![]() There are varied views as to whether a formal watch system should be maintained during the daytime, with slightly more believing that it should. This is a simple method of providing crew members with some variety of watch-mates, but also means that “one person has become familiar with the conditions and the other is fresh and awake,” said Uruz. Uruz Ersozoglu operated a two-person watch system of three hours on/three hours off on his 54ft Jeanneau Theta in the 2014 ARC, but with staggered changeover times so that one person was relieved every hour and a half. One exception to this was another ARC participant, the Moody 41AC White Satin, which had a crew of three married couples, each of which served watches together throughout the voyage. Many skippers thought it was important to change the watch composition so that everyone shares watches with different people during the course of a voyage – “so that watch members had some variety,” as Rick Scott-Murphy, who took part in the 2015 ARC with five other crew in the Beneteau Oceanis 54 Trilogy, put it – despite the added complications of doing so, especially with an odd number of crew and while trying to maintain a balance of abilities in each watch. ![]() “We have found that sticking to a rigid system invariably means you have to go to sleep when you’re awake or vice versa,” said Stuart Letton who cruises extensively with his wife Anne in their Island Packet 45 Time Bandit. Many two-person crews – usually couples, married or otherwise – adopt a more flexible approach, usually simplified by an intimate understand of, and greater consideration for, each other’s needs. On some boats with an unchanging watch system, the crew were able to easily resolve who would take which watches during a pre-voyage discussion, during which it often became apparent that one person would happily take a watch that another would deplore. “We believe that after some time your body knows when to be awake and when asleep,” she said, “and changing the hours would have meant being a lot more tired”. “Regardless of whether you have a ‘good’ shift or a graveyard shift,” said Kristiann Gips who took part in the ARC+ on the Fountaine Pajot Helia 44ft catamaran Allende with four other crew, “your body gets used to the sleep schedule you set within a few days.” Sandra Frank, who completed a circumnavigation with her husband in their 44ft monohull Outborn in 2015, agreed. Many crews thought that getting used to a “rhythm” was more important than any other consideration. “On long voyages, all watches become the same ‘difficulty’ level, as each person will adapt after two or three days of their new routine.” “A daily routine of being on and off watch at the same time gives us humans – creatures of habit – the routine we need,” he said. “It’s better for the atmosphere on board.”īy contrast among those who believe that it is preferable to keep to the same watch pattern is Seaway Yacht Delivery’s Simon Phillips, who has sailed 300,000 miles. “This way on longer passages everybody gets sunsets, sunrises and graveyard shifts,” said Cuno Landman who founded the Yacht Delivery Company six years ago. In the slight majority are those who think that changes are good, to ensure that no one gets to enjoy all the good bits or endure all the bad bits. Opinions are very much divided as to whether watch patterns should change during the course of a voyage to allow individual crew members to experience a variety of watches. To put it simply, a crew of two has no option other than solo watches and (assuming a fair split) an equal amount of time off-watch as on-watch a medium size crew of (say) four will generally have a choice between solo watches with longer off-watch periods, and two-person watches with equal on-watch and off-watch time while larger crews of (say) six and more have much greater opportunities for two-person watches and long off-watch times (of the eleven WCC boats which sailed with six or more crew, all but one used two-person watches), and for taking specific crew members out of the watch system altogether. An informal survey among over 75 participants in the World Cruising Club’s various rallies, and a couple of professional delivery companies, has revealed a variety of views regarding the lengths of watches (and therefore the lengths of off-watches), the number of people in each watch, day-time watches, the need to change or not change watch timings, and so on. The options for different systems of watch keeping on long passages at sea are numerous and depend on many factors, not least the number of crew and their relative abilities. Nigel Sharp gives us his top tips for scheduling and staying safe On longer passages, setting up a successful watch keeping schedule can be the difference between a happy trip and a stressful one.
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