Will I get good sleep with a radar?

[akin_alan]

I got a 1974 30' Grampian sloop a few months ago. I am almost ready for week long voyages. I will be alone, single handing, 40- 200 miles offshore. Every single hander's biggest fear is running into another boat or something while sleeping.
Sleep is important to me! Is it possible to get 9 hours of good deep sleep on a small boat 100 miles from the coast? If I keep the lights running, drop a sea anchor, set my drift alarm, strip down to underwear, drink a cup of chamomile and crawl in to the V-birth after doing a little reading can I not wake up until sun up? Do I need a radar for this?
What if I decide not to drop the sea anchor but instead put a reef in the sail and set the off course alarm on my GPS?
If anyone is thinking of sending a 13 year old girl out on a voyage around the world alone I am convinced that there are safe ways of doing it. Jet airliners are now capable of landing themselves. Keeping two boats from crashing into each other should be much easier.
I may not be able to afford laser or video technology yet if that is the option that I need but perhaps some day.

[WanderingStar]

You could, and you wouldn't be the first. I have occasionally taken naps underway alone, while in the cockpit. I don't think I would be comfortable sleeping down below while at sea.
Modern radars have alarms if they get a contact.

[klem]

Radar definitely helps but it isn't a substitute for a proper lookout. Radar does not pick up every target since some are low profile, made out of non reflecting materials, etc. In addition, weather conditions like large seas and rain can make your radar almost useless. Tuning the radar is important (modern ones have pretty good automatic settings) and the temptation is to detune it so the alarm doesn't keep going off from highflyers and sea scatter but that makes it not work for a lot of boats as well.

Drifting at night with a radar alarm on is a somewhat common practice for commercial fisherman in some places but it does get them into trouble from time to time. Have you spent a lot of time at the mileage offshore you are proposing? There is actually a decent amount of traffic depending on where you are and the time of year and whether it is fishing season.

This comes down to a risk decision that you have to make. Getting 9 hours of sleep is really asking a lot. 20 minute naps with a radar alarm set would be much more reasonable. How lucky do you feel?

[Zanshin]

With my radar set with alarm ring sizes depending upon sea state, my VHF on, and my AIS transponder/receiver running with a similar diameter circle and alarmed for any course with a CPA of less than one mile. I don't stop at night (that would reduce my daily distance by a good third) but do set reefs in both sails.

I sleep quite well at night, but as I sail in the warmer climes I do so in the cockpit, tethered with a light harness.

[Cruisingdad]

Originally Posted by klem

Radar definitely helps but it isn't a substitute for a proper lookout. Radar does not pick up every target since some are low profile, made out of non reflecting materials, etc. In addition, weather conditions like large seas and rain can make your radar almost useless. Tuning the radar is important (modern ones have pretty good automatic settings) and the temptation is to detune it so the alarm doesn't keep going off from highflyers and sea scatter but that makes it not work for a lot of boats as well.

Drifting at night with a radar alarm on is a somewhat common practice for commercial fisherman in some places but it does get them into trouble from time to time. Have you spent a lot of time at the mileage offshore you are proposing? There is actually a decent amount of traffic depending on where you are and the time of year and whether it is fishing season.

This comes down to a risk decision that you have to make. Getting 9 hours of sleep is really asking a lot. 20 minute naps with a radar alarm set would be much more reasonable. How lucky do you feel?

Agree completely.

Brian

[bakerha51]

I would think the Heave-To method would be preferable in this situation as well. Allowing you to make a quick getaway if something was headed your way?

[rikhall]

Caveat: I have no experience here.

I "hear" that many single handling sailors take naps during the day when their vessel is much more visible and remain awake at night when it is less visible.

That's what I hear.

Comments folks . . .

Rik

[JimHawkins]

Originally Posted by akin_alan

Sleep is important to me! Is it possible to get 9 hours of good deep sleep on a small boat 100 miles from the coast? If I keep the lights running, drop a sea anchor...

It all depends on what type of anchor you use. Certainly it must be an Australian Seabrake. No other anchor works at all. It also depends on whether you have a mono or a catamaran. And whether you are a democrat or a republican.

[sailingdog]

Getting nine hours of sleep when singlehanding is foolish and dangerous. A lot can happen in nine hours. Most people who single hand a boat take cat naps and sleep for a half-hour or so at a time... with only a very few more extended snoozes—and certainly not anything like nine hours, especially near the coast line.

Out in the middle of the southern Pacific, where you are far from shipping lanes, you could probably get away with it... but not in a Grampian 30.

Having radar and a good watch timer, like Watch Commander, would help keep you safe... especially if you heave to and leave your forward motion at almost nothing.

Using a sea anchor, when not in storm conditions is probably ill-advised. You'd still be considered a boat under weigh but with a serious mobility penalty. Heaving to will accomplish much the same thing without the mobility penalty.

Rik's point about people napping during the day, when other boats are far more likely to see you, and staying awake at night, when greater vigilance is required is a good one, and seems to be a fairly common practice.

I'd also point out that radar will not spot many hazards, like a partially submersed log, deadhead or shipping container... and if you hit one at any speed, you're probably going to be abandoning ship.

Originally Posted by akin_alan

I got a 1974 30' Grampian sloop a few months ago. I am almost ready for week long voyages. I will be alone, single handing, 40- 200 miles offshore. Every single hander's biggest fear is running into another boat or something while sleeping.
Sleep is important to me! Is it possible to get 9 hours of good deep sleep on a small boat 100 miles from the coast? If I keep the lights running, drop a sea anchor, set my drift alarm, strip down to underwear, drink a cup of chamomile and crawl in to the V-birth after doing a little reading can I not wake up until sun up? Do I need a radar for this?
What if I decide not to drop the sea anchor but instead put a reef in the sail and set the off course alarm on my GPS?
If anyone is thinking of sending a 13 year old girl out on a voyage around the world alone I am convinced that there are safe ways of doing it. Jet airliners are now capable of landing themselves. Keeping two boats from crashing into each other should be much easier.
I may not be able to afford laser or video technology yet if that is the option that I need but perhaps some day.

[AlanBrown]

I don't have radar on my Hunter 30 so I have to pay close attention to what's going on around me.

On a bright sunny day, when visibility is good and seas are calm, I'll set my autopilot and nap sitting upright in the cockpit, periodically waking up to check my course and scan the horizon.

At night, I will take naps at the wheel and use an egg timer to wake me up every 15 min. or so.

Day or night, while single handling offshore, I wear an inflatable life jacket and tether myself to the boat.

The only time I crawl into the sack is when I'm at the dock or at anchor.