How to wake up for your watch, alarm clocks etc.

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Ohlin Karcher

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I'm looking for a good solution to this problem, having tried a few things over the years.
People need to be properly woken up, with no chance of drifting off again. It may be, from much needed deep sleep when your mind doesn't want to awake, and tries to ignore alarms.
Also, only one person must be disturbed.
This applies to any size crew except doublehanded, when the only person who might be disturbed by an alarm is already awake on the helm, and will be pleased to hear it..

Things tried..
Alarm clocks, unfortunately they wake everybody if they are loud enough.
Alarm watches, not remotely loud enough.

Mobile phones..wake everyone if they are loud enough, and the vibrate setting also disturbs others. Also, the battery goes flat in a day or two, and they are delicate and distracting, so they are not an option.

On-watch crew waking people? If I'm on the helm, I have a habit of checking that the next person is on their feet getting dressed, and I do this maybe 15 mins before they are due to come up. No movement? I go and shake them. (Personally I HATE being late on watch, and like to be ready early. )

There are clockwork cooking alarms, but they only seen to go up to I hr max and they are not very accurate even then.
I tried some patent under-pillow vibrating alarm once, worked well but it soon broke, being designed for narcoleptics in a nursing situation rather than kicking about on a boat.
There must be something suitable, why isn't there a product in every chandlers, the new Watchwaker Plus or something? Does everyone have this problem?
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
I'm looking for a good solution to this problem, having tried a few things over the years.
People need to be properly woken up, with no chance of drifting off again. It may be, from much needed deep sleep when your mind doesn't want to awake, and tries to ignore alarms.
Also, only one person must be disturbed.
This applies to any size crew except doublehanded, when the only person who might be disturbed by an alarm is already awake on the helm, and will be pleased to hear it..

Things tried..
Alarm clocks, unfortunately they wake everybody if they are loud enough.
Alarm watches, not remotely loud enough.

Mobile phones..wake everyone if they are loud enough, and the vibrate setting also disturbs others. Also, the battery goes flat in a day or two, and they are delicate and distracting, so they are not an option.

On-watch crew waking people? If I'm on the helm, I have a habit of checking that the next person is on their feet getting dressed, and I do this maybe 15 mins before they are due to come up. No movement? I go and shake them. (Personally I HATE being late on watch, and like to be ready early. )

There are clockwork cooking alarms, but they only seen to go up to I hr max and they are not very accurate even then.
I tried some patent under-pillow vibrating alarm once, worked well but it soon broke, being designed for narcoleptics in a nursing situation rather than kicking about on a boat.
There must be something suitable, why isn't there a product in every chandlers, the new Watchwaker Plus or something? Does everyone have this problem?
Click to expand...

No self steering? I think we are of one mind really. I think you edited your post while I was writing my reply....

If you've only got one person on watch at night do they really have to be glued to the wheel for the whole time? Even if you prefer to steer yourself, surely its possible to press the button for the few minutes necessary to go and shake the next on watch crew.

For me there is a VERY standard practice for watch change. You ask the person who is next on how long they need to raise themselves? (Some people need 30 minutes to get up, have a pee, stretch, drink their tea, get acclimatised, get their gear on etc some people only need a few minutes). When their time one watch approaches, at the time they have asked, you wake them a cup of tea/coffee/soup - (whatever they want) and MAKE SURE THEY ARE UP and out of their sleeping bag/duvet. Having given them a shake and made sure that they are up and about, you go back on deck and resume your watch. For me there's an unwritten rule that the person who is relieving you should be with you on deck booted and spurred fifteen minutes before you are due to be off watch. The fifteen minutes gives them a chance to acclimatise and get used to what is going on. You discuss the sailplan, the course, any navigation points and changes of course that are coming up, and the LAST THING you do is double check shipping in sight and what you think they are doing and what (if necessary) you might have to do as a vessel according to IRPCS. A good watch relief tells you to go off watch early. Five or ten minutes extra zeds time - and you do the same for them when you remove them at some point.

Being late on watch is the quickest way to seriously piss off your crewmates.

While we are discussing watches, I can't imagine a boat where there isn't a standing order to call the skipper if there's any doubt about anything at all... and the skipper should NEVER EVER complain at being called!

If you haven't got a self steering system or autopilot that will allow you to go and make a cup of tea while you are on watch, then I suggest you heave to for the watch change? But what boat doesn't have self steering gear or autopilot or the ability to lash the helm for a few minutes?
 
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It depends, at least for me with a small crew it does. I often find it best for the on watch mob to be the alarm clocks (suspect this might be controversial !!).

For example, my wife took over once this mid-summer at 11:00pm, was watching the glow of the sun moving along just beneath the horizon, and at 0400 decided to put down her book and photograph a school of dolphins that had come over to play.
She ended up staying on watch until 0700 thereby giving me the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.

The flipside is that I or someone else is inevitably happy to oblige if someone tells me that they are just shagged tired and would dearly love to crash. Then there is the question of different circadian rythms; I like to sleep between 2300 and 0400, whereas the missus is happy with 0400 to 1100. Which is why I am the one always shagged tired at parties ;)

Horses for courses?
 
dom said:
It depends, at least for me with a small crew it does. I often find it best for the on watch mob to be the alarm clocks (suspect this might be controversial !!).

For example, my wife took over once this mid-summer at 11:00pm, was watching the glow of the sun moving along just beneath the horizon, and at 0400 decided to put down her book and photograph a school of dolphins that had come over to play.
She ended up staying on watch until 0700 thereby giving me the opportunity to catch up on lost sleep.

The flipside is that I or someone else is inevitably happy to oblige if someone tells me that they are just shagged tired and would dearly love to crash. Then there is the question of different circadian rythms; I like to sleep between 2300 and 0400, whereas the missus is happy with 0400 to 1100. Which is why I am the one always shagged tired at parties ;)

Horses for courses?
Click to expand...

Whilst I appreciate your generosity and good will, ONCE in my sailing career - many years ago, my wife and I were on watch as the sun rose and we were having such a lovely sail that we decided not to shake the next person on watch.

The result was that the whole watch bill was put out and we had a very hacked off crew who didn't know what was happening and what they were supposed to be doing when. The repercussions went on for days.

Ever since then I always wake the next person on watch at the appointed time now - even if I stay up and enjoy the sail and chat with them.
 
We work to this routine: person on watch comes below 15 minutes before changeover, puts on kettle and gives on coming person a shake. Makes sure they’re awake and goes back to helm. Person coming on watch gets up, dresses as required, make themselves a hot drink, comes up to helm. Brief on current situation, off going person goes below (make hot drink if so desired) goes to bed. Simples. Or is I missing something?
 
I find that if I go to sleep thinking of a number then that is the time I wake up, (think it was in one of the old James Bond books) so for example I set my alarm for 04.05 but think of 4....then I wake up 5 mins before the alarm (which I can switch off prior to waking anyone else) :encouragement:
 
Do these posh Smart watches not have a vibration function with the alarm sound turned off so that it would only wake the wearer? As said far better to be woken by the off going watch with a cup of tea/coffee 15 mins before changeover time. :encouragement:
 
A swift broach that dumps them out of their bunk normally does the trick?
Or maybe you can poke them with a fishing rod without leaving the helm?
:-)
 
Thanks to all, and I agree people should get on deck bright and early for their watch, etc. Yes waking up the next person is best.
But I personally prefer not to rely on that myself, that's why I wouldn't mind finding a suitable alarm.
Captain Sensible I don't quite understand your comment, is it something to do with the lack of golden rivets on submarines :confused:
 
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Best thing I've found is an Apple Watch.... it has a silent vibrating alarm option, which does a good job of waking me up without disturbing anyone else.

There are probably some other cheaper options where a watch has a vibration based alarm?
 
I use mobile phone alarm. Don’t agree with the OP’s Luddite views on these and less noisy for others than the kettle (hence we use thermos at night). And mobile phone and headphones imperative to play the music whilst on solo watch.
Only thing you need to remember is to set time setting to manual, to avoid the time zone changing when come into some shore signal and delaying (or advancing) your alarm call
 
dunedin said:
I use mobile phone alarm. Don’t agree with the OP’s Luddite views on these and less noisy for others than the kettle (hence we use thermos at night). And mobile phone and headphones imperative to play the music whilst on solo watch.
Only thing you need to remember is to set time setting to manual, to avoid the time zone changing when come into some shore signal and delaying (or advancing) your alarm call
Click to expand...

As you say one does have to be aware of when using mobile phone alarms in transit is the time settings. I've almost been caught out on one occasion when the mobile decided to change time zone overnight (and I thought that I'd preempted it) and thus I've never been entirely confident in using one as the only means of waking if timekeeping is essential. For watch changes I'd always go with a shake as the primary means.
 
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A cup of tea, with nowhere to put it down. Must be drunk rather than falling back asleep else the sleeping bag gets wet. When drunk, it only has one way to go.
 
Pye_End said:
A cup of tea, with nowhere to put it down. Must be drunk rather than falling back asleep else the sleeping bag gets wet. When drunk, it only has one way to go.
Click to expand...

Yes I hate mugs of boiling fluid being brandished in my direction at any time, but groggily levering yourself out of your bunk must be the worst time for it to happen..
 
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