Below is a sailing pre-passage checklist you can use before you go for a sailing journey. On Britican we live by checklists! Everywhere I look there’s a checklist for one thing or another but by having them in place it really helps to remember important things that can often be forgotten. To see all the checklists I’ve added to this website, go the Checklist archive.
Sailing Pre-Passage Checklist
- Provisions, fuel, water and gas – make up food for the journey (if it’s day trip I always make carrot and cucumber sticks along with preparing salads or sandwiches. For longer trips, I make several main meals and freeze them)
- Engine checks – See Marine Engine Pre start Checklist
- Generator checks – Same as Marine Engine Pre start Checklist
- Safety gear – allocate lifejackets (and harnesses if needed). It’s helpful to label the lifejackets with different numbers so when the crew take them off and they’re piled up, they can easily identify the correct one later.
- Crew safety briefing (see ‘Sailboat Briefing Checklist’)
- Crew passage briefing – explain the ‘Passage Plan’
- Crew deck briefing
- Head sail – bending on, sheet leads, changing
- Mast – halyards, topping lifts, etc.
- Mainsail – reefing arrangements, clew outhaul
- Winches – operation, safety, security of handles
- Ropes and fenders – how to tie on and store
- Watch keeping duties (keeping a look out, reporting other vessels, logs)
- Nominate Log keeper
- Get crew to put on the appropriate clothes
- Prepare yacht for sea: tidy, towed, batten down, secure, shut sea cocks-heads/ sinks
- Sails to be made ready. Reefing?
- Allocate crew mooring duties
- Set mooring warps to slip
- Disconnect the shore electrics
- Prepare to cast off
- Cast off and monitor using fenders
- Once clear of all hazards stow warps and fenders
- Other?
Can you think of any other sailing pre-passage checklist items that I should add? Let me know in the comments below.
If you like checklists check out my book entitled, ‘Checklists for Sailors – Passage Planning, Sailboat Maintenance, Cleaning, Medical and More. Making it easier to enjoy sailing your sailboat.’ To get more information on all my books and details how on how you can purchase them, please visit my Sailing Books Page.
