Tom Cunliffe

Night watch on a long offshore passage is a real test of will and concentration but a memorable night encounter underlined the need for vigilance to Tom

- TOM CUNLIFFE

According to Rule 5 of the Colregs, we must keep a lookout at all times by all available means. There’s no ambiguity there, yet the realities of short-handed sailing can be a long way from the ideals of the wise people who drafted the rules.

Yachts are not alone in occasionally sailing close to this particular wind. Early in my career, I served as mate aboard a coasting ship. Out of a crew of five, including the cook, only the skipper and myself were qualified to keep watch. The deckhands came cheap but had no looking-out skills, so we two managed with alternative sessions. The Old Man liked a good spell on the Dreamland train so we stood five-hour shifts during the hours of darkness. He opted for morning and evening while I stood from 2200 until 0300, a grim proposition in rough winter weather. A visit to the heads would have eased my pain and a snack around midnight might have been nice, but the cook was invariably snoring in his bunk. After five hours with only the beat of the diesel for company I was close to hallucinating.

I expect there are rules about such practices nowadays, but the point is that when you or I see a ship steaming our way on a dark night, the possibility still exists that she may not be crewed by a full complement of the MCA’s finest.