Solo sailers and sleep reality

[BigBoater917]

The experienced sailors use these.




WEST MARINE Traveler's Mug, 16oz. | West Marine

[BigBoater917]

Sorry for the double post but this guys seems to have found a solution.


Although he was sailing in the outbound lane from Ambrose to Barnegat.

[hoppy]

I found another use for my solar arch 😃

I could perhaps maintain watch without getting out of bed 😉

It might not work so well close hauled but down wind it could be great




Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Orion Jim]

I just returned from a solo passage to Bermuda and back. I would take a careful tour of the deck an hour before dark and pay special attention to the standing and running rigging. This insured that I was confident there were no unnoticed issues when darkness fell. Usually around 11:00pm local time I would scan my horizon with the radar range set on 24 miles, turn the radar off, and head below for a nap. I would leave my AIS on and at the maximum range setting, 10 miles, at all times. I then set an alarm for 60 to 90 minute intervals. When the alarm went off I'd get up on deck to visually scan the horizon and use the spotlight to quickly check the standing and running rigging. I would then make any required course adjustments, take another 24 mile radar scan and return to bed to begin the process all over.
In the proximity of shipping lanes or within 100 miles of landfall I never set the alarm for more than 40 minutes. I usually slept 6 to seven hours each night which was enough for me.

[GordMay]

A new study [1] has linked sleep loss to climate change. And it’s not just theoretical.

Investigators report that increasing ambient temperatures negatively impact human sleep. The team says their findings suggest that, by the year 2099, suboptimal temperatures may erode 50 to 58 hours of sleep, per person, per year. This erosion occurs primarily by delaying when people fall asleep, and by advancing when they wake up, during hot weather.

This could prove problematic, especially for single-handed cruisers, who often have to snatch sleep quickly, as circumstances permit.

[1] “Rising temperatures erode human sleep globally” ~ by Kelton Minor et al
➥ https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fullt...showall%3Dtrue

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by GordMay

A new study [1] has linked sleep loss to climate change. And it’s not just theoretical.

Investigators report that increasing ambient temperatures negatively impact human sleep. The team says their findings suggest that, by the year 2099, suboptimal temperatures may erode 50 to 58 hours of sleep, per person, per year. This erosion occurs primarily by delaying when people fall asleep, and by advancing when they wake up, during hot weather.

This could prove problematic, especially for single-handed cruisers, who often have to snatch sleep quickly, as circumstances permit.

[1] “Rising temperatures erode human sleep globally” ~ by Kelton Minor et al
➥ https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fullt...showall%3Dtrue

Shouldn’t that be reversed? Climate change, warmer temps, lead to sleep loss?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

Shouldn’t that be reversed? Climate change, warmer temps, lead to sleep loss?

Solution is simple, sleep in the cockpit on the Lee side.
Cool enough at nights and early mornings.. my favourite spot in the tropics..

[mrcarson]

I'm 80 yr old and still wake every 30 mins or so.
The last 40 yrs I've run Solar, wind and shaft genny's, which allowed a 16nm Furuno Radar on Standby and 20 min wakeups. alarm set at 4nm.
Open eye. look at screen. close eye. They avail Use them. $8 grand sorted them.
Plus 8mm plates below water. 6 mm above. 1/2 in keel plates. ALL shipyard steel with extra ribs and stringers. Full double welded. Builder wanted to go up to Antarctic.
pretty absorbant to anything bar ships and hard stuff.
Prior to then. A good LOOOooooong drink b4 bunk. Gets me up regularly enuff to cover the dark time rising. Just wait till you try to stop doing it.

[sailasia]

Originally Posted by mstrebe

You have to hoist two red 360 degree red lights one above the other on a halyard to show that you're not under comman

Nope. Going to sleep is NOT exceptional circumstance as required by COLREGS to be NUC. You are still under way, not making way.

That is not only wrong it is dangerous.

[mrcarson]

If you single. a little trick is to buy a 2kve genny 16mile radar and several 100a+ battery's. I have panels, Wind and shaft genny too. (Heavy boat She doesn't notice the drag so much). You can run genny turn on radar with proximity alarm on ?4miles and get a few hrs sleep. Genny only sips fuel.
that 20 mins trick is the old days. Nowadays there's no need for things like that.$8ish grand, you have radar/genny charger and coupla battery's. Sail safely. or heave to set radar alarm and get a good 4? hr kip in one hit. Or just over idle engine for 4? hrs and run radar with proximity set. A coupla spare gerry cans etc of diesel on deck/in lazarette. will give you a lot of those spare engine run hrs to kip safely. even in daylight.. It's a LOT safer believe me.
Looking at a ships steaming lights seeing P x S at 3 in morning. and helm saying. Hey Wake up LOOK there's a ship there. Yea. Bow to bow.
I turned spot on his bridge, put helm over started engina all at same time.
That's brother in laws for you. Make sure people KNOW steaming lights and directions. B4 you let them loose on your wheel.

[crankysailor]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I dont know what all the fuss is about.

If you are solo and get run down my a ship, that's your problem and you chose to take that risk. If you are on a fully crewed yacht maintaining a proper watch, you will have spotted the solo sailor and even if you have right of way the col regs tell you what to do (as boaty wrote above).

It takes two to screw up and if you fear the solo sailor then you are admitting that you or your crew are not competent enough to maintain a watch and perhaps you should stick to forum sailing.

But but... wait... how about two like minded solo sailors winning the lottery that night?..

... I mean in the end it is a game of chance. You choose the probability yoz are comfortable with and then go (or don't). Being a youngish (by cruising standards ) proud father of a 5 yr old. I owe it to that guy to come back home. So my risk tolerance is rather low. If you are 70, single with no pension and no kids in the house I might choose to get stoned senseless and then sleep all night on a solo trip off the coast of Amsterdam. Checking out!!! bye suckers!!!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

But but... wait... how about two like minded solo sailors winning the lottery that night?..

... I mean in the end it is a game of chance. You choose the probability yoz are comfortable with and then go (or don't). Being a youngish (by cruising standards ) proud father of a 5 yr old. I owe it to that guy to come back home. So my risk tolerance is rather low. If you are 70, single with no pension and no kids in the house I might choose to get stoned senseless and then sleep all night on a solo trip off the coast of Amsterdam. Checking out!!! bye suckers!!!

Simple answer.. don't singlehand if your risk tolerance is that low.. also if your singlehanding and stoned comatose for the night off the Amsterdam coast your more likely to run aground before you hit another boat.