5: Keeping Watch Offshore: The Daily Routine While on Passage

[@Mrblueyedmikey]

I've been "big boat" sailing since I was a little boy on my fathers boat, I remember when I had to start standing watch (I guess about 13 or 14), I don't ever remember having trouble sleeping between watch. I wished I was on watch now! I just found your vids, You're terrific, I am envious. Keep it up and keep us posted. Keep the wind at your back and beautiful days ahead

[@yoavhavkin]

Thanks for letting us join your sailing.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

You got it - plenty more on the way. Thanks for watching.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

This is interesting. There are many people who sleep alot less than 4 hours at a time while sailing. I've heard of "sleep classes" that teach you to fall asleep quickly and for short periods of time.

[@simplequestionmovie]

If your tired enough you would sleep! I've heard of people trying sleeping masks. Maybe that will help you. I usually rotate watches, but I've only worked on one boat where we had the same watch every day. I was on the sunrise watch and I loved it!

[@williamhoskins7818]

What a Beautiful couple, love your vibes

[@Cruisinglealea]

Good one! Fair winds.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

You guys too. Keep on keeping on!

[@julesvivid2141]

Please make more sailing tutorials! So good!

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

Glad you liked it. We want to make more. If you like you may help that happen by becoming a patron. Check out our patreon dot com link.

[@TopTributeBands-N-Stuff]

On my first trip from Fla to SA and back we got caught in a hurricane. I got so tired that I could doze on the tiller for 15 min at a time. Tied it off with surgical tubing, sit up in rain gear and doze. wake up and check at the top of the waves, check course and doze. It was so rough that we slept in the walkway below rolled up in a sail. we were naked with rain gear and a towel around our butt that we would rinse in fresh water at the beginning of our 4 hr tour. Two of us day and night for weeks is tiring to the max. I say always go with at least 4 people and 6 if possible to have a real pleasure trip.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

The more the merrier usually... if you get along ;-) Offshore sailing is not for the weak of character... I think alot of people dont understand that fully.

[@TopTributeBands-N-Stuff]

I could not agree more. The first timer might think it is a cruise ship total fun thing but it turns out being a 24/7 on guard duty event. Still very beautiful in so many ways.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

But its impossible to get a full uninterrupted night of sleep while underway. Oh no, I think we are all doomed to be perpetually tired on passages! I guess you wouldn't ever feel fully rested until you anchor. But I have had success for long durations on the 4hr rotation. I would love to learn more about the people who sleep for only 15min at a time and stay away for an hour in-between. Now that's amazing!

[@kj6bbs]

True enough. If I put in enough time, I'm sure the sleep will come to me regardless of the time of day. The adjustment to the shift rotation must be hard. I bet it would be awesome to wake up to a sunrise at sea =) or just at sea in general.

[@paulgregory1229]

One of the most critical chores in sailing, yet most mundane, is the watch. Merchant seamen describe it as boring as long as everything goes perfectly from seabouy to seabouy. On a sailboat, a bit less boring. There are tricks to break up the watch, but you can not help but wish for the watch to be over so you can crawl into your bunk and get some sleep to give your mind some needed rest.

[@s.porter8646]

the dog, wife and I love your vids!!!

[@robertschulke1596]

We add a couple of things: Eat and hydrate. If you get low blood sugar, you will get tired and make bad decisions, If you get dehydrated, it will make you "gray out". If nothing else, a cold can of chili and a bottle of water. Remember - If you're not peeing regularly, you're dehydrated.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

+Robert Schulke Great advice - totally makes a HUGE difference, and something we always stress to our students. Thanks for bringing that in to the conversation.

[@romeoneverdies]

(continued) also some of the time the 4 hour sleep isnt enough to phisically recover from the previous day ( ie the rest of the body ) . you can shorten the needed sleep by doing relaxation if i remember you can cut about an hour for 30 min of relaxation . durring a passage you can probably make short sleep periods of 4 hours for a while but defenetly not long term otherwise you would probably end up like night shift ppl : insomniac or with weird sleep paterns ( like me :P )

[@davidrhoads2131]

You could beef up the boat & the rotation. Bigger SV with 4 or 5 people sharing the watch schedule and you are on for 3 hours and off for 9 to 12 hours.

[@billcarnes9829]

+David Rhoads Ahhh....but sailing a small boat is much more fun! IMO, of course.

[@wingmasterable]

Captain John Kretchmer even when he jokes still you'll get some useful information from him !!

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

+Baheej Ibrahim yeah he's the best!

[@mickeyauthement6898]

Never having done more than coastal sailing I have often wondered how you sleep on a longer voyage when solo sailing?

[@kj6bbs]

I think I can manage to fit sleep in. Tough part for me would be having night watch as I CANNOT sleep in daylight

[@standsfornothing]

Watch the Sail Havasu Keynote Speech video instead, or the Blue Ocean Film Festival Winning Video.

[@cliffcharpentier34]

I don't get the sleep deprivation watch's i hear a lot of people doing. You have two people on the boat. One sleeps 6 hours, the other sleeps 6 hours and you both can enjoy the day together with a descent nights sleep.

[@MorseAlphaExpeditions]

Exactly how we do it now too. 6 hrs is our preference for double handing.

[@cliffcharpentier34]

Getting a sailboats to circle the globe has been my dream for a while now. Always was around it but never had anything suitable. Now that ive been seeing the cats. And I have a family its going to take even longer. Damn things are three times more expensive

[@romeoneverdies]

well actually you only need one full sleep cycle ( uninterupted) to recover in terms of the brain most of the sleep is actually because having one 4 h cycle isnt enough as your sleep gets disturbed even if you dont wake up . the deep sleep cycle is about 4 hours after that you tend to wake up . you can awake from deep sleep because its a cycle of up and down ( deep and not so deep) there is a part where you dream witch is where you "catalog" your daily memories to long term memory .

[@romeoneverdies]

you should never sleep less than 4 hours . ( natural sleep cycle is 4 hours sleep 2 hours up 4 hours sleep then the rest up a litle nap durring the day(1h after diner))

[@BobLinton]

It's been 4 months, you don't call, you don't text and you don't share videos. We you tubers are worried sick! That's it! No soup for you! :p B

[@420slaughter]

I never do proper watches

[@jallenb1977]

just get a radar

[@moncorp1]

Yeah, see how relying on that works out for ya.

[@janklaassen4214]

oh no girl,this is not a good idea sailing with animals on board supose you go down your cat don,t have any posibilities to save your live,cats hate water.-

[@moncorp1]

Crawl back in your hole

[@chrisedwards4789]

Y'all are not real sailors... Sorry but y'all are making sailing to sound like the worst chore in the world.... Of course it takes work but that's what makes it so beautiful.... Go back to y'alls ivory towers and leave the sea to those that appreciate her most...

[@moncorp1]

You're not a real poster...Sorry, but you're a troll. Quit worrying about how someone else does something they enjoy....Go back to your hole and don't come out to post....ever.