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Old 19-08-2013, 07:03   #361
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
funny how all the tankers i have seen have their lights on at night, so far, gom and pacific--havent yet seen one sans nav lights.
i have come across cruisers sans lights, but not freighters sans lights.
and, of course the pangas with weird lights scattered off shore in darkness manning their drift nets and long lines...my favorite panga lites are from the buoys in mazatlan--they keep missing the flashing red lights...funny how these are seen on pangas at sea and drifting in old harbor.......

Hi Zee,

Not saying they are without nav lights, saying they are without deck lights, house lights and other lights like you see on a cruise liner.

No I have never seen any large vessel running without navigation lights but yes I have seen plenty of sailboats and small powerboats running dark.
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Old 19-08-2013, 07:49   #362
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

Geez Louise, 25 pages and 361+ posts just on keeping watch at night....

For the record, if I have to keep watch at night, I want to be on goboatingnow (Dave's) or Boatman61 (Phil's) boat.

OK, there are a couple of others and you know who you are - you are the ones who would be happy to sail with Dave or Phil at night
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Old 19-08-2013, 07:53   #363
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Geez Louise, 25 pages and 361+ posts just on keeping watch at night....

For the record, if I have to keep watch at night, I want to be on goboatingnow (Dave's) or Boatman61 (Phil's) boat.

OK, there are a couple of others and you know who you are - you are the ones who would be happy to sail with Dave or Phil at night
22 pages and 360 posts devoted to the discussion of lights and how they affect your ability to see - lights! Go figger.
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Old 19-08-2013, 08:04   #364
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by barnakiel View Post
Personally, I do not allow my crew to read books on watch. No console games, no mp3 players, no joints, no beer, etc. Only the off watch one is free to do what they please but even they are required to get good rest so that they are 100% ready to grind if such a need arises. While on watch, everybody (on our boat) is expected to watch, keep eye on the boat and, if required, steer.

That's the general rule, I do agree that when the weather is good, boat sailing fine and the horizon has been scanned, it is OK to go down below to use the head, grab a jacket or put the kettle on.

Remember how the sat Gypsy Moth on that reef?

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Old 19-08-2013, 08:24   #365
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by Wotname View Post
Geez Louise, 25 pages and 361+ posts just on keeping watch at night....

For the record, if I have to keep watch at night, I want to be on goboatingnow (Dave's) or Boatman61 (Phil's) boat.

OK, there are a couple of others and you know who you are - you are the ones who would be happy to sail with Dave or Phil at night
I am not qualified to stand watch for most of them.

I would be put off at the next port for something I am sure.

I guess I will have to stick to coastal day sailing.

No point in looking at that boat in Sint Martin.

Crap!
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Old 19-08-2013, 08:37   #366
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pirate Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by Therapy View Post
I am not qualified to stand watch for most of them.

I would be put off at the next port for something I am sure.

I guess I will have to stick to coastal day sailing.

No point in looking at that boat in Sint Martin.

Crap!
LOL... never chucked anyone off a boat yet... scared em of for sure..
But the guy who fell asleep just got his watch rotated to 8pm-11.59pm... some of these old guys around 50 odd really struggle to stay awake after 9.30pm..
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Old 19-08-2013, 08:57   #367
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

i am one of those who struggles at 0400 for about hour....however, as i was able to train myself to do --catnap for a few short minuets then wake an hour---works well..unless i have someone on board who thrives at that time, i will make it work. sleeping in cockpit as off watch backup also works in shorthanding while drifting in shipping areas.....
i heartily believe in lighting up sails when in darkness--nav lights are not only thing that declares what you are and that you are there---my nav lights light my jib beautifully, and i keep a high power flash light for the other sails--
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:03   #368
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
i am one of those who struggles at 0400 for about hour....however, as i was able to train myself to do --catnap for a few short minuets then wake an hour---works well..unless i have someone on board who thrives at that time, i will make it work. sleeping in cockpit as off watch backup also works in shorthanding while drifting in shipping areas.....
i heartily believe in lighting up sails when in darkness--nav lights are not only thing that declares what you are and that you are there---my nav lights light my jib beautifully, and i keep a high power flash light for the other sails--
Zeehag,

You sure seem to do a lot of 'drifting'. You are definitely not in a hurry, eh?
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:33   #369
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Zeehag,

You sure seem to do a lot of 'drifting'. You are definitely not in a hurry, eh?
i have all my life to do this lifestyle--what is the hurry---why stress and die whenye can enjoy this awesomeness.....
learned the fuel tank wasnt near big enough so we drift to make the difference when no wind---this is pacific ocean--there is either not enough wind or there is way too much. so far i have learned --known for a long time--i can handle big winds well.
i still need to learn when to and when not to whistle up a breeze by scratching my wooden masts and whistling tunes for the gods of wind and sea.

there is a southerly drift on pacific side of earth which will eventually bring you close to somewhere with a decent anchorage in which to anchor and spend some quality time with locals.
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:38   #370
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by carstenb View Post
The correct english wording for being the person in charge of the boat is "Standing the watch". This does not refer to where you have your glutemus maximus parked.

I seriously doubt that anyone requires the person "Standing watch" to be physically standing. That would be rather asinine

What the person said was that it's smart to stand while at the helm sailing in difficult conditions. The reference was to boats with wheels and he pointed out that you'll feel things through your feet the way you feel things through the tiller.

I don't think anyone said that anyone on watch has to stand.
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:44   #371
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

i am fortunate enough to have irregular nerve endings due collagen disorder which changes parasympathetic receptors and transmitters. i sense a change before it occurs. is a wonderful gift. strange but wonderful... i usually have 8 minutes to figure it all out before whatever it is gonna happen does. usually i am correct. there are witnesses--i allowed them to live as no one else would ever believe them

worked well at sports car races when i was in response ambulance.....
works well at sea and while stationary......
i am damlucky and very appreciative of that gift that keeps me in tune with whatever it is i am in tune with.
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:44   #372
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by boatman61 View Post
Dave... don't point 'Raku' in my direction mate... she's said it countless times... she's expert friends on the dock and will NEVER take my advice.... even as she was going down for the 3rd time...

No, I will double-check anything you say, it's true. There are people in my "real" life like that too. You wouldn't be anywhere near if I were going down for the third time. All we have here is land-based theory. And, I only said it once.

But just speaking generally -- I keep my guard up for BS and once I've spotted it, I do discount what that person says. I never take sailing advice either from the guy who told me with great confidence that a reefing system that consisted of manually putting a line through the kringle and tying it off under the boom at both ends was an adequate reefing system, either.
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:52   #373
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by goboatingnow View Post
what inflexible stand, I agree about going forward, but what you said was someone going below before someone was up .

inflexible and dogma are basically teh same thing. I apply common sense.



I tend to sail much farther then the bus routes
No, I didn't say anything about anyone going below. I haven't spoken about that at all.

And, I don't have a problem with it unless the person goes down and stays, essentially deserting his or her watch, a silly thing to be talking about.

I go below while single-handing all the time. That's where the head it, just for starters ...

What I said was that I wanted a second person in the cockpit before the first person "leaves the cockpit." We had been talking about someone going FORWARD, not down. It's easy to misunderstand someone. But I elaborated, saying that someone needed to know where to throw a line -- or at least take pictures (that part was a joke).

If I had someone on my boat who would be on watch alone and leave the cockpit to go forward, I have several problems with that. What's going wrong that he/she feels the need to go forward? Can they be absolutely certain the autopilot will keep them going true on their course and not suddenly lurch? No, they can't. I've seen that happen a number of times. One time the guy was way too close to me when it happened and he hit my boat. Someone standing on the bow might well have been thrown into the water.

I don't have a problem with going below for something. If that person doesn't know to scan the horizon 360º first, then I've done a bad job of training them or they're just pig-headed.

That's what I would put someone ashore for -- doing something foolish and reckless while standing watch after they've had this explained to them. Among other things, I would not feel I could trust that person to follow instructions in an emergency.
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Old 19-08-2013, 09:57   #374
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by goboatingnow View Post
SO it would seem Boatman, so it would seem and the worse she will be for it

dave

There are plenty of other good people here, Dave, such as ... you ... who always give sound counsel. Someone here gave me really bad advice once, and I think that person had to know it was bad advice. I have seen sailors do this, and then laugh conspiratorially with the person next to them, saying "Watch this -- this is going to be good!"

I don't take advice from the people who were in on that, too. Actually before that incident happened, I followed advice from each of them at one time or another, and it was terrible advice.

Gotta keep your BS indicator tuned and in good shape.
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Old 19-08-2013, 10:02   #375
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Re: Keeping Watch at Night ?

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Originally Posted by goboatingnow View Post
I must say to people that , think you have to be in the cockpit every minute of the watch , standing up , total attention, well your sailing must be confined to weekends. Nobody stands watch like that, and nobody needs to.

If you are that afraid of a crewman ( or yourself) to need that type of continuos attention, you need to reevaluate why you are sailing for fun.

close , heavy traffic, or racing, thats different, but we are talking here about the generality of cruising.

dave

But i don't think anyone actually said the person on watch had to stand. I completely agree with you about the total attention to everything. People don't drive that way. They take i the scenery automatically and their mind can be a thousand miles away, but they still see that car next to them start to move into their lane without looking, and they hit the horn or drive evasively or do whatever else they need to do (say, step on the gas) without even thinking about it. If you're in crowded waters you need to have more than one person on watch if possible, and very concentrated. But once you get to open waters, the other boats are going to stand our. Our brains are wired to see what's different and what's moving.

I think taking a stance like "you must be constantly watching everything" will contribute to crew fatigue (as well as a growing level irritation).
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