How much time do you spend in your cockpit?

[mostlyseven]

It would be interesting to know how much time the world cruiser spends in the cockpit on average?

Being on anchor?

During sailing?

It obviously depend on the weather, but let's say you are sailing;

A: from the canary island to the Caribbean, xx hours a day?
B: Caribbean onwards to panama
C: the Pacific Ocean to Australia
D: Mediterranean Sea


Kind Regards,

Mostlyseven

[Paul L]

At anchor in the tropics we probably average 2-3 hours a day. On passage I spend 12 hours a day and my wife spends the other 12.

Paul

[barnakiel]

Sailing about 14 hours a day (me) 10 hours (my mate), (watch system 8+4+6+6=14/10). When conditions are easy I stretch this to 16 (me) +8 (my mate).

Anchored, about 2 hours a day.

b.

[zeehag]

depends on skeeter populationand diseases prevalent as a result of bites,
passage i am almost always in cockpit.
no skeeter zones in winter, in cockpit a lot, in summer-- damned if i will spend too much time in heat or excessive humidity without a respite. is why gods made boat work inside and books and interwebzz
and trips into the interior of the country being visited.....

[Prairie Chicken]

In the Med, when on board, ...

In June/July, all day in the cockpit. Often in cockpit until nearly midnight letting it cool off below. Back in cockpit for morning coffee.

In Sep/Oct, mid morning to dusk.

Above except when showering, in the galley, below to grab something, or doing some work below or on deck.

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by mostlyseven

It would be interesting to know how much time the world cruiser spends in the cockpit on average?

Being on anchor?

During sailing?

It obviously depend on the weather, but let's say you are sailing;

A: from the canary island to the Caribbean, xx hours a day?
B: Caribbean onwards to panama
C: the Pacific Ocean to Australia
D: Mediterranean Sea


Kind Regards,

Mostlyseven

Put another way: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Depends on the situation, okay? "Required" boat maintenance, "should do" maintenance, "now I've got the chance" maintenance. These things cut into available cockpit "relaxing" time. We finally dedicated Saturday as our minimum work day - anchored or underway. Works for us. YMMV

WXR, as you've noted. Once spent a week basically becalmed while crossing from Mexico to the Marquesas. Lots of cockpit time then - heck, we even took turns sleeping topside since the WXR was so lovely. Anchored and on the edge of a cyclone.... blustery wind-driven rain dictates cockpit time; nicer WXR and half a day might slide into memories while we talk about, well, anything, really. Sometimes that to-do list just gets ignored! {Rust never sleeps - but a marriage also needs attention. }

Watch schedule underway varies: Get through a rough patch when I'm mostly "on deck" keeping an eye on all while my wife hangs out below, handling the navigation, the WXR reports, and (bless her ) the catering - I swear that she could sleep through anything - followed by my wife taking over while I catch up on the Zzzzzz(s).

Then in port there's a food or beer run to make, or socializing, or this that and the other which pull us off the boat. Or maybe a stretch of "us time" where our boat might seem abandoned 'cause we're lost below decks!

Cockpit time? Ask a hundred cruisers and get two hundred answers.

[sv Winterlude]

We're always surprised that more cruisers don't eat dinner in the cockpit - we eat every meal in the cockpit. Where better to enjoy the view out the back - we have a million dollar view despite being a small(er) boat at 37'.

Lots of boats in the Keys, people disappear not to reappear until ?????? Someone tell me why more people don't enjoy their cockpit for dinner? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we don't have air conditioning (or a generator running)?

[Tientos]

We often comment on how few people use their cockpit in our current (temporary) marina. We live in ours from morning coffee to late night wine with visitors and everything in between (including the meals). Same on passage (we are in tropical climes)

[Delancey]

Shopped long and hard for the right cockpit. One that was meant to have a tiller. Difficult to find in a forty footer. Really love my cockpit. I consider it nearly ideal.

Without a wheel taking up a bunch of valuable real estate right in the middle of the damn thing the cockpit sole is the perfect place for the off watch to be able to comfortably sleep on deck while underway. Large enough to spread out a bit, very secure.

[SSgtPitt]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Shopped long and hard for the right cockpit. One that was meant to have a tiller. Difficult to find in a forty footer. Really love my cockpit. I consider it nearly ideal.

Without a wheel taking up a bunch of valuable real estate right in the middle of the damn thing the cockpit sole is the perfect place for the off watch to be able to comfortably sleep on deck while underway. Large enough to spread out a bit, very secure.

Out of all the things I've read about Tiller vs Wheel, your comment really nailed it. Good job.
I have a wheel but I'm in the cockpit unless something keeps me from it. My very best most absolute greatest sleep is on deck with the standing rigging against my back. Down below is definitely as temporary as possible.

[zboss]

In Florida... during the summer...practically none.
In Florida... anytime else... we spend almost ALL our awake time in the cockpit.

Basically, if the weather is good (not hot, not cold, not rainy) we spend all our time in the cockpit.

We like to eat as may meals as possible in the cockpit. We shower in the cockpit.

[Delancey]

Sometimes I like sleeping on deck for fun. Sometimes I consider it a requirement.

Spent a six day gale hand steering once with another guy doing one-on-one-off watches trying to sleep with cramped legs on top of a life raft in a cockpit with a wheel and no room for my legs without getting tossed out. Absolutely miserable.

I think I went at least three or four days without getting any real sleep. The other days during that stretch when I did manage to get a little bit of sleep it was very poor.

Have been double handing with my wife lately. She likes having me available in an instant. I like being available for her in an instant. I also like being able to sprawl out comfortably out of the wind and get real sleep without having to worry about falling overboard. Like a babe in a cradle.

[Cheechako]

I don't know how much time, but on passage someone is always in the cockpit, except for a chart check or potty break. At anchor, every possible moment is in t he cockpit. For me, it's "the living room and dining room".

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Tientos

We often comment on how few people use their cockpit in our current (temporary) marina. We live in ours from morning coffee to late night wine with visitors and everything in between (including the meals). Same on passage (we are in tropical climes)

'interesting,- 'caused me to think about the "in our current (temporary) marina" phrase. We are rarely in our cockpit at the docks of a marina while among all the other boats, but we spend almost all our waking hours in the cockpit when we are away from the marina docks.

Anyone at marinas may think the same about us and think of how little we use our cockpit, but that's not the case.

[barnakiel]

Funny someone mentioned sleeping in it. I agree. I wish I could. I am too long or the cockpit is too short in our case. I wish I could sleep in the cockpit on the fine days of our passages as well as on the dry days when anchored. It happens to me quite often that while in the West Indies the sun goes down and I do not feel like going down below, it can be so nice and sweet outside. And then you can wake up to the rising sun too. Cream. IMHO

So to think of a perfect cockpit, being able to sleep in it could be one of the checkpoints.

b.