FATIGUE FROM LACK OF SLEEP: THE ENEMY OF SOLO SAILORS | Mundo Náutico

After weeks of extreme sailing in races like the Vendée Globe, sleep deprivation pushes skippers to the limits of their physical and mental endurance. From micro-naps timed with kitchen alarms to cognitive exercises like Sudoku, each participant develops a method to manage their wakefulness.

One of the great mysteries of elite competitive sailing is how solo sailors endure over fifty days of extreme sailing without succumbing to total exhaustion. After weeks at sea, the physical toll sets in; several skippers admit to occasionally falling into high-risk, comalike sleeps due to accumulated fatigue. To avoid entering this critical state, each sailor relies on self-awareness or ingenious personal techniques.

Spaniard Javier 'Bubi' Sansó relies on a basic discipline: "I only sleep when my body demands it. I use a kitchen timer set for 40 minutes to wake me up. If everything is in order, I go back to sleep. It is hard to relax; ironically, days with light winds require more physical effort, and you end up completely shattered. I rarely sleep more than an hour or two at a stretch, and I use my mobile phone alarm as a backup."

Niels Kamphuis at sea during the 2025 Globe 580 Transat

Other sailors take a scientific approach. Yann Eliès worked with a coach to objectively measure his alertness levels through a series of physical and mental checks. Meanwhile, veteran sailor Michel Desjoyeaux employed a very pragmatic method: he assessed his fatigue level based on the speed and accuracy with which he could solve a Sudoku puzzle.

Various skippers in the fleet share their methods for monitoring their limits:

François Gabart (Macif): "I listen to my body. At the Port-la-Forêt center, we studied my sleep cycles using brain electrodes. I discovered that sleeping between three and six hours a day allows me to stay sharp. My best indicator is my mood: when I start getting irritable, I take a deep breath and go take a nap immediately."
Dominique Wavre (Mirabaud): "Experience gives you a deep understanding of your limits. I don't use any special tricks: the way I react upon waking from a nap tells me how close I am to the danger zone."
Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac Paprec 3): "I have a foolproof indicator in my logbook. If my handwriting is straight and steady, I’m at 85 or 90 percent of my capacity. As soon as the writing starts to go crooked, I know I’m dipping into my final reserves."

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