You didn't specify what kind of boat. I am an open ocean sailor and delivery captain (sail other people's boats to a destination). For sailboats, an ocean crossing is long periods of boredom/mundanity strung between moments of sheer terror, usually because of storms. Upon arrival at port, the boat has never been cleaner because what the hell else are ya gonna do? Might as well clean and polish everything. :D

I prefer to do crossings and deliveries with a total crew of 5, but 4 is acceptable. In 4 hours shifts:

• One helmsman
• One hot standby in the cockpit with the helmsman
• One person on galley duty to grab things for the cockpit folk
• The remaining two on maintenance/sail trim/fishing or enforced downtime of one form or another

Unless there's a big storm, my crew eat extremely well. I'd say 30% of our planning is in the meals. Happy crew, happy boat. When there is a big storm, it's all nuts, chocolate, temperate drinks, and salad wraps. If anyone has time or appetite. Everyone gets tired of drinking water although staying hydrated is critical ("Piss clear" is oft-spoken directive). So lots of good tea, coffee, and Coors Light (blarf). I hate the stuff, but there's just something about drinking something NOT water at the end of a shift. When I get back to land, I can't even go near a light beer, but at sea, it hits just right.

Under a good sail trim and in the tradewinds, my boat will generally be heeled ~4 to ~8 degrees. So you get used to being at an angle all the time. When the sail trim is dialed, the only sound from the boat is water over the hull. It's a magical feeling.

When people leave the cockpit for anything (most commonly to piss overboard), someone keeps eyes on that person. In rough seas, everyone out of the cockpit is "jacklined" (tethered to the boat). In storms, everyone not down below are jacklined.

Things are surreal at night. The lack of light pollution makes for some of the best night skies. From the cockpit, unless there's a full moon, you can generally only see the instruments (chartplotter, GPS, wind instruments, compass). I am not a airplane pilot, but my stepfather is. Nighttime at sea (for most of the month) is a lot like IFR flight, just on the water.

The feeling of freedom + isolation + self-sufficiency + accomplishment is an absolute spiritual high. Open ocean sailors are a resourceful bunch; equipment failures of some kind are legion almost regardless of how tightly everything has been tested. Overcoming some failure and still being able to proceed under full sail creates memories that we will carry to our respective graves.