TECH The ultimate checklist for setting sail serenely

You have been looking forward to this moment for a year, and now you are there. the time has come to cast off the moorings for the much-needed summer cruise: but don’t let the excitement and eagerness to set sail get the better of the painstaking checks that every good sailor must make before leaving port.

THE FINAL CHECKLIST

With the help of professionals from Be Skilled, the advanced sailing training school created by Water Tribe (as well as a Training Center of the Royal Yachting Association licensed to issue international certifications, including the coveted Yachtmaster), we have compiled a definitive checklist where you will find everything, but everything, you need to check on board: in port and within the first 72 hours of sailing. So that you don’t have any nasty surprises, whether you are on your own boat or on a rental.

WHAT TO CHECK ON DECK

– Anchor winch: A) operation, B) minimum number of engine revolutions for operation, C) location and operation thermal switch, D) barbotin clutch, E) meters chain or textile (if possible mark every 10 meters) and its anchoring on board the fine leader, F) anchor and respect chain/rope (to have on hand at all times);
– Sails: check genoa and mainsail A) wear and tear, B) cuts and old repairs, (C) splints, D) easè opening and closing (furling and mainsail furling circuit);
– Mast and boom: A) straightness̀, B) blows and dents, C) if through, check shaft foot/cover seal;
– Sheets: A) length, B) wear and tear, C) that there is at least one respectful one;
– Winch: A) operation and easè of rotation, B) greasing;
– Handles: at least 2 + 1 respect;
– Rudder: A) softness of use test, B) positioning and maintenance brakes cables and pistons for possible interventions;
– Respect bar: A) location of rudder axle pivot, B) function test, C) that it is within reach and not “buried” in the peaks;
– Lights: check operation of way lights, motor navigation, masthead and deck (to be done before check on the evening of boat arrival);
– Autogonfiable raft: A) control No. of transportable passengers, B) check revision due date, C) general status check, D) reading instructions. The raft must be on hand at all times;
– Instruments and electronics: A) fuel oil level indicator, B) echosounder, C) log, D) wind station, E) GPS, F) VHF, G) battery and water level indicator, compass;
– Mooring lines: at least 1 of 50 meters, 3 of 20/25 meters, and others of various lengths and diameters (the more the better);
– Fenders: number and status;
– Sartie and stays: status and tension;
– Electricity cablè: location control adapters;
– Single-lever: A) status check and easè of engaging gears (forward and reverse) and throttle, B) neutral throttle insertion control, C) check linkage and connections from the single lever to the engine;
– Valve lifter: check wear and cable condition;
– Naphtha-cutting tap: location and control.

WHAT TO CHECK BELOW DECK

– Life jackets and belts: A) check status and number, B) distribution and explanation use;
– Fire extinguishers: A) location, B) status and number check (at least three, one near the engine room, one near the control panel, and one in the square near the chartroom), C) type and use however always at hand;
– Fires, smoke bombs and rockets: A) location and status, B) number (at least two per type), C) deadline, D) instructions, E) positioning, close to the handy chart;
– Charting and landing materials: surveying compass, compasses, squares, nautical charts planned navigation area and vicinity, pilot book of the area, list of lighthouses;
– Flashlights and projector: if possible at least one underwater flashlight);
– General First Aid kit: band-aids, bandages, tourniquet, disinfectant, ammonia, aspirin, painkillers, antidiarrheals, antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, broad-spectrum antibiotic, foille-type burn ointments, fargan-type antihistamine ointments, mercurochrome;
– Toolbox: Check for at least: a hammer, Phillips and slotted screwdrivers of various sizes, pliers, parrot wrench, wrenches various sizes from 6 to 22, allen wrenches, hacksaw, scissors, duct tape, grey-tape type tape, tops and chokes, shackles and snap hooks various sizes, sail and tender repair materials, wooden turafalle wedges, respect bulbs, alternator and water pump belts, water pump impeller, oil and fuel filters, engine oil and heat exchanger fluid;
– Bansigo;
– Inboard engine: visual condition and operation check, check interventions performed, check oil, water, cooler fluid, battery fluid levels and their condition, alternator operation, water pump and cooling circuit, tension belts and clean air filter;
– Water system: check operation of white, fresh and salt water system, autoclave pressure, check operation of black water discharge system. Testing toilets and shutters;
– Bilge: check for water in bilge (fresh or salt?), locate leak or leakage, check electric bilge pump with manual or automatic on, check filter and operation of external manual bilge pump;
– Bulb: check under the dunnage of the bulb studs for looseness or cracks due to beating/shock;
– Hull: as soon as out of port or at first bath check hull, bulb, rudder, and propeller for barrel scratches. Provide cleaning of suction and water ejection sleeves, log label and echosounder plate if appropriate;
– GPS: data check comparison with nautical chart (port is, at least as far as degrees and primes are concerned, a place of certain position), possible antenna cleaning;
– Tender: general condition check, sealing.

WHAT TO CHECK IN NAVIGATION

Eighty percent of hull checks at check-in occur at a “passive” stage of vessel operation. Hull diagnostics in the first 72 hours of sailing is critical for verifying the proper “active” functioning of the rig, instrumentation, engine, electrical system/utilities, keel and its appendages. The first three days you will need to check the following checklist with proficiency:

– Rigging: rigging tension, stays tension, current rigging, deck rigging, sails and rolling systems;
– Instrumentation: GPS position and data, VHF transmission/reception, autopilot, depth gauge (check tolerance on dive), log (calculate log/sog discrepancy);
– Engine: oil level, coolant level, impeller operation, smoke check, diesel level, calculation of working hours/consumption, engine bilge cleaning;
– Maintenance of battery charge and electrical consumption of utilities: presence or absence of ammeter (if yes check consumption of individual utilities: stereo, refrigerator, radio, lights, autopilot), “ghost” simulation to check for leakage, check alternator operation with voltmeter, check batteries in the morning (never below 11.9 volts), charge batteries (charging stages);
– Keel and appendages: tensioning of steering gear brakes transmission cables, bilge cleaning (fresh or salt water). If there is fresh water, check circuit and consumption, in case of salt water check sea intakes, log, depth gauge and keel witnesses.

DOCUMENTS TO HAVE ON BOARD

Mandatory nautical documents
– Portolans
– List of Beacons and Fog Signals
– Radio Services for Navigation
– Nautical Charts
– Paper 1111
– Variants in force
– Foreword to Notices to Mariners and Notices to Mariners of a General Nature.

Required ship documents
– Navigation License (CallSign);
– Declaration of power or the certificate of use of the engine;
– Insurance policy. According to Art. 41 of Decree Law July 18, 2005,no. 171 all engines installed on any recreational craft (including tenders) must have insurance including any auxiliary engine.
– Valid safety certificate;
– RTF operating license (MMSI);
– Rtf limited certificate (of the commander);
– Boat license, valid (of the captain, if the engine exceeds 40 hp).

OUR PARTNERS
This checklist was compiled by Be Skilled, the sailing training school created by Water Tribe (founded by Simone Todeschini) that specializes in high-tech sailing courses for racers and aspiring skippers and is qualified to issue international certifications for commercial command. It is one of the very few Royal Yachting Association Training Centers in Italy at which to earn titles such as Essential Navigation, Diesel Engine, GMDSS-SRC, Yachtmaster shorebased. RYA courses and certifications are among the most coveted by skippers and others because they attest worldwide to experience and skills acquired in all areas of sailing. www.beskilled.it

DISCOVER ALL TECH, ACCESSORIES & PRACTICE NEWS

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Speaking of pre-sailing checks–are you sure you have your dear old paper logbook with you?

Sailing requires a maritime culture that is both art and science. The Logbook we have designed for you is an updated edition of the “notebook” that every good captain must have on his or her boat before setting sail on the much-needed summer cruise!

This isan edition printed on beautiful paper, full of useful, practical and indispensable information that you should always keep on hand. But of course it is much more than that. As the title suggests, it is a real diary to personalize and write in, with notes, secrets, and annotations concerning your boat, all in the dedicated spaces of the volume’s more than 300 pages.

The Logbook collects every aspect of going to sea organically, in simple and precise language, supplemented with tables, drawings and photos.

A paper database to navigate safely and have available all boat data, crews, useful numbers, trivia of routes followed, various pre-departure checklists and much, much more.

Chapter 1 is devoted to the boat, the second to the logbook, and the third to marinas and distances between Italian ports, conversion tables and glossaries.

We then move on to practical navigation (Chapter 4), Meteorology (Chapter 5), communications at sea (6), recipes (7), and the column!

But we forgot to tell you the most important thing: it costs only 5.99 euros is “going like hotcakes.”

FIND IT HERE, HURRY!!!