Singlehanded Sleep Schedule

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by conachair

Not found that to be the case, an hour at a time has always been ample for me, takes a few days to get into the swing of it but after that never tired or groggy even after weeks offshore.
Maybe it has to do with not waking up completely every time, only when to automatic check list you go through flags something which needs doing.

When I was in the USAF I was told by a flight surgeon that the best nap was under 45 minutes. REM starts after 45 minutes and lasts to the 3 hr point. So, either sleep less than 45 minutes or longer than 3 hrs. The reason you wake up groggy is because you were in REM sleep.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by deluxe68

When I was in the USAF I was told by a flight surgeon that the best nap was under 45 minutes. REM starts after 45 minutes and lasts to the 3 hr point. So, either sleep less than 45 minutes or longer than 3 hrs. The reason you wake up groggy is because you were in REM sleep.

An hour seems to suit me fine. Don't wake up groggy, well mostly don't actually wake up completely unless it's necessary at night. Arrive the other side very well rested & alert after a few weeks of that.

[OldManMirage]

I didn't vote in the poll because I need a 3rd choice.

As I have rolled up into my 50's my sleep patterns have changed somewhat. I almost always sleep about 2-3 hours and then wake up. I usually get up and walk around and have a pee and go back to bed. Sleep another 2-3 hours. Sometimes that cycle repeats a third time, depending. I usually get around 6-7 hours total sleep. And it seems to work. I don't feel tired during the day. I have gotten to where SOMETIMES I can take a 45 minute nap in the afternoons. Been this way for several years now.

I think this sleep cycle will work ok for me single-handing. I realize its not ideal. I'm not really a night- owl, but I am definitely a morning person. 4-4:30 is my normal wake up time. And I can be flexible and shift it around. I'm sure I can add more nap time if needed. This summer I plan on making short 2-4 day hops offshore so I'll have a chance to test it out.

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by toddster8

Re: Signal lights while sleeping. Wouldn't this be "vessel not under command?" Two vertical red lights. I suppose you could make 'em blink.

BTW: If you want to go the blinky light way, make any LED light (e.g. anchor light) strobe by adding a $10 switchable blinker in the circuit.

Yes. Two red lights in a vertical line mean "vessel not under command." Two black balls during the day. My strobe is a xenon gas lamp that is FAA "TSOed" for aircraft - I didn't like any of the boatie strobes on the market, and since it's not a COLREGs required light, I went with something I liked. The strobe's brightness is 400 candelas. A "five-mile" light has an intensity of sixty-three candelas, so it's much brighter than any anchor light you'd ever find.

[tcutler]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

Yes. Two red lights in a vertical line mean "vessel not under command." Two black balls during the day. My strobe is a xenon gas lamp that is FAA "TSOed" for aircraft - I didn't like any of the boatie strobes on the market, and since it's not a COLREGs required light, I went with something I liked. The strobe's brightness is 400 candelas. A "five-mile" light has an intensity of sixty-three candelas, so it's much brighter than any anchor light you'd ever find.

"Vessel not under command" does not include "everybody is asleep". It is intended for use by vessels who through "exceptional circumstance" are unable to maneuver as they might otherwise be required or expected to. (COLREGS Rule 3(f)).

[toddster8]

Originally Posted by tcutler

"Vessel not under command" does not include "everybody is asleep". It is intended for use by vessels who through "exceptional circumstance" are unable to maneuver as they might otherwise be required or expected to. (COLREGS Rule 3(f)).

I am quite certain that it literally and absolutely does include any situation in which it is not possible for someone to be on watch. Whether a steering gear is broken or whether there is nobody there to steer it are exactly identical problems for an approaching vessel. “Vessel Not Under Command” is the only signal that accurately represents the situation.

[tcutler]

Originally Posted by toddster8

I am quite certain that it literally and absolutely does include any situation in which it is not possible for someone to be on watch. Whether a steering gear is broken or whether there is nobody there to steer it are exactly identical problems for an approaching vessel. “Vessel Not Under Command” is the only signal that accurately represents the situation.

I agree that displaying accurate lights and signals is essential, regardless of why those lights and signals are accurate, or whether the operation or condition they represent is safe or legal.

I haven't yet found any online references to court cases involving use/misuse of "vessel not under command" signals. However, here is a reference to a case where a sleeping single-hander was found to be equally at fault for a collision at sea, even though the overtaking vessel was also not keeping adequate watch for Rule 5:

Single-Handed Sailing - BoatSafe.com

I just think that after taking all the steps you want/can to make your vessel, and its situation, visible to and understood by others, you still have to assume that they don't, in fact, see you and even they do, they don't, in fact, understand what you're situation is or what they can expect of you. That's the whole point of rule 5, I think.

I guess what I'm saying is that hoisting "vessel not under command" doesn't necessarily mean that now you can go to sleep for longer than it will take for a fast ship to come over the horizon and get to your space. You might still get hit, and you might still be held at least partially liable for the hit.

I don't know for sure how I would address this concern if I were single-handing, it's a tough one.

[john61ct]

By definition that concern can't be fully addressed, you're just taking your chances.

[boatman61]

We do that every time we go to sea.. just figure we have stacked the odds enough in our favour to do it safely.. if one is a realist. If not your on a sandbar in Johns Pass.
As to collision liability for insurance purposes.. it is always shared between both vessels.. percentages may vary slightly but more often than not its 50/50.. after that criminal charges may or may not apply to the officer/s on watch/command at the time and skipper..

[Taichungman]

Originally Posted by KISS

So, I've been rereading some information about singlehanding, esp. about sleeping while singlehanding, and thinking about whether "micro-sleeping" or normal sleeping is better. Micro-sleeping makes for better watches for a part of the day, while normal sleeping makes for a more competent sailor for the rest of the day, esp. over the long term. Assuming the singlehander uses the collision avoidance equipment listed below while sleeping, which sleep schedule do you think is safer?

radar with zone alarm
AIS receiver with zone alarm
AIS transponder
proper navigation lights
VHF turned on
steel hull (i.e. giant radar reflector)

P.S. I'm talking about offshore sailing here; obviously one should never be asleep near the coast.

With all the Nav/safety equi. you have, I would say normal sleeping.
In other words, when you get sleepy, set up all your nav. equip and go to sleep. Experiment and see how much sleep you need each time to feel rested and competent when you wake. Maybe it's 2, 4, or 6 hours, then get up and take a look around.
I believe that each person may have a different clock. I tried the 20 minute nap routine once and was a basket case after 4 days and hallucinating after 5 days. I finally took down the sails and slept for 12 hours just bobbing around. It might be that I am not cut out to be a single handed sailor.

Lots of good info on the forum, but in the end you will have to figure out what works for you. Good luck.

[cruisingdog]

Originally Posted by KISS

So, I've been rereading some information about singlehanding, esp. about sleeping while singlehanding, and thinking about whether "micro-sleeping" or normal sleeping is better. Micro-sleeping makes for better watches for a part of the day, while normal sleeping makes for a more competent sailor for the rest of the day, esp. over the long term. Assuming the singlehander uses the collision avoidance equipment listed below while sleeping, which sleep schedule do you think is safer?

radar with zone alarm
AIS receiver with zone alarm
AIS transponder
proper navigation lights
VHF turned on
steel hull (i.e. giant radar reflector)

P.S. I'm talking about offshore sailing here; obviously one should never be asleep near the coast.

I have a question about the sleep schedule as it doesn’t make sense to me. There’s talk of 20 minute sleep and then watch and repeat. However if you think about what you can see, the horizon is about 12nm away (assuming a 6ft tall person standing on flat, looking towards horizon). At 8knts, that’s and hour and a half. Divide that by 2 and and you get 45 minutes. Now assuming the vessel coming over the horizon is a container ship, it’s likely doing 25knts so it would converge with you at effectively 33knts if head on. So with that said, maybe this is where the math comes from of 20mins. 12/33=~1/3 hr.

Now if you had a camera at the top of one of your masts you could make life a lot easier. By taking a fix on the horizon, you could do some simple trigonometry to figure out how far something was and add in corrections (tide, etc). A camera with a 180degree FOV at the top of a mast would give you a massive outlook, in essence a crows nest view. Does this exist ? If there were a simple peice of software available on a raspberry pi to do this for you it would be a no brainier. Object recognition could be added in too so that automatic calculation and tracking could be done. All very doable on a raspberry pi. You’d need a way of keeping the optics clean which is the tricky thing. Any thoughts on that ? Maybe a simple water curtain to clean it when necessary. Hose and a small pump with clean water.

I think for the single handed sailor this would be an incredibly useful tool.

[cruisingdog]

Ok, so doing some research the height of a mast doesn’t add a lot to the horizon viewing distance.

[hellosailor]

Doesn't add a lot?
An average height American male standing on the cockpit of a 36-38 foot boat would see about 3.5-3.7 miles to the horizon.

Up at the top of a 60' mast it would be nearly ten miles. Well more than double the distance, and possibly triple the distance.

How does doubling and tripling a distance not add "a lot" ?? It also doubles and triples the time you have to avoid a supertanker with your name painted on the bow.

[Leviathan33]

I have the book and it's excellent!

[PegasusIX]

My experience is that if you only do 20 mins sleeps, you will be hallucinating after 2 days or so. Apparently you need to go through a full sleep cycle including REM sleep cycle once a day to avoid hallucinations. My sleep schedule is that from the first morning I do 20min sleeps all day, so by night and the 2am time I am not so tired. Then each day at 2:30 matching the low point of circadian rhythm cycle, I try to get in a 45min sleep, after checking AIS and radar for no ships in 14nm to 20nm range. After 3 or 4 days I am still going well with no tiredness or hallucinations.