Sleep on long passages when single handed

[AndCur]

Folks

What way do you sleep when doing long passages (more than say 24hrs) if single handed. Is it just a matter
of short cat naps.Please bear in mind that my boat is only 24ft and does not have radar so i can see what's over
the horizon.

As always thanks for the reply's

Andrew

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[Johnboy2004]

hi there depends on where your going to sail to............ me thinks sleeping in slots of say 20minutes sounds like what u might have to do........all depends......

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[Anonymous]

Along the south coast of England, in the season, in a six hour watch you'll probably HAVE to alter course at least once to avoid hitting something (another vessel or a pot) and you'd probably alter course two or three times to give greater transit distance from vessels or pots, or to signal your acceptance that you are the give-way vessel. You will probably spot these vessels or pots when you are between twenty minutes and two minutes away. So, going to sleep for twenty minutes at a time is pretty risky along the south coast of England. In other words, to reinforce this point, if you were to sleep for twenty minute stretches (i.e. 20 mins awake and 20 mins asleep) you will probably hit something over twelve hours.

A radar would improve your chances enormously, if used correctly because you can set an alarm. To see pots you would be better off with a decent radar with a large-ish antenna though you can only see pots on a radar when the sea is quite flat. Radomes are very light and the windage isn't great so even on a 24 footer it won't be a problem. I used to have a Furuno 1620 on a 26 footer. If you mount the display on a hinged bracket in the comanionway you can see it when in the cockpit or down below. By the way, radars are line of sight and cannot see over the horizon although if they are mounted higher than eye level (e.g. on the mast) then the range is better; just like sending a crew up to the crow's nest!

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[mocruising]

Invest in a see me.

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[chrisb]

. i tend to rest in no more than 7 minute intervals and start this very early in the passage so not to become overtired in the first place.one must have the ability to wake which you can train yourself to do but not if you are over tired.an alarm is agood idea. when single handing it is important to stay warm and well nourished this helps to ward off overtiredness.remember that many experienced sailors have ended up on the rocks by falling asleep whether intentional or not-just through sheer exhaustion. i base this on ahorizon of 4miles and a closing speed of 20k.my insurance now limits me to 24 hrs so the only answer for longer trips seemed to be a faster boat.radar certainly helps especially with a fast gyro compass and marpa but this is expensive

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[jeanne]

I think that the most important thing that I have learnt is to start resting early on in the trip. If you wait till you have put in 16 hours or so awake, and then try to sleep for a short time, you will have trouble. I have a kitchen timer with a loud alarm, and set it to around 10 to 15 minutes, in clear weather, and use it to rest , reading, eating, sleeping, or considering what I would be doing now if I had a more sensible hobby, from the moment I get into clear water.
It goes off. I go and have a look around, reset the alarm, and go back to what I was doing.
The main trouble with this occurs when life gets exciting. The most common time for long distance single handers to fall asleep is when they make a landfall, and have been 'up' for 24 hours

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[Sea Devil]

Radar and other electrical items are not reliable watch keepers - I have a CARD but discovered that big ships do not all run their radar all the time..
I just sleep for around 20 minutes wake - look round - go back to sleep - normally try to get half an hour or so at dusk and dawn.

Do not really think the channel or near shipping lanes is the place to play these games... I have some french friends who when on ocean passage just go to bed... only wake if the sails need attention. Frankly out in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans you really do not see anything for days - weeks even. It is the shipping lanes and proximity to land that's dodgy!

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