Keeping watch, staying vigilant and being flexible seems to be the name of the game aboard Traveler. Nothing is static, nothing stays the same. You keep watch around the clock while scanning 360 degrees around the boat. There are more formal watches like anchor watch or night watch that have a specific purpose and more of a timeframe. Then there's all the other times when being vigilant and paying attention to the boat, the weather, oncoming boats, the fishing line or the dolphins surfing the bow are needed.
From my totally novice point of view, the boat seems to talk and tell you what is going on. In harbor, the sound of the shrimp crinkling and crackling and the water lapping on the sides says, "All is well." Underway, the clanking and banging tells you if things are stowed properly. If something rolls, slides or flies across the cabin, you know you missed something. You can hear the wind sometimes clanging things on the mast or whistling and humming through the rigging.
The sound of the bilge pump says water's getting into the bilge below the floor somehow. Keeping an eye on the power system - is the battery charged? Are the solar panels charging? What's drawing down the power? Noticing a little problem before it becomes a big problem is key. Of course, there's always paying attention to the wind, the swells, the chart plotter and how fast we are moving. The flexibility comes in when adjustments and changes need to be made to keep everything working smoothly and safely onboard.
The second night at San Quintin we moved the anchor at sunset. Just because that anchorage worked last night doesn't mean it will always work. The stiff northwest wind was waning and the southeasterly swells seemed to be growing. The two forces had equalized each other up until that point, but the concern was that the swells would now be able to push us into the breakers and the shallows. Anchor watch overnight was needed. That meant sleeping out in the cockpit under the chart plotter so I could hear the anchor alarm if it activated and checking the coordinates periodically to see if or how far we'd drifted. Ned instructed me to listen for breakers nearby and explained that this would be an urgent, hop-to-it, wake-everyone-up moment.
Fortunately that wasn't necessary. The swells and wind continued til about 2 am. I had to brace myself against the compass post to stay in my 'bed.' The wind then eased and I could sleep some. Constellations Draco the Dragon and Cassiopeia kept me company most of the night.
The next day we sailed all day and through the night past Benito Islands and Cedros Island towards Turtle Bay. Tim took first watch til midnight, Ned til 3 am and me til 6 am. Staying on course as much as the wind would allow was the challenge for me. I'm still learning the feel of the tiller and how to read the sails and the Windex (not the glass cleaner, the weather vane thingy on the top of the mast). We did have to gybe (turn with the wind over the stern) a couple of times to get out of the way of the Disney Wonder cruise ship and maybe a freighter. I found that the time went quickly with so many things to attend to.
After my watch and "other duties as assigned" were done, I ate chili in the galley, hit the head and dove into my berth with the lee cloth up for a nap. Because I speak Boat now, I'll translate... I ate in the kitchen, went to the bathroom and dove into my bunk with the bed rails in place. Then I could rest well knowing that Tim's back on watch for now.
P.S. If you would like to help us, we are in dire need of Spam recipes. We have 8 cans of it and haven't come up with an appetizing thing to do with it all.
Spam... Fry it more. Always more frying. You can't fry it too much. If crispy is good, crispier is better and full crisp is best.
Why on earth did you buy Spam?????