2269 miles to go!

Night Watch can be the worst part of a passage -- especially with shorthanded crew (1 or 2 people) because to keep someone on watch through the night means short sleep periods for everyone. Wish two people aboard a boat most people chose either 3 or 4 hour shifts and Terry and I have found the 3 hour shifts work best for us.

It might seem like the 4 (or more) hour shift would be best, since you'd get a longer - more normal - sleep period, but for us waking up after 3 hours we feel more refreshed than if we stay down longer where we tend to feel very groggy and out of it for a while. Plus, for the person on watch 3 hours is easier to get through without getting too tired.

In good weather, like we've been having so far, the "watch" is pretty much just that -- you're not doing a lot of work other than keeping an eye on things to make sure there's no ships on the horizon and that the boat is keeping to it's course (steered by the trusty windvane) and no squalls are approaching. That can be accomplished in quick checks every 10 to 15 minutes (the time it takes a big ship to appear on the horizon before it would reach you on a direct course). In between you can entertain yourself doing whatever you enjoy be it reading, writing, listening to music or one of my favorites playing cards on my iPhone.

On this passage we've worked out a schedule that has been working well so far, but could change at anytime if conditions change. One thing that helps set our schedules are the radio skeds we have set up with Vicky on Inspiration at Sea and our nightly check in with the Pacific Seafarers Net. Right now our skeds with Vicky are during the daylight hours so don't effect our sleep schedules, but the Seafarers Net begins at 9:30 pm (our local time) and we are in the roll call at about 10 o'clock right now. We like to both be up for the radio so someone can be outside on watch while the other is downstairs on the radio.

What we've worked out is I will sleep from 6:30 to 9:30 then get up to do the net. After that's over Terry gets to sleep from 10:30 to 1:30 and my 2nd sleep period is 1:30 to 4:30. I love this schedule because my last on watch shift includes the sunrise and there's nothing better than a sunrise after a long dark night -- so far with the waxing moon and clear star filled shies the nights haven't been dark, but the sunrises are still a welcome treat. Terry's last sleep is from 4:30 until he feels fully rested anytime between 7:30 and 8:30.

As I said, even with the best laid plans it can be hard to keep to the planned schedule. If weather changes or a squall goes through the off watch person will often get up to help with a sail change. Then there is also the quality of the sleep you get. It can be very restful in smooth seas where the gentle rocking of the boat puts you right to sleep, but there are times the seas are choppy and rough and you get tossed and rolled and the noises the boat can make are unbelievable. Even when you get to sleep in bad conditions it makes for a fitful sleep laced with the weirdest dreams as your mind tries to incorporate all the strange sounds and movements into something in that dream.

So for those of you who have never been on an ocean passage in a small boat, that's a brief look into one of the major aspects of cruising -- the night watch.