Here’s another great tip from our friend Capt. John from skippertips.com…
Could sailing be safer on coastal or offshore voyages–even without all the safety gear and equipment thrust upon us by market mania? Indeed, one single factor seems to raise its deadly head time and again. And this could result in injury, poor decisions, wrong turns, forgotten inspections, and overboard emergencies or tragedies.
It’s often laughed about or ridiculed by a rather macho attitude. But some world famous physicians and health specialists have expressed great concern that lack of this component can affect health, the ability of the body to fight inflammation and disease and fatigue. It’s the enemy of short- and single-handed sailors. And yet, so often overlooked or ignored. What is it?
Sleep–but not just any type of sleep. Long periods of deep, uninterrupted sleep. Sleep in its most pure state creates a complete relaxation of brain and body, unencumbered by worry or stress.
There are lots of conflicts when you read this and that about how much sleep we need. But I find time and again that it comes back to the old standard of 7-8 hours. And that can be a tough one to acquire underway on a cruise or delivery from point A to point B.
But in my mind, it’s just one more factor for sailing skippers to consider if underway on long voyages. Your crew or partner needs rest for their safety and health. Shorten sail, slow down, heave-to. Lose some miles to gain the benefit of a crew or partner less prone to injury from fatigue and more alert on watch.
Sure, it can be a challenge, and goes against convention. After all, lots of cruising folks these days are in a rush to squeeze a trip into a small time frame. But less could turn out to be more. Slow down and pull off the planned route. Who knows, you may discover a small town that you fall in love with; or wonderful folks ashore that you would never meet if in a rush to get to that planned-for point over the horizon.
Make Sleep a Priority when Cruising Under Sail
Obviously, sleep quality and consistency can be even more of a challenge for the short- or single-handed sailor. In his classic book “The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat“, author John Vigor advises that “anything you can do to make sure you get seven or eight hours of sleep a day is a valuable safety aid“.
A strong word of caution–sleep should not be induced by the use of sleep-drugs of any type while underway. This applies to day-sailing, short weekend cruising, extended cruising and voyaging. Sleep drugs can cause judgment impairment and physical imbalance and should be avoided on any boat–power or sail.
Shorten watch spans. Some say no more than four hours. I believe four hours on watch aboard a small boat at sea pushes the envelope. I’ve stood thousands of four to six hour watches aboard ships, tugs, and coastal buoy tenders. If you are doing the job right, you are utterly exhausted at the end of that period. And that’s aboard ships that provide a much more stable platform than small craft.
I’ve found that three hours or less aboard small vessels seems to work well in moderate weather; slash that to one to two hours in heavy weather conditions. Realize that the term “heavy weather” is relative to the boat and crew and should not be tied to a wind strength or sea state. Thirty knots or wind and four foot seas may be fine sailing conditions for a large crew aboard a forty or fifty footer. Those same conditions could be a handful for a short handed crew sailing a smaller boat.
In low visibility conditions, double up the watch or rotate every thirty minutes. Studies have shown that your concentration drops off after about a half hour in high-stress conditions like fog, thick haze or any other reduced visibility sailing situation.
Options for Short- or Single-Handed Sailing
But, of course, shortened watch intervals could interfere with adequate rest for the sailing crew. There are alternatives. Anchoring is the #1 option in close coastal or inland waters. When I single-handed, my sailing was built around this factor. Most of the time, I had no self-steering, so six to eight hours was enough underway time for me. After that, I dropped the hook. This seemed to work well to prevent fatigue the next day.
Heaving-to is a good option further offshore, as long as you have sufficient sea room. Boats parked in place are safer, whether by sail or sea-anchor. This will allow you and your crew to rest and sleep without being tossed around. Watches can be made longer and will be less stressful in all regards.
Single-handers on long trips will be unable to maintain a lookout “round-the-clock”, which of course is in violation of International Rule 5 (see my eBook “Navigation Rules Made Easy“). I believe the best compromise would be to stop the boat as described earlier for rest or sleep.
I have single-handed throughout most of my sailing, but never offshore. Indeed, I have great respect and admiration for those that single-hand offshore. But it’s dangerous in the extreme to continue to sail single-handed while asleep. In my mind, heaving-to while asleep makes the most sense for the offshore single-hander.
This may be an unconventional option but consider this…
The oceans are no longer the pristine bodies of water they once were. There’s a lot more debris afloat that can damage the thin hull of a fiberglass boat. And much of it can be tough to see unless you keep a close eye on the sea surface ahead and to leeward.
Having crewed on several deliveries in the recent past, our crews came across large logs, barrels, and a navigational buoy adrift offshore. So, the job of lookout has become a bit more burdened with not only ships on the horizon, but debris on or just below the surface of the water.
For single-handers, Vigor recommends that you sleep during the day. The best you can hope for would be short naps, followed by a visual scan for vessels or objects that could create a risk of collision. Nighttime requires the most vigilance, so the single-hander might want to stay awake between sunset and sunrise.
Follow This Famed Physician’s Advice for Better Health!
Consider this excellent advice on how to get better sleep for peak fitness from renowned physician and nutrition specialist Dr. Joseph Mercola. His advice might be a bit tough to follow underway. But, the benefits that result from a good night’s sleep could help you take better control of your health in sailing and other areas of your life.
– Spend ten to fifteen minutes each morning in the sun. This helps keep your “body clock” set for better rest in the evening.
– Expose your body to at least thirty minutes of bright sunlight in the middle of the day. Make this effort, even if you work inside. Get out into the bright light each day if possible.
– Turn off the television or computer or mobile device or iPhone at least one hour before you go to bed. This gives your brain a break and prevents possible interference of your body’s production of melatonin, which helps you sleep better at night.
– Blackout your sleep space. Crazy as it may sound, blackout curtains or similar devices (i.e. an eye mask) can help you attain better rest. Cover alarm clocks or buy one with an amber-red night light. Use orange or red night lights for other areas. These light spectrums do not interfere with your body’s melatonin production.
– Lower room temp to 70 degrees (21°C) or even a couple of degrees lower. Upper bedrooms in multi story homes or apartments can be tough to cool off in the heat of summer. Keep all spaces cooler at night for better sleep.
– Remove electrical devices close to your head. Electro-magnetic fields, even in small electrical devices, can interfere with the production of melatonin. This could disrupt your sleep cycle.
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Sail safer this season while cruising under sail with your sailing crew or partner. Put sleep and rest high on the list of priorities to put the odds in your favor for safe ‘n sound sailing–wherever in the world you choose to cruise!
