Driftwood 7 01

Driftwood 7 01

Translation notes:

It appears that the English “dog watch” in nautical terminology is a different watch from the Swedish and German “hundvakt”/”Hundewache”. In Swedish and German, it’s the watch from 00.00 to 04.00. In German, it also goes under the name of “Rattenwache” or “Schweinewache” (“Rat’s watch”, “Pig’s watch”). It’s generally regarded as the least desirable watch of the day, because neither in the evening nor in the morning can you catch enough sleep (there is, of course, other work to do during the day).

In English, however, the “dog watch” is often the watch from 16.00 to 20.00, which is divided into two half watches (first dog watch, last dog watch), which prevents the same people from working the same watch every day. In Wikipedia, it is speculated that “the name is thought to have come from the fact that someone tasked with one of these ‘half’ watches was said to be ‘dodging the watch’, taking or standing the ‘dodge watch’. This became shortened to ‘dog watch’.” In Swedish, on the other hand, this watch is called “Plattvakt“.

But it appears that in a different English watch system, the dog watch is 02.00 to 06.00. From what I can see on teh Intarwebs, this system seems to be used in many yacht races today. (That type of dog watch is also the watch I had when I worked as a morning paper distributor … And I didn’t get any dodge watches, no sir. But I really enjoyed being awake while everyone else was asleep.


Comments are closed.