HHow long is too long (solo sailing)?

[doug748]

How long to sail single handed for can depend how rested you are before sailing and how much sleep you normally need. According to my FitBit my sleep average per night over the last year was only 5 hours 32 minutes, which is very similar to t hours 39 minutes in 2022 when I sailed round Britain.

Personally I am happy to sail for 16 to 18 hours, my insurance allows for 24 hours single handed. I even questioned the insurance company about the 24 hour limit. Provided the planned journey was expected to be within 24 hours, but if other outside factors like weather or breakages extended the arrival time I would still be covered. However some policies have short time limits, so check your policy wording.

Can you tell us who you insure with? The terms sound very generous, not as good as Pants but, then again, probably not as expensive.
Longest I have done is 28 hours, not bad on day 2 but I would not fancy a second night.

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[dansaskip]

I use a similar approach to Robero in his post, but perhaps not quite so structured. There are areas, even on the East Coast, that I find you can be more relaxed and I find this the key to not getting too tired on longer passages.
And there are places/occasions where it is possible to catch more sleep - I am talking really of long passages like crossing seas or oceans where there are no rocks, islands or reefs close by to hit and very little boat traffic.
Like Concerto I am happy to sail for 16-18 hours or even longer if necessary but prefer shorter times if I can.

 

[Pye_End]

I love sailing the boat solo. Plenty of room. The slightly monastic quiet life where I can actually experience the natural world around me.
The freedom to sail and anchor as you please.

But I find anything more than 8 hours stops being fun. This is cruising the Thames estuary which is obviously a busy waterways. I need to in the cockpit pretty much all the time, just nipping down for a cuppa. Even well away from TSS areas you never know what might be in your path. I've had fast cat fishing boats zip past me only to anchor right on my track.
After about 7 hours I get a bit tired. Even half an hour not in duty is a game changer.

I have just watched Erik Aanderaa's video solo sailing from Holland to Denmark. He has spent years refining the set up on his Contessa with night vision Mast head cameras and easy view below deck screens. Maybe I will look into that.. I'm guessing the routes he sails have fewer buoys, anchored fishing boats and other hazards than the Channel area isail in.
I also watched 'Sam sails' do Suffolk to Ijmuiden, which I found tiring enough with two of us last July. Impressive resilience.

I have tried the perimeter alarm on the radar but it just went off all he time. Not false positives. Just lots of stuff on the water. I didn't use it on the Holland trip because I had crew and there were relatively quiet sections where I might have felt comfortable closing my eyes for a few minutes. I know colregs stipulate a watch must be kept.

The old Thames barges used to anchor behind a sand bank, waiting for a wind or a favourable tide. In the right conditions I guess I could drop a hook and rest a bit. But that only works in relatively benign conditions.

I wonder what other forumites do?

The Jester Challenge has been a useful source of advice on getting rest or brief sleeps on passage as a single hander. Sometimes all you can do is set your timer on 5 minutes and go below and rest, but other times you can get 15 to 20 min of sleep. The Thames Estuary can be a tricky place to relax sometimes - however there may be some opportunities on a passage, and they need to be grabbed when they appear. The challenge suggests trying out this short nap technique before going further affield, and I found some relatively quiet water to practice for a few days/nights. Keeping a good watch is sometimes hard in these circumstances, but can become manageable. Sometimes getting some rest is safer than being in constant vigilance on deck - you can miss information even when it right in front of you when tired.

I have done Harwich to Ijmuiden a fair few number of times, from 4 up in a 23 in bad weather, 2 up in a 26 several times, to (2025) single handed in reasonable weather. I did not manage to drift off to sleep this year, but spent a good chunk of the time with between 5 and 20 minutes on a timer on my bunk. It was tiring, but maybe no more than previous crewed occasions. Being single handed meant I could choose the conditions that would work for me, rather than being pressurised for time. Try and arrive in the light on a long passage (24 hours+).

An AIS receiver with an alarm is a game changer. I use one of the simple NASA displays and set perhaps 4 mile zone in N Sea, and can see it from my bunk. You can be fairly drowsy and still assess the information fairly quickly. Targets on the chartplotter are also really useful as you can then get an understanding of where they are in relation to the many traffic lanes and TSS's. Erik has more sophisticated electronics which would help even more - eg. radar, and a camera on his mast! A good autoplilot is a must, and a windvane can be useful (though I don't use mine for the Netherlands).

There are times when being outside gives a better watch. Don't fool yourself that this is not the case. However, on a longer passage you have to start thinking about how to manage yourself as well - esp. food and rest. It may be you reef earlier to make it more comfortable down below for example. The passage time can becomes a bit less relevant - and you start thinking about safety of your gear and yourself instead. If you are lucky over 24 hours and get some short catnaps, you can feel refreshed - again don't let it fool you - the brain does not work very well when tired, and also take this into consideration. Hallucinating due to lack of sleep is a strange experience first time, but at least it prepares you for the next time!

 

[RunAgroundHard]

For work we learned about the 10 minute power nap. During a long job, when there was a break in activities, grabbing a 10 minute nap was incredible at resetting the tiredness indicators. It can only be 10 minutes, becuase after that time, your body starts entering deeper sleep and the recuperative benefits get lost for another 2 hours i.e. you need to sleep the full two hours. The 10 minutes and 2 hours are general numbers, it could be more for some people.

Power Nap

Local regulations at work meant a maximum of 16 hours awake, which included meal times, followed by a mandatory 8 hour sleep period. Apparently based on science, but you will need to look that up for yourself.

As I have got older my threshold for singlehanded sailing alertness has decreased, but that is also in line with my decrease in fitness. I am sure that if I increased my fitness, my tiredness threshold would increase as well. Having said that, a long time ago, when I was much younger, I fell asleep at the wheel / tiller on a number of occasions after hours steering. This was always preceded by an inability to concentrate on the compass lubber line, which appeared to be moving, and could not be made to stay stationary.

 

[LittleSister]

The old Thames barges used to anchor behind a sand bank, waiting for a wind or a favourable tide. In the right conditions I guess I could drop a hook and rest a bit. But that only works in relatively benign conditions.

I occasionally do that, partly for the convenience, partly just for the fun of doing 'proper' Maurice Griffiths et al traditional East Coastery. The Thames Estuary and wider East Coast has lots of hidey holes, some miles out to sea, if you look closely at the chart, depending on which way the wind, the tide and you are going. It doesn't necessarily need to be very calm, as if you carefully choose the right spot, you can be surprisingly well protected at low tide from both waves and passing vessels. So you fit your rest/anchor periods to suit the tide, rather than expect to be anchored for a standard a standard night.

Just being able to stop concentrating and relax for a little while - maybe half an hour, maybe 2 or 3 hours - maybe can be surprisingly reinvigorating.

In muddy rivers I might might deliberately turn out of the channel and run aground on a rising tide, just to have a 15-20 minute break while I lunch then, or even towards the end of a falling tide to get an hour or so's sleep (with an alarm set) before I float off again with the tide.

 

[Concerto]

Can you tell us who you insure with? The terms sound very generous, not as good as Pants but, then again, probably not as expensive.
Longest I have done is 28 hours, not bad on day 2 but I would not fancy a second night.

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Navigators and General.

 

[stu9000]

I occasionally do that, partly for the convenience, partly just for the fun of doing 'proper' Maurice Griffiths et al traditional East Coastery. The Thames Estuary and wider East Coast has lots of hidey holes, some miles out to sea, if you look closely at the chart, depending on which way the wind, the tide and you are going. It doesn't necessarily need to be very calm, as if you carefully choose the right spot, you can be surprisingly well protected at low tide from both waves and passing vessels. So you fit your rest/anchor periods to suit the tide, rather than expect to be anchored for a standard a standard night.

Just being able to stop concentrating and relax for a little while - maybe half an hour, maybe 2 or 3 hours - maybe can be surprisingly reinvigorating.

In muddy rivers I might might deliberately turn out of the channel and run aground on a rising tide, just to have a 15-20 minute break while I lunch then, or even towards the end of a falling tide to get an hour or so's sleep (with an alarm set) before I float off again with the tide.

Interesting. I too was charmed by Griffiths tales of anchoring in a hole. It seems very seamanlike to me. The sailor in tune with their environment.

 

[Refueler]

Interesting. I too was charmed by Griffiths tales of anchoring in a hole. It seems very seamanlike to me. The sailor in tune with their environment.

The days of 'reading environment' and living within it seem to have gone ... maybe its because boats have changed in form ... from the old smaller narrow limited accoms style to the wider bigger caravan on water ...
I think that time on water has changed as well ... so many boats spend much of their time tied up waiting use ...

 

[stu9000]

Whilst I have enormous respect for those that can do a 24h crossing solo, I am not precious about the number of hours I can "cope" with.

Accidents on boats tend to be an accumulated series of mistakes and tiredness impairs decision making and situational awareness. I got so tired once sailing at night I literally could not tell whether a lit buoy was some distance away or a few boat lengths away. Luckily I had crew.

I would like to be able to do a longer passage solo and this thread has helped me identify a number of ways to rest.
In quieter areas, a perimeter alarm and 20 min catnap.
Building in a rest stop anchor point.
Heaving too for half an hour.

 

[stu9000]

The days of 'reading environment' and living within it seem to have gone ... maybe its because boats have changed in form ... from the old smaller narrow limited accoms style to the wider bigger caravan on water ...
I think that time on water has changed as well ... so many boats spend much of their time tied up waiting use ...

The modern world puts us all in a box, whether it be time constraints or electronic distractions. But i think many of us go sailing to connect with the environment. I feel lucky to have this wilderness on our doorstep, still unencumbered with regulation and the nanny state, where the choices I make have a very real impact on how comfortable and safe the journey turns out to be.

 

[Jonny A]

Inshore I find I can do about 18 hours alright without getting too tired. Where possible I take 10-15 minute naps in the cockpit.

The biggest problem in my experience with getting over-tired is realising it's happening. You can get 'target fixation' on getting to your destination, instead of going into a closer alternative, or at least making allowances and making yourself stop and really think it through before doing any manoeuvres.

 

[Refueler]

The modern world puts us all in a box, whether it be time constraints or electronic distractions. But i think many of us go sailing to connect with the environment. I feel lucky to have this wilderness on our doorstep, still unencumbered with regulation and the nanny state, where the choices I make have a very real impact on how comfortable and safe the journey turns out to be.

I really enjoy the possibility to switch off when on board ... the job I have is seriously mind-crunching at times and mental tiredness is as bad as physical or worse in some cases.

Getting on board - even when I don't switch off the phone .. I seem to as you say - reconnect with environment ... I feel a sort of 'wave' passing through me as if so much has just floated away ..

I tried explaining this to a pal of mine ... he's doing the music for my B'day party tonight .... he couldn't understand it - then he decided to get a boat ... he then got the whole meaning ....

I like to let 'guests' helm - be involved .. instead of just sitting there ... and so far everyone has enjoyed and asked to repeat - many having done that ...

 

[thinwater]

A good post by the OP and lots of well-reasoned responses. I like less than 8 hours from an enjoyment perspective, but 12 is fine and 16 is OK but tiring. Perhaps it is not as common in the UK, with more limited distances, but 10-12 hours days driving a car to get somewhere are not that unusual in the US. I do this at least a dozen times each year on business. Not a big deal. Start well-rested.

• Given the choice between getting up pre-dawn and arriving after dark, I will always depart pre-dawn; I'm fresh, the location is familiar, and the conditions are known. Just go to bed early and eat breakfast just after dawn (which saves more time at departure). Have the boat ready to sail before you turn in. If you get to your destination early, take a nap.
• Multiple destinations is smart.
• Avoid sailing the direct routes between way points on the chart. The traffic is heaviest there. Same with crossing shipping lanes.
• Take a few minutes to lay out everything you are likely to need (snacks, changes of clothes) just inside the companionway or similar. Saves frustration when things are busy.
• Find non-watchkeeping things to do to break it up. A book is good; looking around at every page turn assures a good watch in light traffic. Get up and walk the deck, inspecting equipment. Look at a chart book, either where you are going, but also places you might go some other trip.
• Obviously, use the autopilot a lot. Steering is fun, but it also takes it out of you. By all means, steer when you get bored.
• Weather protection, including a hard top or bimini. I don't just mean rain and wind, but also the sun. Not so much in the UK, perhaps, but in warm areas the sun can beat you to death. Good clothing is no substitute for wind breaks and shade.

The boat also makes a difference. In my cat I can keep a good watch from the salon (270 degree view on the forward arc, with just a few blind spots aft).

 

[Fr J Hackett]

24 hours was never a problem for me and I would do it often Cornwall / Devon to Aber Wrac'h sometimes grab 20 minutes in the quarter berth using the classic kitchen timer, radar and AIS providing a degree of confidence. For most of my life I have been functioning on 5 to 6 hours sleep. Longer distances would depend on having crew or not and where I was sailing. The only time I have been effectively single handed ( sole crew incapacitated) was sailing from Bermuda to Rhode Island and I turned in for 2 to 3 hours several times during the middle of the passage. But there was little danger of other vessels. The OPs problem stems from the area he is sailing in and I wouldn't want to sleep at all there it would be a case of finding somewhere to drop the hook for an hour or two or not sailing solo if I couldn't stay awake, to much going on.
Erik Aaderaa put his boat on the rocks and nearly lost it sleeping on an inshore passage.

 

[Leslie frank]

I dined with a couple a few years ago on their boat in the Med. The lady (an American who was new to sailing) asked us firstly what wind strength we considered to be too strong to set sail. Then she said did we think it right to go to sleep at Midnight together and set the alarm for day break? That was apparently what her partner/ skipper (a Frenchman) did. He thought that crossing from say, Barcelona to Corsica was too dull to bother with so just set his autopilot and went to bed.

It made me keep a more careful watch on our next night passage.

In all seriousness, a factor that hasn't been mentioned in terms of solo hours is the weather and the moon. On some clear moonlit nights I can happily sail long periods as though it were daylight, but not so if it's horrible weather and you are peering forward to see as far as the bow. Hence I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to the original question.

 

[john_morris_uk]

So i guess any long distance solo sailor, like john passmore, sam sails etc sitting down with you for his ocean yactmaster would fail if they told you how they cover watches on an ocean passage?

The Yachtmaster Ocean oral exam has three sections.

Preparation of boat and crew
Management of boat and crew on the passage.
Astro Navigation.

All the above from an ocean passage they’ve sailed with crew.

I appreciate that single handed sailors can be very proficient and knowledgeable but how can management of boat and crew be assessed if they don’t have a crew?

PS. I know of one famous single handed round the world sailor who failed their yachtmaster exam as they couldn’t park the boat etc.