Singlehanding and sleep

[Roberto]

I read quite a few things about sleep management while sailing alone, though most of it is related to the racing environment; I'd be interested to know how, in practice, you singlehanders organize yourself with sleep.

In particular,
differences between crowded areas and open sea?
what is the rythm you follow in longish passages, say >2 days, when the nedd to sleep becomes "clinical"?
do you prefer to concentrate sleep during the day or at night ? or follow the same rythm along the 24 hours ?

thanks

 

[roly_voya]

In crowded areas it is essential to maintain an effective watch when underway. If you really can't break the passage into managable chunks (for example crossing the North sea or Lands end to Brittany then pick the quietest area and hove to with not under command signal showing to get some kip. Don't be tempted to plow on and trust to luck particularly in area where you might meet fishing boats. If you are tempted to trust to radar gaurd zone etc see my post 'Seeing things'

 

[jonjo]

I cannot comment on the +2 day clinical sleep zone because my experience is limited to 24 to 30 hour passages.

Last year I did 3 English Channel solo overnight passages of 130 to 160 miles.

I found I could get useful rest through the night based on a series of 15 minutes catnaps interrupted by a dual alarm system. On each alarm I go on deck scan the horizon, then at the chart table I wake up the AIS laptop computer and give it a couple of minutes to acquire targets.

Two consecutive nights in the English Channel is not something I could handle safely.

 

[trouville]

It depends where your sailing and how far off land and other traffic.

When i sail to corsica(for example) once well off better on starboard tack,if im sleepy i set an alarm for two hours later, then, if or when i fall asleep it will wake me up (in the cockpit).

Normaly i sleep for an hour or so as the slightest "change" wakes me up

In summer i dont sleep just just cat nap as theres to much traffic(that is i see other boats about but way off) In winter autum its very much quiter

If i was on a two day passage or longer well away from land sandbanks etc i would sleep for three or four hours in the cockpit (always tied on)there i wake up look and go back to sleep

When ive gone below, laid down, ive slept soundly for about 4 hours before realiseing where i was!!!!now i never leave the cockpit!Its two uncomfortable to sleep soundly for long but refreshing all the same

 

[Malcb]

Personaly I wouldn't fance much more than a 24 hour period without sleep.

I used to engage in 24 hour competition hikes over a distance of 56 miles (and the rest). So I always knew that I could manage over 20 hours of hard activity with no sleep.

Last year I managed to sail (well, if I'm honest, motor) from Brixham to Chichester. It took 22 hours, arriving in the Solent after midnight. It didn't bother me as I'm used to the Solent at night. I used to be a member of the Maritime Volunteer Service, and our training in the wnter was always at night in the Solent.

All I did was heave to just off St Albans Head, get my wet weather gear on ( for warmth more than anything else), get some hot Irish stew down me, top up the fuel tank, and away I went. I kept Radio 2 going all night as it gave me that hourly news transmission, which made me fill in the log etc.

I think it's a matter of keeeping a routine.

When I arrived, however, I just shut up the boat, went home and slept until about 1300, went back to boat to 'formally' bed her down, the went home to get back into my normal sleep pattern.

 

[Roberto]

thank you for the answers/suggestions /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

indeed while following the coast I can hardly find the time to go to the loo, I have noticed the worst are small fishing boats which travel 500/1000metres at a time to change their spot and eventually stop right in front of the boat /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

which means looking all around the horizon every five minutes /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

while in offshore waters with less traffic, is it "radar watch" or else it is more advisable to keep the same watch as in coastal waters ?


I guess it depends on individuals, I once came back from a 1wk race where 3hour watches were closely followed, but when at home I slept for 15 jours on a row /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif