Ship’s Log: Night Watches……..
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 •
Dear F&F;,
February 12th
Some of you have asked about the night watches. So far we are doing 4 hrs
shifts. We haven’t done more than 2 full days & 2 full nights at sea yet, so
it isn’t that tough. Actually, it’s probably tougher to do short coastal
passages versus long ocean passages as we have a harder time initially
adapting to the sleep pattern. In a longer ocean voyage, we would develop a
rhythm.
Usually I try to make & clean up dinner before dark. Then I take the 6-10 pm
shift. Scott is often still up for a couple hours with me, but I try to get
him to at least lie down for a while. Then I go to bed from 10 pm - 2 am.
Often I don’t sleep too much, but try to just rest. Then I am up from 2-6
am. For some reason Cindy likes
this shift. She has been a light sleeper so it is not hard for her to get up
at 2 am. There are so many stars, it’s truly amazing when you get away from
the light pollution from the land. There are also a lot of other ships to
look out for: tankers, cargo, cruiseships. We see them miles away with our
AIS gizmo. The AIS gizmo, is like a transponder that aircraft use. Our
instruments identify commercial shipping up to 100++ miles away. It tells
us their name, radio call sign, speed, location, compass heading and a lot
more including where they are headed. Cindy prefers to wake Scott up if
there is any concern about being on a collision course. He gets on the radio
& asks them if they see us & if either of us need to alter our course or
speed. So far all have been responsive & the system has worked very well for
us. Because it is daylight or nearly sunrise when Scott comes on watch at 6
am, Cindy is more relaxed knowing the captain is in charge she finally
sleeps pretty well from about 630-930 am.
We won’t have to do any overnight trips for quite a while now & that is
fabulous as day sails are easier. These 1-2 nighters are the toughest. But
as we decided we won’t cross the Pacific for over a year, we will have more
time to enjoy the Mexican mainland & Sea of Cortez. (Also known as the “Gulf
of California").
KIT,
Cindy & Scott