How I overcame my fear of night sailing
Night sailing used to absolutely terrify me. Now, sitting alone on watch at 3am while Scotty sleeps below, it has become one of my favourite parts of passage making.
In this Coffee with Sandy, I’m recording from Sea Moon while we sail overnight from Dubrovnik, Croatia towards Corfu, Greece. We’re 21 hours into the passage, there’s no moon, a sky full of stars above us — and plenty of time to think about just how far we’ve come.
Our first proper night passage was back in December 2022 aboard our old boat, Tenacity. We sailed 33 hours from Deal Island, just north of Tasmania, to St Kilda in Melbourne — and without an autopilot, we hand-steered the entire way.
But it was another night passage a few months later that almost broke me.
In big seas, in complete darkness and with very little experience, I became convinced I couldn’t control the boat. I woke Scotty, went below still wearing my life jacket and genuinely thought I was going to die that night.
Then the sun came up — and everything changed.
Since then, we’ve sailed thousands of nautical miles, crossed the Indian Ocean, completed an 11-day passage and spent countless nights at sea. These days we run six-hour watches, with me taking the midnight-to-6am shift, and I actually relish the opportunity to sail through the night.
This episode isn’t really about how to night sail.
It’s about fear.
It’s about trusting yourself, knowing when to ask for help, finding your rhythm as a sailing couple and discovering that confidence sometimes comes AFTER you do the thing that scares you.
Because being scared doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t do it.
And with our two-handed Atlantic crossing ahead of us next year, there are plenty more night watches to come. ⛵️🌙
☕ Grab a coffee and join me for another Coffee with Sandy.
If you enjoy following our journey aboard Sea Moon, please LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE and join us as we continue sailing our Seawind 1160 Lite around the world.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:26 Where Are We Now?
01:18 Our First Night Passage
03:15 The Reality of Night Sailing
04:30 When Things Changed
06:40 Sunrise at Sea
07:33 Finally in My Element
08:40 Waking the Captain
10:12 My Advice – Find Your Groove
11:00 Final Thoughts
⛵ Welcome Aboard Sailing Sea Moon
Hi, we're Scott & Sandy.
Five years ago we matched on Tinder. Today we're living aboard our Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran, Sea Moon, sailing full-time around the world.
Every week we share honest sailing adventures, cruising guides, boat projects, tech tips, destination guides and the realities of life aboard. From hidden anchorages and unforgettable experiences to the challenges that come with living at sea, we bring you along for the journey.
If you've ever dreamed of sailing, travelling full-time or living life differently, we'd love to have you aboard.
🔔 Subscribe and join the adventure!
📅 New Videos Every Week
Wednesday (Alternating)
• Sea Moon Tech with Scott
• Coffee with Sandy
Sunday - Mixture of;
• Sailing adventures, destination guides and life aboard Sea Moon
🌐 Follow Our Journey
📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@SailingSeaMoon
https://www.instagram.com/sailingseamoon
https://www.facebook.com/SailingSeaMoon
⛵ Our Boat
SV Sea Moon
Seawind 1160 Lite Catamaran
Twin Yamaha 25hp Outboards
🎥 Our Gear
Cameras
• DJI Action 4
• iPhone 17 Pro
• DJI Mini Drone
Audio
• DJI Mic
Editing
• Movavi Video Editor
• Canva Pro
🎵 Music
Music created using the built-in music library in
- Movavi Video Editor
- YouTube Studio
Other
- Google Earth
- Google Earth Pro
📧 Business Enquiries
Sailing Sea Moon
Five years ago, we matched on Tinder. Now we’re sailing around the world aboard 'Sea Moon' — our Seawind 1160 catamaran — chasing weather windows, freedom, and a life we once only talked about over drinks on a first date. Three years on, we feel it's time to share our stories and help others find their pathway to freedom and adventure. If you’ve ever wondered whether a different kind of life is possible, you’re in the right place. What will we share? Adventures, stories, tech tips…it’s all In our greater plan to share with you all. Please SUBSCRIBE and LIKE (on YouTube)and tell your friends ☺️. This helps us reach more people and share more stories. Let our adventures continue! Scott and Sandy Sailing Sea Moon CREDITS Video equipment used - iPhone 17 Pro, DJI Action 4, DJI Mini 3 - Video editing tool- Movavi - Music - Movavi music
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Night sailing used to absolutely terrify me. Now, sitting alone on watch at 3am while Scotty sleeps below, it has become one of my favourite parts of passage making.
In this Coffee with Sandy, I’m recording from Sea Moon while we sail overnight from Dubrovnik, Croatia towards Corfu, Greece. We’re 21 hours into the passage, there’s no moon, a sky full of stars above us — and plenty of time to think about just how far we’ve come.
Our first proper night passage was back in December 2022 aboard our old boat, Tenacity. We sailed 33 hours from Deal Island, just north of Tasmania, to St Kilda in Melbourne — and without an autopilot, we hand-steered the entire way.
But it was another night passage a few months later that almost broke me.
In big seas, in complete darkness and with very little experience, I became convinced I couldn’t control the boat. I woke Scotty, went below still wearing my life jacket and genuinely thought I was going to die that night.
Then the sun came up — and everything changed.
Since then, we’ve sailed thousands of nautical miles, crossed the Indian Ocean, completed an 11-day passage and spent countless nights at sea. These days we run six-hour watches, with me taking the midnight-to-6am shift, and I actually relish the opportunity to sail through the night.
This episode isn’t really about how to night sail.
It’s about fear.
It’s about trusting yourself, knowing when to ask for help, finding your rhythm as a sailing couple and discovering that confidence sometimes comes AFTER you do the thing that scares you.
Because being scared doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t do it.
And with our two-handed Atlantic crossing ahead of us next year, there are plenty more night watches to come. ⛵️🌙
☕ Grab a coffee and join me for another Coffee with Sandy.
If you enjoy following our journey aboard Sea Moon, please LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE and join us as we continue sailing our Seawind 1160 Lite around the world.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:26 Where Are We Now?
01:18 Our First Night Passage
03:15 The Reality of Night Sailing
04:30 When Things Changed
06:40 Sunrise at Sea
07:33 Finally in My Element
08:40 Waking the Captain
10:12 My Advice – Find Your Groove
11:00 Final Thoughts
⛵ Welcome Aboard Sailing Sea Moon
Hi, we’re Scott & Sandy.
Five years ago we matched on Tinder. Today we’re living aboard our Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran, Sea Moon, sailing full-time around the world.
Every week we share honest sailing adventures, cruising guides, boat projects, tech tips, destination guides and the realities of life aboard. From hidden anchorages and unforgettable experiences to the challenges that come with living at sea, we bring you along for the journey.
If you’ve ever dreamed of sailing, travelling full-time or living life differently, we’d love to have you aboard.
🔔 Subscribe and join the adventure!
📅 New Videos Every Week
Wednesday (Alternating)
• Sea Moon Tech with Scott
• Coffee with Sandy
Sunday – Mixture of;
• Sailing adventures, destination guides and life aboard Sea Moon
🌐 Follow Our Journey
📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@SailingSeaMoon
📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sailingseamoon
👍 Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SailingSeaMoon
⛵ Our Boat
SV Sea Moon
Seawind 1160 Lite Catamaran
Twin Yamaha 25hp Outboards
🎥 Our Gear
Cameras
• DJI Action 4
• iPhone 17 Pro
• DJI Mini Drone
Audio
• DJI Mic
Editing
• Movavi Video Editor
• Canva Pro
🎵 Music
Music created using the built-in music library in
– Movavi Video Editor
– YouTube Studio
Other
– Google Earth
– Google Earth Pro
📧 Business Enquiries
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