What is the perfect watch system?

[Halcyon Yachts]

I have written an article discussing some of the issues when choosing a watch system.

http://www.halcyonyachts.com/perfect-watch-system/

The article includes a few sample watch systems that you can download (if you wish).

What system do you like best?

Pete

 

[shaunksb]

6 on 6 off during the day with 4 on 4 off at night for a two watch system works the best for long passages I think. Gives variety and a good sleep every other night.

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[capnsensible]

On deliveries I generally take two other crew and run three on, six off.

When on long distance passages with my wife, we use three on, three off. Easy after a couple of days.

 

[laika]

For 3 people, 3 on 6 off during the day (06:00-18:00), 2 on 4 off at night. Minimises on duty night shift lengths, allows for a long rest during the day and naturally rotates the watches each day

 

[Way]

I have written an article discussing some of the issues when choosing a watch system.

http://www.halcyonyachts.com/perfect-watch-system/


Really interesting stuff Pete and something I've often wondered about. Thanks. For two people crossing the atlantic/on a sustained passage, what would you advise? someone mentions 3 on 3 off for two people.

The article includes a few sample watch systems that you can download (if you wish).

What system do you like best?

Pete

Really interesting stuff Pete and something I've often wondered about. Thanks. For two people crossing the atlantic/on a sustained passage, what would you advise? someone mentions 3 on 3 off for two people.

 

[nortada]

There is no single perfect watch keeping system as you have to play to the capabilities/preferences of the crew and the skipper.

On long trips with a big crew the 3 watch system can work well (On/Off/Mother). Hard to implement with a 2 man crew.

Sailing as husband and wife - I do nights, she does days but we have a 2x1hr dog watches (dusk & dawn, when light levels can be deceptive). Works for us.

 

[Halcyon Yachts]

Really interesting stuff Pete and something I've often wondered about. Thanks. For two people crossing the atlantic/on a sustained passage, what would you advise? someone mentions 3 on 3 off for two people.

I would personally avoid a long passage with just two. It is so much more comfortable to have 3 or ideally 4 on board!

If it is just two then I also recommend 3 on 3 off.

Pete

 

[pyrojames]

I do 3 on 3 off with two, and have found that with more crew you do 3 on and then the crew multiple of 3 off. I also try not to rotate the watch system as it is much harder to settle down to sleep quickly if you keep changing the sleep patterns.

The 6 on 6 off also seemed very popular with cruising couples I met around the place, typically 1900 to 0700 in the tropics.

 

[Topcat47]

I regularly sail short handed, usually me +1 or just me. I adjust the watch keeping system to suit the capability of my crew.

Aiming for 3on, 3off, I am 3 on, 3 standby to be called for wind, weather, sail changes and close quarters situations. This means I try to work no more than three day passages with a day off to kip. The watch coming on does the recording and makes tea and any snacks. The crew make meals, if possible as they get an uninterrupted 3 hours.

For Three crew, I use on/off standby with the standby watch doing housekeeping.

For larger crews I revert to the well proven RN system, but I expect there to be a "mate" to take the skipper burden off my shoulders.

 

[SimonFa]

A long time ago when I was in the Army I read a paper on how long an infantry battalion could remain operational. My memory is a bit hazy but I do remember the conclusion.

They ran some experiments keeping a regiment on the go with 0, 2 and 4 hour rest periods. The regiment with 0 hours rest didn't last long at all. The 2 hours was quite good for a few days. On 4 hours they just kept going although weren't at peak operational effectiveness.

Based on this, any watch system needs to ensure at least one 4 hour rest period in any 24 hours.

 

[Prasutigus]

Greetings once again. This forum certainly gives food for thought with all the expert comments!

I might be swimming against the current with this preference, but I don't get on with watches which keep altering time.
. I much prefer to do the same times every day, then my body clock very soon gets acclimatised, and I can burst out of my bunk at 0300 darko'clock as if it was 9 am.
If you are 3 people, on a delivery perhaps like Halcyon, then six hrs off allows a proper, deep kip. Much shorter than that and, when you've eaten into it at each end, filling in the log, getting the oilies off, using the heads, having a snack, and all the other minor things to do at each end of your off-watch period, that can be 5 hours in your scratcher, in reality.
I personally think it's much easier to descend quickly into deep, refreshing sleep if it's at the same time per 24 hr period. Day or night is irrelevant, pull your hat down to cover your eyes.
Just my tuppence worth anyway, P.

(edit: Even two-up, I would (if my 'copilot' was agreeable of course) rather do a long watch on deck, then a long period below. This also has the advantage that faffing with oilskins and l/j's and all the other palava occupies a shorter percentage of your off-watch minutes, as you don't do it so often..)

 

[lw395]

It depends.
Two hours of solid hand steering in the cold rain is plenty.
But 2 hours is a short kip.

I find I can make do with just one two hour period off watch on an overnight channel crossing, but passage taking several days is a completely different game.

 

[capnsensible]

What I definitely wouldnt recommend is both ways across the Atlantic with a broken autopilot, especially when there are only two of you for lots of it.

Hydrovane is totally great and made our second cruise a delight!

 

[colind3782]

Not a great deal of experience with long night passages but I do have 25+ years of working nights (and days) and experience would suggest 2 on, 4 off as four hours seems to be a good sleep cycle and two hours is long enough if you want to stay alert.

Obviously, you need the crew to achieve it.

 

[shaunksb]

Quite a few people seem to advocate 3hrs but it really isn't long enough by the time you've got your kit off to allow for any meaningful rest before its time to get it all back on again.

Whatever you are doing you need to get a couple of four hrs or one six hrs in every twenty four.

____________

 

[capnsensible]

Quite a few people seem to advocate 3hrs but it really isn't long enough by the time you've got your kit off to allow for any meaningful rest before its time to get it all back on again.

Whatever you are doing you need to get a couple of four hrs or one six hrs in every twenty four.

____________

We find that after a few watches, you can easily get accustomed to 3 on, 3 off. Never needed a longer zonk and after a week or so, probably only sleep two lots of three in 24 hours. But I guess that might not suit everyone.

 

[Tin Tin]

I have written an article discussing some of the issues when choosing a watch system.

http://www.halcyonyachts.com/perfect-watch-system/

The article includes a few sample watch systems that you can download (if you wish).

What system do you like best?

Pete

When we (wife and I) did our Atlantic circuit many years ago, we adopted this:

Watch-on-watch—the Swedish system : The Swedish watch system splits the crew in half, but uses an irregular schedule to balance the varying demands of different times of day. Beginning at 1900 hours (7:00 p.m.), the watches run on this schedule: five hours, four hours (mid watch), four hours, five hours, and six hours (afternoon watch). This system dogs itself automatically.

We found it worked well for us.

PS: the Aries windvane did most of the work anyway.

 

[Dictys]

Whilst in the MN we used to do 4 on, 8 off, for 3 watch keepers whilst at sea, if we had two watch keepers then down to 6 on, 6 off. The 6 on/off was draining for long periods.

If I had three watchmen whilst sailing I would keep the 4 on, 8 off think.

 

[jamie N]

I've never had a watch system as I've never done a 'long trip' with a crew, so these watch systems aren't something that I have knowledge of. However, offshore we've always used a 12 on, 12 off rotation. On the odd occasion when (as a team) we've tried to adapt to a tidal rotation, by working the slack tides, which for our work is around about 3 on, 3 off, we became dangerously tired within a couple of days, when our skill levels had diminished to an unacceptable level.

 

[capnsensible]

The most bonkers one I ever tried was at the request of an owner. He asked if it was possible to use a land days work approach. So we did, with three people, 8 on, 16 off. It was weird, but it sort of worked and I delivered the yacht from Miami to Gib.

Owner was a US Air Force Colonel, F16 pilot. So bonkers was excusable!