Watch Keeping Single Handing

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by thomm225

This Pilot House thing is wishful thinking, and it would totally depend on the person.

Some folks can fall asleep in an instant and you have to yell or shake them to awaken them whereas others of us wake up with the slightest change.

Also, this snooze button thing is for land based sleepers.

Single hand sailors have no such luxury......even at anchor therefore the type boat matters none at all.

Best is probably sleeping in your normal spot and set your alarm for 20 minutes or so

Fine if your the type who can just sleep at the drop of the hat.. I have trouble getting to sleep inside 20 minutes..

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Fine if your the type who can just sleep at the drop of the hat.. I have trouble getting to sleep inside 20 minutes..

Yeah it will definitely be a PITA to wake up every 20 minutes, but for the first time, that is what I plan to do for the Outer Banks rounding. (south to North)

Actually on a bad night at anchor with a heavy onshore wind I wake up constantly anyway and a couple times have rigged and positioned my second anchor but not deployed.

[owly]

Originally Posted by thomm225

This Pilot House thing is wishful thinking, and it would totally depend on the person.

Some folks can fall asleep in an instant and you have to yell or shake them to awaken them whereas others of us wake up with the slightest change.

Also, this snooze button thing is for land based sleepers.

Single hand sailors have no such luxury......even at anchor therefore the type boat matters none at all.

Best is probably sleeping in your normal spot and set your alarm for 20 minutes or so

"Snooze button" was a tongue in cheek reference to people rolling over and going back to sleep.... An alarm clock is not something most singlehanders are going to use....unless they are sleeping for long periods of time... as in multiple hours. For the 20 min....... and I agree with you on that interval, a timer is the tool of choice.



I've personally always been a very light sleeper. If you are the other kind, you have no business single handing.


In any case, I disagree about the pilot house / bridge deck cabin. Reducing the impact on your sleep cycle of making a check, can have a HUGE effect on cumulative fatigue. Fatigue results in poor decision making, and destroys the pleasure in sailing or any activity.



There are some good studies on the impact of various sleep cycles with regard to singlehanding, but it's been awhile since I read them. Every person is different of course.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by owly

I've personally always been a very light sleeper. If you are the other kind, you have no business single handing.

uh-oh
I suppose I'll be pilloried if I mention naps I have taken while becalmed

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by owly

I've personally always been a very light sleeper. If you are the other kind, you have no business single handing.

You should not count on that. I'm also a very light sleeper, but have experienced that when extremely fatigued I will sleep through noise that could wake the dead.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

You should not count on that. I'm also a very light sleeper, but have experienced that when extremely fatigued I will sleep through noise that could wake the dead.

That happened to me. The first time it was in day 5 of a 7 day leg. I slept through an alarm for about 2 hours. The second time was more complicated but I had been pretty much up for 48 hours with no cat naps for the last 8. I set the alarm and heard nothing for 5+ hours.

I got a couple of those “Screaming meemies” suggested above. Will see how that works.

[thomm225]

Donna Lange has circumnavigated on her 28' Southern Cross Sailboat and it appears she simply sleeps when she feels like it.

I guess sometimes you get used to being far offshore where there is no land/obstacles and little traffic and sleep when and as long as you want.......which can sometimes get you in trouble close to shore.

The Outer Banks do extend offshore quite a ways though .....

https://www.donnalange.com/team-twice-around

Btw many of today's sailboats could not handle being treated like this without keel damage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIrcHRuSfMw

[MuckAbout]

Originally Posted by Exile

Interesting! This is the first I've read of this system being used outside of the Vendee Globe, but I'm probably just behind the curve. I'm sure there are many who would be most interested to read how this performs for you if you are inclined to post further. Or maybe start a new thread. Best of luck with it.

Thank you! I will be happy to.

Taking a trip across the Drake next year and the idea of having a system like that seemed a greater value than a new set of sails. It is not widely used by privateers yet, only a very few actually. It is fairly costly because it's still quite new. It or something like it will likely become standard on the factory boats after a few years. Plus, the folks over there have so far been exceptional. I will let you know how it goes. I am sailing around Iceland and Greenland this spring.

[thomm225]

Looks like another guy likes the pilot house idea.

The guy on Pippin in the single handed Jester Challenge this pass Summer.

Most though chose the standard monohull.

https://jesterchallenge.wordpress.co...hallenge-2021/

[MicHughV]

Boris Hermann of Vendee Globe fame was just days short of finishing the Vendee Race, when he decided to take a quick nap, trusting to his electronics to keep him appraised of things around him.

Wouldn't you know it...he collides with a fishing vessel. A fishing vessel of all things !!

[Nibiruwayne]

Look up "REM" sleep on the web. We have four sleep stages every night. They're all important, but the most important one is the fourth- REM ( rapid eye movement) sleep stage- from 60 to 90 minutes. This is when all your organs are recharged. Maybe we should be just as concerned about our brain/body recharge as we are about our boat battery charge state When someone is deprived of REM sleep for more than a day, they lose many or most of their 'thinking' abilities and stress is added to all body organs. Sleep to charge your body is essential. Even your cell phone would agree.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Nibiruwayne

Look up "REM" sleep on the web. We have four sleep stages every night. They're all important, but the most important one is the fourth- REM ( rapid eye movement) sleep stage- from 60 to 90 minutes. This is when all your organs are recharged. Maybe we should be just as concerned about our brain/body recharge as we are about our boat battery charge state When someone is deprived of REM sleep for more than a day, they lose many or most of their 'thinking' abilities and stress is added to all body organs. Sleep to charge your body is essential. Even your cell phone would agree.

You also start hallucinating

Don’t ask me how I know

[Lew Hill]

There is an inverse ratio between the stages of sleep (1-4) and the ease of waking someone up. Stage 1 REM also is the most relaxed stage physically where it is hardest to awaken and where alarms do not seem to "get in". Stage 4, which occurs about 20-30 min after going to sleep, is the easiest to wake someone up.

[Montanan]

Okay, so allow me to will make this discussion very simple.

There are two words that all single handers should know and practice when they need to rest.

Heaving to.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Okay, so allow me to will make this discussion very simple.

There are two words that all single handers should know and practice when they need to rest.

Heaving to.

Great for resting but still have to be careful if planning to sleep......