‘Would you allow someone to do your night watch via webcam?’ – Nikki Henderson

Toby Heppell

If you could take night watches out of the offshore sailing equation, would you actually do it?

Have you ever considered outsourcing your night watch to someone onshore? A couple I know of did. They were nearing the end of a three-year circumnavigation on their performance cruiser. Up until that point, they’d recruited a third crew member for any of the long trips to help stand watch and do some of the cooking. But for their last crossing they decided to experiment with something new. They set up a live webcam so that someone on land could hold watch and the captain could enjoy a full night’s sleep.

It took me a while to take the idea in, and I don’t know some of the key details. But I’m presuming their third ‘offshored offshore sailor’ (it’s confusing!) had access to a masthead 360° video camera, and wind/speed data, as well as several other viewpoints of the deck, the sails and the waters. At least that’s how I’d do it. But would I actually do it?

I should have put in a disclaimer ‘Don’t try this at home’. Or, more accurately, ‘Don’t try this at sea’. I’m not recommending it… yet.

But it did get me thinking. Imagine a future where offshore sailing involved a full eight-hour night’s sleep. You could enjoy all the wonders of the fiery sunset; set sails for the night; marvel at the tapestry of stars above you with a hot chocolate in hand and then hand over to the night watch ‘crew’ while you drift off to a peaceful slumber.

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Being at least 120° of longitude to your east or west, your crew would be alert and awake; their daytime being your night. They wouldn’t suffer from seasickness, or fatigue. If anything went awry, you could trust them to press the alarm button and wake you up.

But what if we dreamt even bigger? Maybe our imaginary future involves remote sail setting and trim too. So, no waking up needed. You can gently rise from your relaxing shut-eye. You can switch off the cameras and wave the ‘night-watch’ to bed, make a fresh brew and watch the sunrise and welcome the dawn of a new day in paradise.

If you were on a three-year circumnavigation, would you consider it? Would you contract out the odd night watch here and there?

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Is this safe or responsible? My gut says no, though it’s not so cut and dry. I’ve never felt someone off the boat can make as good decisions as the crew on board, mainly because they don’t have to live with the consequences. This is not (yet) tried and tested technology, so it can’t be relied on safely.

But even if it was, sailing is as sense-driven as it is science-driven. Could a watch-keeper on shore make those more sensually driven decisions? We watched Vendée Globe sailors sleep in short increments while sailing at speeds faster than we’re legally allowed to drive on residential roads. They left the autopilot running the ship, albeit with a lot of alarms set. Is that safer than a human on shore watching cameras and dials?

Charlie Dalin gets some rest during the Vendée Globe. Photo: Macif

I’ve written about the unparalleled, life-transforming experience that is offshore sailing. And those gifts come not in spite of, but actually because of, the discomfort and the challenge and the hardship of life offshore. I’ve even claimed that deeper friendships are built at sea than on land because of the suffering; because you see one another at not just their best but also their worst.

So would I give all that up for a full night’s sleep? Will contracting out the misery of night watches take away the magic of offshore sailing? We thought Starlink might take away some of the magic. And, maybe before that, we thought GPS might. I’d argue that, in all cases, modern conveniences can make life better if you use them responsibly and respectfully.

So maybe, just maybe, life would be better if you could subcontract night watches. Do we romanticise the adversity of offshore sailing as a coping mechanism to make it all ‘worth it’?

We’ve long told ourselves that sailing is about the journey, not the destination. But is that true? For most cruisers, sailing is the lifestyle: a way to be closer to nature, a way to move the comforts of our home around the world as we explore, and an option that could offer a little adventure along the way. And the challenges, such as the lack of sleep, are the price we pay. So, perhaps, sailing is really more about the destination than we’re ready to admit.

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