Will I need to change my watch?

Yes. Ships are effected by time zones for the obvious reason that they must be in local time when in port. In the case of a Transatlantic Crossing from Southampton, England to New York, USA, the time difference is 5 hours. If the journey takes 6 days at sea, the clock changes everyday at the same time, (usually 2 am) with the exception of one day, chosen at the captain’s discretion. They change the clock an hour a night in order to minimize the jet lag effect. The reality is that if you are traveling east you lose an hour a night, and trust me it does catch up with you. I always found I was lifeless by the end and wanted to wake up around 3pm. Obviously that was rarely an option. You’ll have boundless energy when going west though although you get tired earlier which isn't great if you work at night.

Unless you are working on a ship that travels from north to South (or South to North) all the time (Even then it requires adjustment to climate change which is worse. I once experienced a change from blazing heat in Bali, Indonesia, then 3 days at sea later, bitter cold and thick snow in Yokohama, Japan. Totally disorientating!), time changes become a fact of life so you just have to get used to them and see them as part of the adventure of being a world traveler. I once experienced the full wrath of a single time change of 5 hours which threw everyone off as nobody wanted dinner and they fell asleep during the shows. Needless to say it was only tried once. Related links: Gold member contents

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