The Sleep Deprivation Crisis on Yachts

The Sleep Deprivation Crisis on Yachts — And Why It’s Time to Stop Lying on Our Rest Logs

Let’s talk about something we’ve all experienced.

Sleep deprivation at sea.

In peak charter season, it’s normal for crew to work 14–18 hour days, every day. The guests don’t stop. The demands don’t stop. And even when the shift ends, your body is still running on adrenaline.

You’re signing your rest hour logs — because you’re told to. But those hours? They’re not real.

And the impact is serious.
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The Real Stats

According to maritime research:
• 65% of seafarers report fatigue
• Nearly 40% experience severe sleepiness during navigation
• 29% admit they’ve fallen asleep on watch
• The average sleep per day is 6.6 hours, and often fragmented into 2–3 hour chunks
• After 17–19 hours awake, performance equals a blood alcohol level of 0.05%

(Source: MDPI, PMC, PubMed)
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What That Means in Real Life

It means:
• Falling asleep at the wheel
• Dropping trays, slicing hands, forgetting tasks
• Lashing out at crew mates, struggling to regulate emotions
• Heightened risk of trauma after incidents
• And long-term effects like anxiety, depression, and even PTSD
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But the biggest problem?

It’s normalised.
Fatigue is brushed off.
And we lie to protect the system.
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What Needs to Change

We need to stop treating sleep as a luxury and start treating it as a safety strategy.

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So protect your crew — not just from injury, but from burnout