Standing watch is important but could feel like a complete time suck for sailors. Here are 11 reactions sailors have when standing duty:
1. When you see your name twice on the watch bill back-to-back.
2. Not all watches are bad. Sometimes they feel like a break.
3. Watch turns into “relief lookout” 30 minutes away from your scheduled end time.
4. When you confirm the approaching sailor is your relief.
5. Calm down gung ho sailor. He didn’t get to his watch early by choice.
6. Standing an easy “balls to eight” watch (midnight to 8:00 AM) on a Friday morning feels like a three-day weekend for sailors that are not deployed.
*Sailors who work before having a watch during this time slot typically have the rest of the day off to recover.
7. Here’s the typical reaction to the end of a balls to eight watch during the week.
8. When everything goes according to schedule.
9. When your relief doesn’t show up on time.
10. How you feel when your relief finally shows up after being late.
11. When you fly under the radar.
