Staying Awake
- Thread starter wflowe2
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Sleep during the day.
Or, if you have a fancy watch, set the alarm for every 5 or 10 minutes. Stand up instead of sitting down.
Develope a sleep schedule
If there is crew then a dedicated sleep schedule solves the problem. The Navy has this one down cold. Google "dog watch" in wikipedia
If I'm by myself then I:
a) Plan the boring and hopefully nonexistent traffic part for the middle of the night.
b) Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and put it at the helm. Snooze in the cockpit till it goes off. Do a detailed scan of the horizon with binos. Repeat as needed.
If I have to transit a high traffic route at night then I get some snoozing in prior to or plan it after transit. NEVER snooze during a high traffic transit.
If there is crew then a dedicated sleep schedule solves the problem. The Navy has this one down cold. Google "dog watch" in wikipedia
If I'm by myself then I:
a) Plan the boring and hopefully nonexistent traffic part for the middle of the night.
b) Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and put it at the helm. Snooze in the cockpit till it goes off. Do a detailed scan of the horizon with binos. Repeat as needed.
If I have to transit a high traffic route at night then I get some snoozing in prior to or plan it after transit. NEVER snooze during a high traffic transit.
My trip
When we sailed my H-36 from NY to Florida all ocean we each took 3 hour shift at the helm and the problem I think your asking is staying awakeon your shift.
We all awake during the day doing talking cooking and fishing and did not sleep much during the day so when night came that's when sleeping was easy but when my turn came for my 3 hour at the helm I would stand up and look around alot looking for lights in pitch black darkness and looking at the chartplotter and checking our course and if I started feeling tired I would shut off the auto and steer manualy.
Some times it was grueling when the auto stopped working and had no choice but it was not hard staying awake watching the compass and staying on course,keeping yourself busy at the helm is the trick and getting some sleep when some ones turn is at the helm for thier 3 hour shift.
Nick
When we sailed my H-36 from NY to Florida all ocean we each took 3 hour shift at the helm and the problem I think your asking is staying awakeon your shift.
We all awake during the day doing talking cooking and fishing and did not sleep much during the day so when night came that's when sleeping was easy but when my turn came for my 3 hour at the helm I would stand up and look around alot looking for lights in pitch black darkness and looking at the chartplotter and checking our course and if I started feeling tired I would shut off the auto and steer manualy.
Some times it was grueling when the auto stopped working and had no choice but it was not hard staying awake watching the compass and staying on course,keeping yourself busy at the helm is the trick and getting some sleep when some ones turn is at the helm for thier 3 hour shift.
Nick
Re: Develope a sleep schedule
There is not much time to snooze while on watch. The horizon is only about four miles away when you sit in the cockpit. Traffic may not be discernible much beyond that distance. At 12 knots closing speed you will go from nothing in sight to collision imminent in less than 20 minutes.
There is not much time to snooze while on watch. The horizon is only about four miles away when you sit in the cockpit. Traffic may not be discernible much beyond that distance. At 12 knots closing speed you will go from nothing in sight to collision imminent in less than 20 minutes.
staying awake on watch was not a problem--there were many things to see and things to do -- assigning chores to watch person is not necessarily the way to do it-- if auto helm fails, that individual will not get to the asssigned chores, and watch will be unendurable. even 4 hours. we sail shorthanded--2 on the boat. we do 4 hour watches. when we were sailing gulf of mexico, there was always something to keep an eye on--shrimper or something there. when it was not busy, if there was enough light, i would read--i fish during watch, and after we broke the boat, there was no question of what to do on watch. STEER THE BOAT. wasnt even time to fish then. also must remember , when on watch, the sail trim is yours.....might have to actually do some sail trim, as winds change and stuff happens...
at night there are stars and weather and clouds and such to watch, and dolphins will leap out of the waves...flying fish--isnt like staying up all nite in a room where nothing happens and the senses are dulled by boredom. there is always something ....
at night there are stars and weather and clouds and such to watch, and dolphins will leap out of the waves...flying fish--isnt like staying up all nite in a room where nothing happens and the senses are dulled by boredom. there is always something ....
You don't tell us how many people or what kind of watch schedule you are using. It is important that those are set up to give you enough rest.
An big point is to sleep or rest during your off watch periods during the day. That will allow you to be awake during your night time on watches.
An big point is to sleep or rest during your off watch periods during the day. That will allow you to be awake during your night time on watches.
Basic math
The horizon is at 4 to 5 NM depending on your eyeball height above the water for a typical sailboat. So you could theoretically see a log floating ON the water at conservatively 4 NM. Realistically, you'd never see it at night till you hit it.
Another sailboat running typical nav light should come into view at 5-6 NM. You would not be able to see it till 2-3 though due to the low power of his nav lights. Which is why you should ALWAYS use binos. Assuming a worst case head to head approach and I began to snooze just as the boat came into view (with binos) would give me:
12 knot closure speed
5 NM between us
Distance=Rate*Time --> T=D/R = 5/12=0.4166 hours = 25 minutes so I have 5 minutes to look around and take action.
A large cargo vessel will be visible at greater range due to its higher wattage lights, higher deck structures and generally "lit up" appearance. If his nav lights are 20' above the water then I should be able to see them at 8-9 NM. But cargo vessels at sea are going flat out at max cruise of 20ish knots.
Again T=D/R=8/26=0/308 hours = 18.4 minutes.
Course these guys are not going to be just any old place in the ocean. They stay on the routes to make time and $$$. Which is why I stay awake during transit of a shipping lane and high traffic areas. Otherwise there is not very much to worry about except that log. Fog and bad weather also result in reduced sleeping BTW
The horizon is at 4 to 5 NM depending on your eyeball height above the water for a typical sailboat. So you could theoretically see a log floating ON the water at conservatively 4 NM. Realistically, you'd never see it at night till you hit it.
Another sailboat running typical nav light should come into view at 5-6 NM. You would not be able to see it till 2-3 though due to the low power of his nav lights. Which is why you should ALWAYS use binos. Assuming a worst case head to head approach and I began to snooze just as the boat came into view (with binos) would give me:
12 knot closure speed
5 NM between us
Distance=Rate*Time --> T=D/R = 5/12=0.4166 hours = 25 minutes so I have 5 minutes to look around and take action.
A large cargo vessel will be visible at greater range due to its higher wattage lights, higher deck structures and generally "lit up" appearance. If his nav lights are 20' above the water then I should be able to see them at 8-9 NM. But cargo vessels at sea are going flat out at max cruise of 20ish knots.
Again T=D/R=8/26=0/308 hours = 18.4 minutes.
Course these guys are not going to be just any old place in the ocean. They stay on the routes to make time and $$$. Which is why I stay awake during transit of a shipping lane and high traffic areas. Otherwise there is not very much to worry about except that log. Fog and bad weather also result in reduced sleeping BTW
Other options for single handers
Radar has a range of 25ish NM or at 26 knots closure speed almost a whole hour.
Your VHF has a 25is NM range and can provide a similar snooze interval.
And these work in almost all weather conditions!!!
Radar has a range of 25ish NM or at 26 knots closure speed almost a whole hour.
Your VHF has a 25is NM range and can provide a similar snooze interval.
And these work in almost all weather conditions!!!
LOTS of coffee, a 15 minute 'egg timer', a portable short wave radio and/or a small wooden flute, etc. The flute keeps you awake and your mind active. I also do a complete 'walk-through' of the boat every hour .... checking bilge, voltage status, instruments, writing in the deck log, etc.
I usually do 3-4 hour watch stretches at night ... my favorite time of the day.
When single handing offshore I use a LOUD windup alarm clock .... set for every 20 minutes. If I get too tired and not in shipping lanes ... I sometimes just heave-to and sleep for an hour.
I usually do 3-4 hour watch stretches at night ... my favorite time of the day.
When single handing offshore I use a LOUD windup alarm clock .... set for every 20 minutes. If I get too tired and not in shipping lanes ... I sometimes just heave-to and sleep for an hour.
For 12 years of cruising the Caribbean from St. Croix to Trinidad or Puerto La Cruz, up to Maine, down to Guatemela and back to the Virgins, we hand steered until we bought an autopilot in 2003. At that time I steered until I got tired and my wife would relieve me for an hour or so and I would keep watch the rest of the night. We always used a digital kitchen timer set at 17 minutes. With the autopilot, my wife would go below around 2100 hrs and comeback topside around 0700-0800. We have no radar and never had the need. We had maybe 20 occasions where we spotted a ship that required keeping an eye on. I can sleep 16 of the 17 minutes and in the am I do not feel tired. I do go below for log book entries, etc. Maybe a cup of coffee sometimes around midnight. We usually cruise at 6-8 knots and calculated that 17 minutes was a good number.
Here is a review of an article that I did several years ago for our club newsletter. You may find it interesting and the full article is avaliable from Blue Water Sailing, referanced at the end.
Dave
s/v ARIEL
Like so many other coastal cruisers, Lois and I have found that the most difficult part of a cruise has been the trip that requires one overnight sail. The adrenalin created by the excitement of an offshore sail keeps us both up and active and we are tired by the time night comes and nether of us can sleep. We have tried watch keeping from the outset with no avail. Neither of us can sleep effectively and one of us usually ends up staying awake for twenty four hours or longer. We both end up cranky, tired and prone to bad actions. Does any of this sound familiar?
In an article titled The Sleeping Enemy in the June, 2006 issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine, Erin Myers discusses what makes us snooze and how we, as sailors, can best strategize our sleeping. This article is based on research and studies by Dr. Claudio Stanpi. I have condensed Mr. Myers article here in the hope that it might help in the development of a sleep and watch system for overnight cruises.
Dr. Stampi, sleep guru and accomplished sailor, has a medical degree, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and a degree in neurology. He participated in two Whitbread races to gather data from crews and has worked with Ellen MacArthur, Mike Golding and Brad Van Liew among others in his study of sleep and the requirement to stay alert while working in intense situations. His conclusions can be applied to short cruises as well as long solo passages.
At the heart of Dr. Stampi’s theory is his finding that alertness and performance are determined less than how long you sleep and more by when you sleep. Adapting to what Stampi calls a “polyphasic” sleep pattern, where sleep is attained in a series of short naps, will result in greater alertness, performance and safety in sleep-deprived situations.
There are some broad patterns that will help a person develop a sleep regimen. Almost everyone has what Stampi calls a “forbidden zone” between 6 and 9 p.m. when it is difficult to fall asleep. Sleep pressure, or the desire to sleep, is high at about 3:30 p.m. as well as early morning between 5 and 7 a.m.
Stampi’s research found truth in the terms “morning lark” and “night owl”. One of the first steps to developing sleep regimens is to figure out into which term you fall. “Morning people (larks) usually require more regular routines than do evening people (owls). On the other hand, larks tend to feel refreshed after even brief naps, while owls require longer naps to feel satisfied” he wrote.
Ellen MacArthur is a lark and often wrote about sleep in 20-minute naps in the most intense parts of her voyages. Mike Golding is an owl and has a very different sleep strategy, rarely getting less than an hour of sleep in any nap.
Stampi’s sleeping experiments have shown that in situations of sleep deprivation, polyphasic sleep preserves more performance and alertness than monophasic sleep. Individuals sleeping for 30 minutes out of every four hours, for a daily total of three hours, performed better and were more alert than those receiving three hours of uninterrupted sleep. He suggests 20-minute naps because you don’t have enough time to get into a deep sleep, as well as 80-minute naps because you get into deep sleep and cycle out to lighter sleep. He cautions that 50-minute naps can be trickier because you might wake during deep sleep, leaving you feeling groggy with detrimental effects on alertness and performance.
The brain likes predictability, he points out. Making naps routine will help train the brain to prepare for a nap and then recover from one. For example, regularly brushing your teeth or reading before a nap can hypnotize your brain to enter sleep. Likewise, a cup of tea, putting on a harness or washing your face can become stimuli to transfer you from sleep to alertness.
It is also important to identify what Stampi calls “circuit breakers” in your system - things that will serve as a red flag to let you know that you are critically sleep deprived and your performance and decision making are severely impaired. For example, accidentally boiling a pot of seawater for tea should let you know that you are dangerously sleep deprived and should rest before making any drastic navigational decisions.
Stampi suggests a watch schedule for doublehandlers that consists of a shift system with flexibility. Each person would be responsible for a shift, but they can nap or do whatever is efficient with that shift. Flexible shifts should take advantage of instances when you are riding the crest of alertness and your partner is sleeping deeply.
The ideal crew is composed of one lark and one owl. Then you can divide the night into two shifts, with the owl taking the late night shift and the lark the wee hours of the morning. As a rule of thumb, it is most efficient to take the long period of sleep during the night and take shorter naps during the day.
While a polyphase sleep pattern might be the most efficient way to deal with sleep deprivation, there will still be detrimental effects on performance and alertness due to the sheer lack of sleep. For this, Stampi suggests the Sunday Strategy. His research found that when employing polyphasic sleep during lengthy periods, one episode of free-running sleep once a week allows the body to recuperate. This might be most realistic on doublehanded boats, where once a week each person can afford a long period to top off their sleep while their partner stands watch.
You can reed this article in its entirety and with all the technical and neurological explanations by ordering Blue Water Sailing magazine, June 2006, volume 11, number 6, at www.bwsailing.com.
Dave
s/v ARIEL
SLEEP STRATEGY FOR AN OVERNIGHT CRUISE
by Dave Nance
In an article titled The Sleeping Enemy in the June, 2006 issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine, Erin Myers discusses what makes us snooze and how we, as sailors, can best strategize our sleeping. This article is based on research and studies by Dr. Claudio Stanpi. I have condensed Mr. Myers article here in the hope that it might help in the development of a sleep and watch system for overnight cruises.
Dr. Stampi, sleep guru and accomplished sailor, has a medical degree, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and a degree in neurology. He participated in two Whitbread races to gather data from crews and has worked with Ellen MacArthur, Mike Golding and Brad Van Liew among others in his study of sleep and the requirement to stay alert while working in intense situations. His conclusions can be applied to short cruises as well as long solo passages.
At the heart of Dr. Stampi’s theory is his finding that alertness and performance are determined less than how long you sleep and more by when you sleep. Adapting to what Stampi calls a “polyphasic” sleep pattern, where sleep is attained in a series of short naps, will result in greater alertness, performance and safety in sleep-deprived situations.
There are some broad patterns that will help a person develop a sleep regimen. Almost everyone has what Stampi calls a “forbidden zone” between 6 and 9 p.m. when it is difficult to fall asleep. Sleep pressure, or the desire to sleep, is high at about 3:30 p.m. as well as early morning between 5 and 7 a.m.
Stampi’s research found truth in the terms “morning lark” and “night owl”. One of the first steps to developing sleep regimens is to figure out into which term you fall. “Morning people (larks) usually require more regular routines than do evening people (owls). On the other hand, larks tend to feel refreshed after even brief naps, while owls require longer naps to feel satisfied” he wrote.
Ellen MacArthur is a lark and often wrote about sleep in 20-minute naps in the most intense parts of her voyages. Mike Golding is an owl and has a very different sleep strategy, rarely getting less than an hour of sleep in any nap.
Stampi’s sleeping experiments have shown that in situations of sleep deprivation, polyphasic sleep preserves more performance and alertness than monophasic sleep. Individuals sleeping for 30 minutes out of every four hours, for a daily total of three hours, performed better and were more alert than those receiving three hours of uninterrupted sleep. He suggests 20-minute naps because you don’t have enough time to get into a deep sleep, as well as 80-minute naps because you get into deep sleep and cycle out to lighter sleep. He cautions that 50-minute naps can be trickier because you might wake during deep sleep, leaving you feeling groggy with detrimental effects on alertness and performance.
The brain likes predictability, he points out. Making naps routine will help train the brain to prepare for a nap and then recover from one. For example, regularly brushing your teeth or reading before a nap can hypnotize your brain to enter sleep. Likewise, a cup of tea, putting on a harness or washing your face can become stimuli to transfer you from sleep to alertness.
It is also important to identify what Stampi calls “circuit breakers” in your system - things that will serve as a red flag to let you know that you are critically sleep deprived and your performance and decision making are severely impaired. For example, accidentally boiling a pot of seawater for tea should let you know that you are dangerously sleep deprived and should rest before making any drastic navigational decisions.
Stampi suggests a watch schedule for doublehandlers that consists of a shift system with flexibility. Each person would be responsible for a shift, but they can nap or do whatever is efficient with that shift. Flexible shifts should take advantage of instances when you are riding the crest of alertness and your partner is sleeping deeply.
The ideal crew is composed of one lark and one owl. Then you can divide the night into two shifts, with the owl taking the late night shift and the lark the wee hours of the morning. As a rule of thumb, it is most efficient to take the long period of sleep during the night and take shorter naps during the day.
While a polyphase sleep pattern might be the most efficient way to deal with sleep deprivation, there will still be detrimental effects on performance and alertness due to the sheer lack of sleep. For this, Stampi suggests the Sunday Strategy. His research found that when employing polyphasic sleep during lengthy periods, one episode of free-running sleep once a week allows the body to recuperate. This might be most realistic on doublehanded boats, where once a week each person can afford a long period to top off their sleep while their partner stands watch.
You can reed this article in its entirety and with all the technical and neurological explanations by ordering Blue Water Sailing magazine, June 2006, volume 11, number 6, at www.bwsailing.com.
Gadgets for the solo sailor
My Wife used to drive quite a distance. She bought this gadget that looks like a hearing aid. When your head nods an alarm sounds. Years later her car was making a funny noise and we took it to the garage. It turned out that the device was burried in her console and got turned on somehow. Boy did the mechanics get a chuckle out of that!
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...=aps&hvadid=4031582171&ref=pd_sl_80ndcy0gw3_e
My Wife used to drive quite a distance. She bought this gadget that looks like a hearing aid. When your head nods an alarm sounds. Years later her car was making a funny noise and we took it to the garage. It turned out that the device was burried in her console and got turned on somehow. Boy did the mechanics get a chuckle out of that!
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...=aps&hvadid=4031582171&ref=pd_sl_80ndcy0gw3_e
The US Army Ranger way
You have to be really sleepy to get this to work.
Close one eye with an eye patch, the other side of your brain will go to sleep
Take the eye patch off and wake fully up then put it on the other eye.
They can apparently go on indefinitely doing half brain cat naps.
Note that you get some pretty weird effects when half your brain is shut down.
For the record the Rangers do this in pairs with alternate eyes.
Weird as this sounds it does work but I'd not try it as a sleep strategy.
You have to be really sleepy to get this to work.
Close one eye with an eye patch, the other side of your brain will go to sleep
Take the eye patch off and wake fully up then put it on the other eye.
They can apparently go on indefinitely doing half brain cat naps.
Note that you get some pretty weird effects when half your brain is shut down.
For the record the Rangers do this in pairs with alternate eyes.
Weird as this sounds it does work but I'd not try it as a sleep strategy.
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