While SV Island Summers is making passage, the crew aboard are working to stay safe day and night. Notice the yellow tethers that keep us from falling overboard. At night we will also attach a man-overboard beacon to our offshore life vests. The 5 of us have staggered watch shifts that are 4 hours long. Two people are on watch at all times. Nobody is in the cockpit alone at night. My recent shift was midnight last night to 4 am this morning. When I went on watch, crew members, Jeff and Matt were on watch but Jeff had finished his 4 hour shift and Matt still had 2 more hours. Before leaving, Jeff pointed out any conditions to take note of (like ships in the area, current, wind speed and recent sail adjustments). Now I am primary watch and Matt is now 2nd. Two hours later, Colette came to the cockpit, Matt went off watch, and Colette is now primary and Bev is 2nd. Now its 4 am and I’m off watch and I’m going to try to get as much sleep as I can before my next shift in 6 hours. Sometimes the waves roll me back and forth from one wall to the other. Other times it’s big gentle rollers that rock you to sleep as the waves slap against the hull of the boat and water splashes up on the windows. No matter the sea conditions, we all manage to fall asleep.
Leave a Reply