OCC members have a wealth of experience in all aspects of blue water sailing. We would like to create a repository of best practices adopted by our members, starting with watchkeeping procedures.

Here are a few questions to get us started:
[ul]
[li]What makes a good watchstander?[/li]
[li]What is your favourite watch schedule and why?[/li]
[li]Do you have different watch systems for different weather/sea state conditions?[/li]
[li]Do you do things differently when short-handed than with full crew?[/li]
[li]Have you adopted any special rules for watchstanding?[/li]


Thank you.

Vice Commodore, OCC 

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For us, as doublehanders, we do a six (6) hours on and then six (6) hours off watch schedule at night. We like the long stint of sleeping. Starting at 1800 or 1900 and going to either midnight or 0100. I start on watch as it is hard for me to actually get to sleep. Don can sleep on demand. About 0700 is when most of the radio nets get going, so we are both usually up then. Breakfast together and then Don goes for a morning nap. Lunch together, then an afternoon nap for me, dinner together and off Don goes to bed.

We have radar and just gotten a used AIS system and are looking forward to using it on the next passage. I 'm sure it will be a big boon.

One trusty tool we use is a wrist watch on board (cheap water resistant Casio LA-11W) that has a very easy function for an alarm. With three clicks of a button, the alarm is set for ten minutes and it reminds us if we are not already in the cock pit we should be, to look around. We then quickly, with another three pushes, reset the watch. We would hate to be without it.

D & Don Wogaman
SV SOUTHERN CROSS