One thing I thought about is how standing watch on a sailboat is at the same time the epitome of mental discipline AND the epitome of mental freedom. There are all kinds of things you have to check regularly and pay attention to. Every ten minutes or so you need to make a 360 degree survey of all that surrounds you. You must periodically check the AIS screen for information about ships that may be nearby. It tells you how close the other ship will get and when you will be at that point. (The AIS is a lot of fun when you are alone out there at night. If there happen to be some ships within a couple of miles, you can track them on the radar screen and then hopefully glimpse them off in the horizon.) You also have to listen to the boat and the sails and the rigging for any sounds that might indicate a problem. Strange sounds must be tracked down and diagnosed and any necessary action taken. And then there is the hourly log to be completed. it does not get boring.
It is not all work, however. You get to spend a lot of time just thinking about anything you might want to think about. Anything at all, with no interruptions.
I had watch from 2:30 am until Mike got up around 7, so I got to see the sunrise. I think sunrise is my favorite time of day. For one thing, you usually have it all to your self. Anything seems possible. The sunrise today may have topped anything I have ever seen. The colors were indescribable. I took pictures but I am sure they will not even come close to capturing it. Let us just say that if I were a religious person, I would truly believe I had seen the entrance to heaven.
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