As a professional mariner, I can attest to the accuracy of these findings. Having worked 6 on 6 off since 1995, there are so many days that turn out to be 18 hr days at sea.
personaly speaking, I have found myself making choices between eating and sleeping.
after standing a 6 hr watch , you are relieved on the hour say 2400 which takes a few minutes to properly inform your reliefe of positon, traffic, and normal ships operations at sea. You are relived and down stairs to the galley to eat breakfast at aroound 0015 or 0030.
by the time you eat breakfast, get a shower, do laundry , it is now 0130 and you have to be awakened by 0515 so that you can get your coffee and get awake or coherint enough to relive you pilot/captain by 0545 then stand your watch from 0600 to 1130 and start over again. Doing this for 20-30 days straight.
Then take yourself home to the family who expects every
And yes by the way , we all have had our share of groundings/close calls.
one to sleep from say 2100 to 0600 and stay busy all day from 0600 to 1800.
I usually still have to get a nap in daily when im at home. Usually after a 6 hr stretch of anything. lol
thanks for sharing Roger as fatige really does play a large factor in decison making in every aspect of our lives, not just at sea.
Fair winds and safe passges;
Captain Charles Creel
200 TON Master