Night Watch Deadman's Switch?

[Bill_Giles]

I did read of a lady who used a kitchen timer and sat in the companionway so she would wake and quickly scan the horizon.

[chriskilmer]

https://emeraldmarineproducts.com/20...tch-commander/

Saw this on Drake Paragon

[dleathem]

Something like this, if not already mentioned?
https://aqualarm.net/watch-alarm-aer...c771290ef96a6c

[henleyrh]

If you have a smart phone why not just set a timer for every 20 minutes or so.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by henleyrh

If you have a smart phone why not just set a timer for every 20 minutes or so.

Anything that cannot be restarted automatically (with no easy way to ignore) isn't worth it. Giving everyone my smart phone for their deck watch doesn't seem a viable solution.

[abarrow]

Originally Posted by chriskilmer

https://emeraldmarineproducts.com/20...tch-commander/

Saw this on Drake Paragon

I used one of these on a passage as well. They are great, but don't go to the head when it's getting time for reset. The alarm will wake the dead!

Not that I have any personal experience with that or anything.

[abarrow]

https://www.worldcruising.com/logsar...ID=229770&src=

[Shuti]

I prefer the APP “privat alarm”. Private, because no one else than you will recognize the alarm.
Costs nothing or little money and you can set the alarm with your mobile and with your headset.

[Alekrayong]

Just set your phone, tablet or whatever to alarm every 20 mins of your watch. I have used this system whilst extensively cruising single handed around SEA and it works fine. Choose a nice loud alarm such as a klaxon and you’ll never have a problem.

[abarrow]

Originally Posted by Shuti

I prefer the APP “privat alarm”. Private, because no one else than you will recognize the alarm.
Costs nothing or little money and you can set the alarm with your mobile and with your headset.

That's great and everything, but one of the functions of a timer like Watch Commander is to alert the rest of the crew if the timer is not reset. If I used a private alarm, I would worry about falling overboard and nobody on the crew being alerted. I guess if you had one of the ACR overboard AIS systems ....

[Alekrayong]

Err, falling overboard whilst single handed you’d not have to worry about not waking up the rest of the non existent crew!

[Shuti]

Originally Posted by abarrow

That's great and everything, but one of the functions of a timer like Watch Commander is to alert the rest of the crew if the timer is not reset. If I used a private alarm, I would worry about falling overboard and nobody on the crew being alerted. I guess if you had one of the ACR overboard AIS systems ....

Yes that's true. But I have a catamaran and AIS
But fact is, at a night watch no one is allowed to leave the cockpit alone anyway.
The privat alarm you can set every 15 min and with your headset on, you won't miss it.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by Shuti

Yes that's true. But I have a catamaran and AIS
But fact is, at a night watch no one is allowed to leave the cockpit alone anyway.
The privat alarm you can set every 15 min and with your headset on, you won't miss it.

I also have a cat and the PFDs are equipped with MOB AIS.


My concern is someone falling asleep while on watch. Personal devices be damned, I want the entire boat awakened if the watchkeeper is asleep or incapacitated.

[Sylph VI]

I have been using the "Watch Commandser" for some 15 years or so now and am surprised that they are not more widely known and used by short and single-handed sailors. It is designed by a short-handed sailor so is made specifically with offshore sailors in mind. Probably the single most important piece of safety equipment I carry. As a single-handed sailor I would not leave port without it.
Though, unfortunately, when I had a look for it online it would seem the website has shutdown. So presumably not enough interest was shown in the product for it to remain viable.

[DeValency]

Most sport and other interval timers would do the trick for a small cost, such as this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Gymboss-Plus-...924184&sr=8-10

Also many phone interval programmable apps, or even just set on the phone/ipad multiple alarms to hit every 20 min (or any interval you want)