Running the watch system
A workable watch system is what lets a small crew keep a proper lookout day and night while staying rested. The skipper sets it to suit the number and experience of the crew, briefs each watch on the plan and the standing orders, and makes sure the least experienced are never left in a situation beyond them without a call. The log is kept, position is monitored every watch, and the weather and the boat are checked continuously. Crucially, the skipper manages their own rest — a skipper who never sleeps becomes the weakest link by the second night.
- Set and run a watch system that keeps a proper lookout and a rested crew day and night.
- Brief and delegate clearly: every crew member knows the plan, their tasks and when to call the skipper.
- Manage fatigue, seasickness, morale and the skipper's own rest.
- Keep the log and monitor position, weather and the boat throughout the passage.
NOTE — Command is judgement stretched over time The examiner assesses sustained command: how you keep the crew safe and effective across a passage, and when you would slow down, heave-to, divert or turn back. Show that you think ahead of the boat and the weather rather than reacting to them.
WARNING — A tired skipper is a hazard Fatigue impairs judgement as surely as alcohol. Build your own rest into the watch system; a skipper who tries to stay awake for a whole passage is a danger to the boat by the small hours.
Standing orders
Standing orders are the skipper's written instructions to the watch: when to call them (any doubt, a change of weather, traffic causing concern, a failure, sighting land, or a fixed list), the limits within which the watch may act alone, and the routine of lookout, position-keeping and log-keeping. Clear standing orders let the skipper rest while keeping control, and they are exactly what a professional examiner expects to see.