It's tough. I was sailing back across the Gulf of Mexico a couple of years ago, and had the night watch by myself. It was pretty embarrassing when my relief had to wake me up. But, it happens.

I would have woke up eventually.