Single handed timer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter GHA
  • Start date Start date
I'm sorry if I'm being a bit dim here, what is it I need to remember? Timer goes off, reset, up on deck, check boat is still sailing appropriate to conditions, scan for lights/sign of other shipping, if clear back below for another 14 minutes........ Obviously if there is a new contact you need to wake up properly and assess it before deciding if it's appropriate to get another sleep in or sail the boat for a while, and I might log that.
 
GHA said:
You need to keep a record because you can't trust your memory, good chance it will be wrong, especially when you're not really completely awake. Log it, then you know.
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I'm struggling with this. Why does history matter? The only thing of importance is what is happening now, meaning when you wake up.
 
Triassic said:
I'm sorry if I'm being a bit dim here, what is it I need to remember? Timer goes off, reset, up on deck, check boat is still sailing appropriate to conditions, scan for lights/sign of other shipping, if clear back below for another 14 minutes........ Obviously if there is a new contact you need to wake up properly and assess it before deciding if it's appropriate to get another sleep in or sail the boat for a while, and I might log that.
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Not sure where the 14 minutes came from. I was thinking of way offshore sleeping an hour at a time and your memory really isn't reliable. Back to Foolish Muse post, it works better when you don't completely wake up, just automatically do the checks and log it, no need to rely on dodgy memory.
 
zoidberg said:
"Work backward from the Board of Inquiry...."
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As a general rule of thumb if a single hander sailing far enough out that they are on a sleep rotation hits something then they generally lose, so I doubt I'll care much about any subsequent enquiry. What I do care about is making sure I'm in the best possible condition to avoid hitting anything and certainly my 15 minute naps where I check as described give me the best chance. Waking up properly and writing the log or worrying about anything that doesn't enhance my immediate safety doesn't, but if writing the log helps you sleep better then that's fine to.
 
Triassic said:
As a general rule of thumb if a single hander sailing far enough out that they are on a sleep rotation hits something then they generally lose, so I doubt I'll care much about any subsequent enquiry. What I do care about is making sure I'm in the best possible condition to avoid hitting anything and certainly my 15 minute naps where I check as described give me the best chance. Waking up properly and writing the log or worrying about anything that doesn't enhance my immediate safety doesn't, but if writing the log helps you sleep better then that's fine to.
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With reliable ais and radar alarms running I would say that in some ways a single handed boat is actually keeping a better lookout at night than a crewed boat not running radar with someone in the cockpit, head in a kindle. Mid ocean on a dark night no way your going to see anything not lit.
15 minute naps for weeks at a time would be a killer for me, not a chance.
 
In my singlehanded tips book I developed a theory called "the 3am effect". It basically means that in the middle of the night you can't rely on your brain for anything. So before you go to bed, you have to set up your boat to be sailed by an absolute dolt for the next 8 hours. You only have to look at Jessica Watson's collision with a ship (prior to her RTW voyage). She woke up at midnight and looked around the boat and looked at her radar and her ais, but she just did not see the ship bearing down on her about a mile away. So what ever sleep method you choose, just keep in mind that your brain does not function at 3am.
 
Foolish Muse said:
In my singlehanded tips book I developed a theory called "the 3am effect". It basically means that in the middle of the night you can't rely on your brain for anything. So before you go to bed, you have to set up your boat to be sailed by an absolute dolt for the next 8 hours. You only have to look at Jessica Watson's collision with a ship (prior to her RTW voyage). She woke up at midnight and looked around the boat and looked at her radar and her ais, but she just did not see the ship bearing down on her about a mile away. So what ever sleep method you choose, just keep in mind that your brain does not function at 3am.
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More like 5ish I get it worst, and yes, very important to realise you're way off running 100% and think through everything carefully. And write it down, I have some perfect offshore memories which I would swear happened, but reading the log I know their completely false, what actually happened was very different.
 
Foolish Muse said:
In my singlehanded tips book I developed a theory called "the 3am effect". It basically means that in the middle of the night you can't rely on your brain for anything. So before you go to bed, you have to set up your boat to be sailed by an absolute dolt for the next 8 hours. You only have to look at Jessica Watson's collision with a ship (prior to her RTW voyage). She woke up at midnight and looked around the boat and looked at her radar and her ais, but she just did not see the ship bearing down on her about a mile away. So what ever sleep method you choose, just keep in mind that your brain does not function at 3am.
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I found that I could function for about 3 or 4 nights on 20- to 30-minute naps, but after that I needed about a 3-hour block of sleep at some point. What usually happened was that at 2 or 3 am one night my brain stopped functioning and I forgot to set the timer. And woke up about 3 hours later.
 
Just an update on this..
http://thermometer.co.uk/oven-thermometers/1103-extra-big-loud-timer.html

Well, is what is says it is :) A timer, big and loud!

Dead simple to use, hit the start/memo button 3 times, or lots of times, and it stops the loud noise and starts again with the last time you put in. So although not tried yet at sea it looks very good for a single hander.

Spose I should crack another beer now a consider the next ocean passage.. hmm.. :)
 
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