I’ve been watching solo crossings/sailing on you-tube. What’s the rule on sleeping while sailing in the middle of nowhere?
I use my radar and AIS (transponder) but as soon as I get some shut-eye I am breaking rule 5. If anything happens while I am not actively on deck and keeping lookout then I am either partially or completely at fault.Section I
4. Application
The rules apply in any visibility (e.g., in sight or in restricted visibility).
5. Look-out
Every vessel must at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight (day shape or lights by eyes or visual aids)and hearing (sound signal or Marine VHF radio) as well as by all available means (e.g., Radar, Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA), Automatic Identification System (AIS), GMDSS...) in order to make a full assessment of the situation and risk of collision
Hi A&W Yes I have AIS but this is on the chartplotter wich has a silly beep beep warning, On my Radar which is also my old back up chartplotter that is pre AIS I have a 110 db Pisso alarm (think smoke detector alarm). I do not sleep when in the traffic lanes. I must say now Julie is with me I tend to sleep deeper but still wake every hour, even at anchor.Simon .... do you have AIS as well as radar ? (Hi to you both btw, trust all is well with you.)
All I'm saying is, that to perfect the art of "napping", and learning to maximize the benefits of 20 minute naps, and perfect the ability to subsist on them for extended periods of time, is not likely to come as naturally to most Americans or others not raised in a culture where midday napping is commonplace...I don't think you need to be raised in siesta ville to take a much needed sleep after an all night watch...
Probably just me, but I think the effectiveness of the use of radar as a watchstanding substitute for a singlehander offshore is generally overrated, especially in a seaway... No radar is gonna be discerning styrofoam cups floating about with a 10' sea running...Actually, the new 3G and 4G radar systems WILL pick up the trash. You can see crab pots, gulls floating on the surface and flying off as your boat approaches, pretty much anything out there including styrofoam cups. The only 3G Radar system I've seen personally is the Lowrance, and it was absolutely incredible. So in this situation, radar is definitely your friend.
Cheers,
Gary
Actually, some of the polyphasic sleep studies show otherwise.... from my viewpoint those 20-minute naps are nothing but a modified form of sleep deprivation... Essentially, those short naps are the medical equivalent of sleep apnea, a conditions which eliminates REM sleep from taking place.
Sleeping during the day, especially with something on deck that is day-glo orange to make your boat highly visible, makes perfectly good sense to me...
Gary