Keeping Watch

Tips for Keeping Good Watch

Old Fussbudgit, L. Francis Herreshoff, said that the tick of a well-regulated ship’s clock was the comforting and companionable heartbeat of a boat’s cabin. The pulsed, double-chiming of a striking ship’s clock is a clue to the significance that sailors have always given to pacing their hours, even before mechanical clocks went to sea. In the 1400s, portable clocks were gimcrack affairs for which bluewater sailors had little use. Instead, sailormen declared local noon by the local apex of the sun, and measured their day with reliable sand-glasses, half an hour at a time. Sailors lived “four on and four off,” but one of their watches was “dogged,” tamped down to a pair of two-hour watches. These “dog watches” advanced the crew’s duties around the clock and varied the daily rhythm, so that no members of the crew were left serving the graveyard watch—midnight to 4 a.m.—throughout the voyage.

To keep good watch is to recognize that at certain specified times, you are responsible for the boat and its crew. You stand your watch at the edge of the boat’s needs and performance. It’s a time-hallowed responsibility to the vessel, your shipmates, and yourself. A wise skipper will break up any voyage, even a long day’s sail, into “watches,” or shifts. Why?

The rhythm of traditional ships’ clocks provides a clue. The length of watches in any boat depends on the size of the crew and the duties required, but the customary “watch” of four hours was long ago shaped by human traits. The unforgiving practicality of life at sea has proven to sailors that the comfortable limit for good focus and the performance of normal chores without a break, is about four hours—the eight-bell cycle. The limit of fairly close attention—the focus required for steering, perhaps—is about one hour, a two-bell increment on the chronometer. The limit of intense concentration is about half an hour for most people; lookouts in dangerous waters should be changed every half hour—one bell. A good skipper recognizes these limits of concentration and uses his crew wisely to reduce the risk of mistakes and disasters.

The hierarchy of a pleasure boat is informal, but the structure of command is always present. There is but one skipper. Ownership counts, of course, but so does experience. A young skipper-owner may well consult with a saltier, more seasoned mate, but the skipper still gives the orders. As a beginner you should take orders seriously. Most important, don’t assume you know the drill; ask questions, even dumb questions—they yield a cache of real information.

Ask and follow up. Burrow, winkle out the data you need. Find yourself a mentor. In hallowed nautical tradition a “sea daddy” was an older, experienced sailor who tutored a “green” hand. He passed on information absorbed over many years and “showed them the ropes” (quite literally in the old square-rigged days of several hundred critical sail-handling lines). Find a mentor.

Even if you have some general knowledge, every boat has its own style and every skipper has his own ways. As a watchkeeper, you are obliged to observe the boat’s preferences.

Watch Preparation

Formerly, a “Sea Daddy” was often assigned to teach a new seaman the ropes. If you are starting out as a crew member, take the initiative to seek out knowledge and advice from more seasoned crewmates.

Group Dynamics

You may be sailing in a 20′ capsule cruiser or on an aircraft carrier. You may be part of a three-person hierarchy or a naval chain of command that runs all the way to the White House. In any case, a watchkeeper’s task is to be a good fit, to help in the group effort of making the vessel work at its best.

The balance of any group is subtle, even mysterious; a good watchkeeper contributes to the harmony of the group. Like marlinespike seamanship, navigation, or engine maintenance, watchkeeping is learned through practice. It’s not rocket science; it’s sensible group behavior that leads to a cheerful boat.

This is an important concept. Some day you will be in a storm at sea. A happy boat sailed by a confident team gets through tough times more easily. Without a doubt, a smooth group dynamic is a baseline tool of survival.

“Be Prepared”

At sea, just as on land, the Boy Scout motto rings true: before you stand your watch, you should know what’s happening, when, and why. You must understand your duty. It’s your responsibility to ask and be prepared.

Weather and Tide

Check the forecast to learn what the weather will be for your watch. Listen to NOAA’s marine report on the VHF. Check the “glass” (the barometer) for sudden changes. Look at the horizons for squalls. Check the tide tables: Is the tide rising or falling? Will it cause a change of current during your watch? Ask.

Course

Your watch assignment may be steering, keeping lookout, or merely keeping the helmsperson awake, but before you begin your watch you must know the skipper’s plans, the courses he’s laid out, and the hazards
those courses pose. Go over the chart with the skipper or one of the mates. Where has the boat been? Where is it going? What navigation aids or lights will appear during your watch? What hazards may present themselves—fishing trawlers, shipping channels, shoals or rocks, strong currents, sea monsters? Figure and make a note of the times at which you should be sighting significant buoys, lights, or markers.

Be Punctual

Present yourself for your watch on time. It’s both courteous and essential to the harmony of the crew. Showing up for a 1600h watch at 1610h is rude and sloppy, and does not earn respect. The shipmate who you’ll be relieving can get antsy, tired, impatient, resentful. And with good reason—remember that a watch is a limit of attention. Mental fatigue is as real as physical fatigue and is often the cause of friction. Be on time for your watch.

Bring Your Gear

Do not come on watch, then disappear moments later to fetch a fleece, water bottle, sunglasses, or smartphone. Get your gear together, even the things you might need, and bring them with you.

Good Practices When On Watch

Check the Deck Gear

The helm station needs a few crucial tools: binoculars, VHF radio, water, compass, accurate timepiece. Make sure they are in place.

Handing Off

“You’re a good relief.” This is the traditional greeting from standing watchman to new watchkeeper. It’s a way of saying, “I’m glad you’re here, I’m glad to relax for a while.” The message travels both ways and is about cheerful interaction. Bring willingness and camaraderie to your task and your shipmates. It makes a difference.

Verbal Confirmation

The watchkeeper standing down has a final, significant duty: to report the course being steered, the legs of the course to come, the sea conditions or special factors in the watch just ended, the skipper’s orders, and the possible perils for the coming watch. This report ensures a continuous link to the boat’s progress and command. The changing of the watch is a serious business.

Sharing a Watch

As a green hand, you may not be steering or navigating while on watch. You may well be sharing a watch with a more seasoned shipmate. A part of sharing is helping with the comfort and concentration of your watchmate—fetching food, hot drinks, foulweather gear, or just cleaning his or her glasses. Part of a junior member’s job—not a trivial task—is to ensure that shipmates are well hydrated. Push water. Dehydration causes loss of focus and may contribute to seasickness.

Acting as Lookout

One of your prime duties may well be as a lookout. The helmsperson is concentrating on three things sequentially: the compass course, the set of the sails, and the wind direction. It’s a lot to think about—more than enough. The watchmate must, then, be responsible for scanning all around the boat for hazards, especially where the helmsperson can’t see.

Say a sailboat is heeled to a 15-knot breeze. That’s nothing adventurous, but with the mainsail and big jib set, the world off the lee bow is obscured from the helmsman’s view. The lookout’s job is to constantly watch for traffic under and beyond that big sail. It’s also important to look for hazards in the boat’s wake; a commercial vessel like a fishing boat or a ferry can be coming up fast, and it’s your obligation to steer clear of all commercial vessels (there are heavy fines for obstructing passage).

Boat Systems and Skipper Expectations

Levers and Buttons

Boats can have a bewildering array of controls, gear, lines, switches, levers. A cruising vessel is a machine of exploration, not a Sunfish; you expect it to be complex. Modern electronics compound the confusion for the green hand. You won’t be expected to step into the skipper’s shoes, but as a watchkeeper you must know which levers and buttons are crucial to basic control.

Starting and Stopping the Engine

It’s conceivable that some incident will demand that you start or stop the engine. If you’re motorsailing and the propeller fouls a line or if the engine-overheat alarm sounds, you may need to stop the engine right away. Ask the skipper what circumstances would demand killing the engine.

The Ever-Running Diesel Engine

Simply turning the key will not stop a diesel engine. Diesel fuel is ignited by the pressure within the cylinder creating heat, not by a spark plug. Pulling a plunger that cuts off the fuel to the cylinders is how to stop a diesel engine. Then you should expect another alarm, which you can usually silence by turning the key to “off.” Ask.

On…Boom!

For many boats under sail, the second step in the MOB drill—right after throwing the cushion—is to start the engine. But take care: a gasoline engine should not be started in haste. Explosive fumes from the highly volatile gasoline may have collected in the engine space, and if so, the space must be blown out by an exhaust fan before the engine is ignited. Some skippers keep their exhaust blower running, some ventilate their engine spaces in other ways. Ask.

Autopilot

“Iron Mike,” the autopilot, can be obstinate. Do you know how to turn it off in order to avoid hazards (lobster or crab pots, small boats, surfacing submarines)? Do you know how to add or subtract 10 degrees in order to edge around a situation? Under what circumstances would the skipper want you to hand steer or alter course? Ask.

Radar

Glowing dots on a screen can be deceptively unthreatening. Do you know what range the radar is scanning? Do you know how to change that range? Knowing how distant a “blip” is can be highly reassuring—if it’s far enough.

Collision Course

Visually, or on a radar screen, what represents a collision course with another vessel? A distant vessel or a radar blip is on a collision course with your vessel when the bearing is constant: If the compass bearing to the vessel or radar contact is the same for several minutes, your boat and the contact are on a collision course and you must be prepared to avoid a collision. This is a law of the sea and a civil law. Know how to “call” a collision course and report it immediately.

Off-Watch but Not Off-Duty

It’s important for the off-watch to rest and refuel in preparation for their next round of watch standing.

Going Off-Watch

As your watch comes to an end, and you are relieved by your shipmate, it is tempting to think that your responsibility to the boat is also at an end. Not so. As long as you are onboard and a member of the crew, you are partly responsible for the boat and your crewmates. You are also responsible for yourself: respect the traditional saying, “One hand for the boat, one for yourself.” Off watch, your task is to rest, hydrate, refuel, and prepare yourself for another round of watchstanding.

Taking a Turn on Deck

This is an advanced lesson in watchkeeping, but even a green hand can learn from it.

As you graduate to more serious watchkeeping and take on more responsibility, your watch should have a preface: the mate’s walkabout. This is a critical tour of the boat. It begins with checking gauges and indicators below deck (fuel, battery state, bilge pump status, water pressure, navigation), and on deck (engine temperature and RPMs, speed, wind strength, depth). A mate coming on watch checks the log and adds to it if necessary. The walkabout continues with a tour around the deck looking for trouble about to happen.

Clear Toerail

In his deck tour, a watchkeeper will pay special attention to the toerail: is a line trailing in the water? It may not look like much on deck—just an eye-splice around a cleat and a few inches of line passing through a fairlead—but that trailing line may well wrap around a propeller under power, or even wrap around a free-wheeling prop.

Anything Amiss, Ungriped, Unsecured, Broken, Rusted

It takes a creatively skeptical eye to see what is about to cause trouble.

Looking for Trouble

Part of the routine of watch standing is to take a tour around the deck, at regular intervals, looking for potential trouble spots.

❏ Broken or unbent cotter pin: indicates overstrain, impact; is also a potential gash producer.

❏ Rusted shackle or fitting: may show patterns of early fracture or incipient failure.

❏ Tangled line coil: disaster waiting to happen when the line has to run out easily.

❏ Ungriped (tied-down)anchor: sure to shift in a chop and damage the hull or surrounding equipment; also a possible propeller-fouler if the anchor line runs out.

❏ Wood faults: cracks or broken frames can hold fresh water and cause rot.

❏ Crazed or broken glass or plexiglass: leak potential.

❏ Discolored runoff from mast or fitting: a sign of corrosion and possible failure.

❏ Unwhipped line: the end of any line that is not secured by a firm whipping will fray, lose its structural integrity at the critical securing end, and be a shame to the boat.

❏ Frayed or uncoiled line: indicates neglect and possible trouble.

❏ Frayed or torn canvas: another possible failure.

❏ Unsecured sail or sail bunt: can catch on a fitting and tear.

❏ Broken Rigging Wire: indicates compromised standing rigging that must be dealt with immediately.

Responding to Emergencies

When to Give the Alarm

Under what circumstances should you call the skipper or the rest of the crew? Don’t assume you know. Trouble on the water starts quietly, slowly, and seems to leap forward thereafter. Ask when, why, and how the skipper wants to be alerted.

MOB: Man Overboard!

Every boat has its own procedure for this dreaded incident. Ask about the boat’s MOB plan. The first priority is probably to throw a floating cushion or special MOB buoy in your wake as soon as your shipmate goes over. When you take your watch, know where that buoy is, spot the cushion nearby—be prepared. We all fear having a shipmate go over the rail, but panicking and arm waving will only compound the problem. Treat an MOB as an incident, not a catastrophe. Follow the boat’s drill. The skipper should be happy to explain the boat’s standard MOB drill. If there’s no MOB drill for the boat, you’d best stay ashore.

Controlling an Incident

If you are on watch when an MOB or any other accident occurs, keep your own personal plan in mind: think slowly, act deliberately, keep yourself safe so you can help others. Go over what you may need to do if things get hairy. Do you know how to bring the boat up into the wind? Do you know how to start the engine or how to power down and take the propeller out of gear? Do you know how to let go the sheets to kill the boat’s speed? Things will happen quickly, but if you’re prepared you can help the situation.

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