WATCH SYSTEMS for a longish voyage

[estarzinger]

I'm interested in your 6 on/off comment for longer voyages. Is this when you are two up? What schedule do you use 6-12, 12-6 or something else?

Yes, I should have noted that's when we are double handed (which is almost always).

I do 6pm - mid-night and Beth mid-night to dawn. Beth does not need so much sleep, but I do. Different people seem to have different optimal cycles so if you sail with someone a lot it is possible/desirable to tailor the watch system to the individuals. We both are very adapted and aware when asleep, and will wake up when the motion or sound changes, and if it seems necessary will pop up and help the on-watch with any sail change and then get right back to bed.

Beth says she really loves seeing the sky lighten up and dawn develop and that makes the end of her watch much more bearable, but her watch also gets the worst squalls (usually around 2-3am) which also often get me up to help (usually just a sail reduction but we sometimes have to hand steer in dark/heavy rain which I am much better at).

 

[ChrisE]

Yes, I should have noted that's when we are double handed (which is almost always).

I do 6pm - mid-night and Beth mid-night to dawn. Beth does not need so much sleep, but I do. Different people seem to have different optimal cycles so if you sail with someone a lot it is possible/desirable to tailor the watch system to the individuals.

Interesting, Liz is not great for the graveyard shift, whereas I quite like it especially, like Beth, watching dawn come up.

The downside is that I set the fishing lines at dawn and go to my bed at 6 only to be woken up to *deal with* the screaming reel.....

 

[goboatingnow]

Four day passages tend to be the exact worst length. For one or two days you can just run on nervous energy and don't need too much sleep, and for +5 days you get your sea legs and get into the groove and start feeling good, but for 4 days you are usually tired and out of sort and don't have your sea legs

absolutly spot on

I have tried several, but one that we used transaltantic was a three hour overlapping watch, ie first hours with previous watch, then one hour alone, then one hour with next watch. ( also tried 4 hour overlapping, wth 2 hours wih one watch) in my opionion especially for warm night sailing, two people on watch is a good idea. We didnt run a formal daytime watch system, watch ran from 9pm to 9am.

 

[snowleopard]

Heads up guys, look who's here...

Great book BTW.