Setting up a watch schedule

A watch schedule tells WatchKeeper who is on duty, when each watch starts, and how the rotation should continue over time. Setting it up carefully gives your crew a clear, dependable plan that can still recover correctly if the app is restarted or the schedule changes later.

To create a schedule, start with an existing crew. Open the schedule setup area and choose to create a new watch plan. From there, define the structure of the rotation: who is assigned to each watch, how long each watch lasts, and when the schedule begins. The start time matters because WatchKeeper uses it as the anchor point for calculating the active watch and future handoffs.

When choosing watch lengths, aim for the pattern your crew will actually follow offshore, not a version that only works in ideal conditions. A simple, predictable schedule is easier to manage when people are tired. If your crew uses repeating watch blocks, set them up in the same order the watches will occur in real life. This makes it easier to confirm the schedule at a glance and reduces the chance of confusion later.

Before saving, review the full rotation from the crew’s perspective. Check that each person is assigned correctly, that the order of watches matches your intended pattern, and that the start time is correct. Small mistakes at setup can affect alarms, acknowledgements, and later overrides, so this is the best time to catch them.

Once saved, WatchKeeper uses the base schedule as the source of truth. If something changes underway, such as a delayed handoff, swap, pause, or unavailable crew member, the app can apply those changes as overrides while keeping the underlying schedule intact. That makes the schedule easier to trust and easier to recover after interruptions.

Best Practices

• Start with a complete and accurate crew.
• Use realistic watch lengths your crew can actually maintain.
• Set the schedule start time carefully.
• Keep the rotation simple and easy to verify at a glance.
• Review the full sequence before saving.

A good watch schedule should feel obvious, not complicated. If the crew can quickly understand who is on watch now, who is next, and when the next change happens, the setup is doing its job.