Frank and I have done long distance sailing (9 to 11 hours) during the night. There are many reasons for doing so: a bad weather forecast precipitates our plan to get to a specific location;
or we don't want to waste a day getting somewhere; or our dog can't travel without a bio-break for that long unless she's sleeping.
A few days ago, we saw a storm forecast for the following day. The forecast also showed very little wind and no waves during the night. On the other hand, this meant motoring all the way (not ideal for sailors like us). We didn't want to spend another couple of days in Wingfield Basin if we could avoid it. So we decided to leave at 20:00 for an overnight 10-hour sail to Killarney
Safety is always our priority. So before we go, we store everything that is loose in and on the boat; we close all hatches; we dress for the upcoming weather; we don our lifejackets and tethers (type of rope that attach us to the boat at all times); we turn on the navigational lights (bow, mast, stern). We also decide in advance our 3-hour pilot rotation - Frank 21:00 to midnight, MC midnight to 3:00, Frank 3:00 to 6:00. Frank always sleeps in the cockpit when we travel at night. His snoring keeps me awake, hahaha! I prefer the bed in the v-berth.
Travelling at night (motoring) is very peaceful and beautiful. Itˋs pitch black, so we could clearly see the multitude of bright stars. We could also see glows from distant small cities - Killarney, Sudbury, Little Current.
As soon as we arrive at our destination the following morning, we anchor and go to sleep.
