Crossing the Atlantic as a couple: Why six-hour watches are my pattern of choice

When Rich and I set off from Dartmouth in 2017 to do some long- distance sailing on our Cabo Rico 38 Tequila we hadn’t intended to sail around the world. However, eight years later and now in Malaysia, we are still sailing west after crossing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The most important consideration when we started was to experience a shared adventure and to enjoy the journey together. We had sailed an Elizabethan 29 on the east coast of England and we were looking for a blue-water boat with character.

Rich came across a Cabo Rico 38 for sale – a Crealock design, built in Costa Rica and mostly sailed in America. We fell in love with this beautiful boat and sailed her for a season back home in order to get to know how she sailed.

One of the first discussions we had was about how we would organise watches. Many crews opt for four-hour shifts and couples often take on an extra crew member to manage the watches while on a long passage. However, as a couple you quickly get into a rhythm with your boat which is your home and we were reluctant to disrupt this with another crew member.

One of my first considerations, if we were to be at sea for days at a time, was the amount of sleep I could have! It is widely recognised that we sleep in cycles of 90 to 120 minutes. These cycles include deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM), which is the phase when most dreams occur. Complete cycles are known to be essential for the body and brain to recuperate so that you can be fully functioning again.

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It takes a bit of time at the change of a watch to settle into sleep (unless you have sleep deprivation in which case it can be very quick!) so if you are doing four-hour watches this can mean you only get through one or two sleep cycles, providing you aren’t disturbed by the incredible noises of a sailing boat at night or by other crew members making snacks! On a six-hour watch you have more chance of sleeping deeply and completing several cycles.

The other important aspect of supporting your sleep pattern is to maintain the same times of watches through the 24 hours of a day. This enables your body and brain to adjust to the times of your sleep and your circadian rhythm is not constantly disturbed.

The couple sailed Cabo Rico 38 Tequila in the UK for a season before heading round the world in her

It takes a couple of days to establish, but Rich and I settle on the following:

• 1800 – 0000 – I am on watch and Rich sleeps
• 0000 – 0600 – Rich is on watch and I sleep
• 0600 – 0800 ish – I am on watch while Rich has a top up sleep
• Breakfast
• Sailing together
• Lunch
• 1400 – 1600 ish – Rich is on watch while I enjoy a siesta
• Supper

Following this, the cycle starts again, adjusting for a 0600 sunrise as we travel west This pattern means that we can enjoy most of the day together, eat meals together and do all the things that need to be done during the day while both maintaining a watch on the boat.

The welcoming turquoise waters of Barbados

One of us will be navigating and on the helm so the other can be out of the cockpit if needed. When required it can quickly be all hands on deck. As a couple it seems easy to share this load and look after each other.

Many crews we have talked with seem horrified at the thought of six-hour watches. They seem to think that sustaining a six-hour watch at the helm during the night isn’t a good idea. To us though, if you get enough sleep, it is perfectly manageable and, more than that, desirable because it means you can sail for days and weeks together and arrive refreshed with little sleep deprivation.

A simple way to store fruit and vegetables on an Atlantic crossing

Of course there are some passages when the rhythm is disrupted through bad weather and rough seas and then sleep is elusive. We have had these times but when we can establish a rhythm again we try to accommodate each other’s need to sleep and maintain flexibility, which is something that is perhaps easier to do between a couple than between unknown crew.

Those of our friends who have tried our ‘Tequila Time’ method have found the rhythm works very well. Keeping your wits about you on a long passage could be very important for your safety, plus spending time together during the day can make the passage a shared and enjoyable experience and not one that you simply have to get through. If you are thinking about doing some long- distance sailing as a couple we would definitely encourage you to give it a try…

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