{ PRACTICALPASSAGE }
WATCH KEEPING IS TIME FOR TEAMWORK
Whether sailing as a couple or with crew, there is more than one way to set watches for best results by Bill Biewenga
LIA DITTON AND I WERE A COUPLE of days into another delivery, this passage doublehanding a 48' catamaran up from Antigua to Norfolk, VA. The winds were expected to go light, and we were off to a good start, knocking back the miles while sailing quickly NNW. She was asleep on “her” side of the boat, in the starboard hull while I had the midnight to 4:00 am watch. With autopilot engaged, the task was reasonably straightforward: maintain a good lookout while monitoring systems onboard. Suddenly, a loud metallic bang hit the port hull’s deck outside. I immediately ran to take a look, and somehow – still unknown to me – Lia was only a few steps behind me. I’ve been fortunate to sail with a wide variety of people. Male or female, highly experienced or sometimes novice, they came from places scattered around the world. The most common denominators in the group were that they were good, responsible people, eager to work together, eager to learn and equally eager to share their experiences and talents. The passages have been short, long and in between, often short-handed as well as fully crewed, full-on racing situations. I’ve been fortunate. But that’s not to say that it’s always been easy. Even through the difficult situations – weather or mechanical failures – the people with whom I’ve doublehanded have become true life-long friends.
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BLUE WATER SAILING
