Two handed Watch-Keeping systems.

On a recent trip coming back from the Azores on ‘Morgan le Fay’, (eight days from Ponta Delgada to Bayonna and five days from Ria Muros to Dartmouth) we tried a new watch keeping system that had been recommended to us. We would now firmly pass on the recommendation to others to try it for themselves.

For the short handed crew of two the problems of the well used ‘3 on/3 off’ or ‘4 on/4 off’ and their dog-watch variants are that during the off-watch period one invariably concentrates upon catching up on sleep with usually little time remaining to cook, read, converse and enjoy the trip.

At first glance the new system seemed a little daunting with its longer spells on watch, but even after just the first two days we found it to be the best system that either of us had used.

We found that it gave us each plenty of sleep and relaxed time for the off-watch activities, whilst importantly being wide-awake on-watch even during the night hours. We both commented that not once did we have that “oh no, not another two hours to go”, nor was there the depressing struggle for another ten minutes sleep before one’s turn. At the end of each trip there was no tiredness.

The alternating watches are self-rotating:

0000 to 0400    

0400 to 0800

0800 to 1300

1300 to 1900

1900 to 2400

If it worked for us, it should work for you.

Allan Collison

allancollison@hotmail.com