Sleeping Aboard

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Eleven

Brother who sailed the indian ocean in the eighties relates tales of awakening 'not on schedule'.
On one occasion the boat was sailing backwards.
On the other occasion a reef was half a mile ahead. Uncharted.

Moral is:
If you wake up go on deck.
Do your usual checks with extra care. Mooring lines can slip off, and not just on your boat.
Your sixth sense is the one you should never ignore.

I would also say, have some comfy clothes to sleep in that are practical on deck. There will be nights when you need to go to sleep dressed and ready for action.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I would also say, have some comfy clothes to sleep in that are practical on deck. There will be nights when you need to go to sleep dressed and ready for action.

Only at sea... anchored/moored or alongside my neighbors can do the "Don't look Ethel" for all I care...

[w1651]

I think he's hearing the other boats rigging.

Go up on top and tie all the halyards to the life lines to keep them off the mast. Your at a dock or anchor so you won't need them, then make sure all the gear on deck is secured. If you can't secure it then bring it below and stow it. If you have a hard dink then tie it down so it doesn't slip or move.
The trick is doing all this to the boat next to you without anyone seeing.
If boat man is on his deck when you check your halyards try not to look. Better yet go below until he does and then check your halyards. Otherwise you might need psycho therapy treatments, maybe a few shock therapy sessions for good measure..

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I would also say, have some comfy clothes to sleep in that are practical on deck. There will be nights when you need to go to sleep dressed and ready for action.

I figure that whoever else is up in the field at 2am can just look away!

[daddle]

Yes, sleeping can be restless when the weather is up. Fortunately somebody invented the afternoon nap to make up for lost sleep...

[sinbad7]

He he...so right. I remember one winter living on my boat in Norway when large ice floes were knocking into the steel stern of my boat making sleep impossible.
Getting out on deck in boxer shorts and T-shirt,knee deep in snow,pushing the offending ice floes away with a 10 feet boathook. I remember thinking "What the hell are you doing here?"

Tore

[gonesail]

ear plugs help in the worst weather. that and a couple shots of good bourbon

[mbianka]

The guy who runs the boatyard thats near my mooring one day became concerned because they did not see me all day. He came by knocked on the boat and I did not respond. He then came aboard heard me snoring and knew was all ok. Yep, I sleep pretty good on the boat. Sometimes too good.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Only at sea... anchored/moored or alongside my neighbors can do the "Don't look Ethel" for all I care...

On a cool night the "altogether" look is altogether too cold!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I figure that whoever else is up in the field at 2am can just look away!

It's going to be going down into the 50's at night here soon. Also I just have very tender feet. I don't walk around on my boat barefoot, and I think the altogether with running shoes on is singularly unattractive.

Your mileage may vary and all that, but with clothes on you're ready for a variety of problems. It's not a big deal for me but I think it's worth it for beginners to consider.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

On a cool night the "altogether" look is altogether too cold!

Ex-zactly... it disappears... nothing to see... why the fuss...

[osirissail]

In the tropic it's another story, wearing clothes down below is both extra hot and increases the "laundry" load.
- - One night a few years ago we were in Bequia and somewhere around 03:00 a gust front came through the anchorage and about a dozen of us were dragging anchor. On came the deck lights and a dozen or two naked cruisers were scrambling over their decks recovering and re-setting anchors. However, at that time of night and the predicament combined so that nobody noticed all the naked folks running around except to comment that we all seemed to be wearing the same color. Ah, the joys of cruising . . .

[w1651]

Originally Posted by osirissail

In the tropic it's another story, wearing clothes down below is both extra hot and increases the "laundry" load.
- - One night a few years ago we were in Bequia and somewhere around 03:00 a gust front came through the anchorage and about a dozen of us were dragging anchor. On came the deck lights and a dozen or two naked cruisers were scrambling over their decks recovering and re-setting anchors. However, at that time of night and the predicament combined so that nobody noticed all the naked folks running around except to comment that we all seemed to be wearing the same color. Ah, the joys of cruising . . .

It got cool and windy last weekend here on Tampa Bay. I was sleeping like a baby and didn't care one bit about the clanging of lines . I have my dink vertical against the mast so the boat heeled a little in the night also. That was the only thing that woke me up.
I gotta get that dink below the boom and secured. I don't know what it is but I have a harder time sleeping on land than in my vberth.

[Vamonos]

Perhaps a bit of thread drift here but somewhat related:

I've tried a couple of different designs of bungees over the years and have not been overly thrilled with the life span of them when exposed to the elements. Is there a style that seems to work better for you?

I have several pieces of misc small diameter line around for various duties that work about as well as bungees. But, sometimes it's nice to have the stretch and/or the built in hooks.

Richard

[Paraman34]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all of your advice. I've been sleeping aboard for nearly 4 weeks now and already I sleep soundly unless a hear something new. Once I figure out what it is then I'm back catching Zzz Zzz without any problem.

My next challenge will be freezing temperatures and snow! Roll on the summer.