Published: 2024-08-27
How to prepare for a boat trip?
If you own a boat, you probably know that it is important to do some checks and verifications before taking your boat out. It is also essential to plan your cruise program and provisioning. This, to make sure that everything will go smoothly during your short or long sailing.
To help you anticipate everything, here is a list of some essential tasks to carry out before setting sail.
1. Define your sailing program
Even if you decide to go out to sea at the last minute, take the time to plan your itinerary in broad strokes. What stopovers do you plan to make, and when? Identify the directions to take, estimate the time you want to spend on site and estimate the time needed for the different crossings. Don’t forget, too, to plan alternative solutions to your route and your stopovers: in fact, the weather may not allow you to take the cruise you had initially planned.
Depending on the planned cruise, communicate the provisional itinerary to someone you trust, ask them to follow your progress and check on you. Knowing your navigation area, the expected duration of your outing and your scheduled date of arrival at the next stage, this person will be able to react quickly in the event of a problem. Also, let him know the different ways that it is possible to use, if they exist, to contact you.
2. Check the good condition of your boat and its equipment
Don’t imagine for a second going to sea without checking that your ship allows it!
In particular, remember to check the good condition of the hull of your boat, the proper functioning of the engine and the electrical system, as well as, if there are any, the sails and ropes. A possible defect or malfunction is important to take into account, as it could be the cause of a problem during your future sailing. At the helm station and inside, check the operation of all equipment.
3. Ensure the compliance of the safety equipment, then train the crew
As the owner of a motorboat or sailboat, you are required to have the mandatory safety equipment on your vessel. This is related to the area in which you plan to sail.
Adapted life jackets in sufficient numbers, fire extinguishers, pyrotechnics… Before leaving, you will check that all the safety equipment is present on board, and that it is in perfect working order. Check that the expiry dates of the various pieces of armament have not passed!
As a captain, it is also your duty to brief the crew: each of the people boarding with you must know their responsibilities and know how to react in the event of an emergency. What is the role of each person? When and how to contact the emergency services? What safety equipment should be used, in what situation?
4. Equip yourself with navigational aids if necessary
With a reduced crew or for long crossings, in particular, it may be wise to take on board navigational aids. In addition to the essential nautical charts, a GPS, a plotter and an autopilot or a self-steering system, for example, can revolutionize life on board. Together, they make it easier for the crew to find their way around and perform certain maneuvers, as well as to get some rest.
5. Set up a suitable on-board pharmacy
The first aid kit, which is mandatory on board a ship under the French flag, already contains valuable elements to react in the event of an emergency. But we recommend that, in addition to this, you plan a specific pharmacy. You will adapt it to the people on board, the distance from the coast and the expected time of distance.
If you are going on an offshore cruise, go to your doctor before leaving: he or she will assist you in setting up a suitable pharmacy and will be able to advise you on what to do. If necessary, certain medical training courses can complement your teaching.
6. Checking the presence and operation of the means of communication
Depending on your program and the area in which you are about to sail, your communication equipment will be more or less substantial. Your mobile phone, the VHF on board, your beacon… Are they charged, and are they all working properly? Do all of you in the crew know how to use it?
7. Take enough food, water and fuel on board
As for the food on board, you will set up a provisioning facility allowing you to eat on your ship. Count on several extra meals: this way, if you wanted to make a stopover and go ashore but you have to stay on board, for example, you will not be restricted. The same goes for if the weather forces you to take an alternative, longer route, or if you decide to extend your navigation by a few days!
You will also take on board the amount of water and fuel corresponding to the short or long boat cruise you wish to take. Assess your needs and always plan for a margin: this is very important because it is what will allow you to navigate and live comfortably in the event of a change of program, for example, or in the event of a breakdown.
8. Do what is necessary to have energy on board
To sail in the best conditions, you will also need electrical power. Before you leave, take advantage of the Port Adhoc network facilities to recharge your batteries!
If your ship is equipped with a solar panel or wind turbine, check that the equipment is working properly and will not cause any problems once at sea. Depending on the cruise you are considering and the devices on board, you may need a 12V-220V transformer or portable batteries.
9. Manage, if necessary, administrative and health issues
From your port of departure, are you planning to travel to another country? It is possible that there are various administrative and health formalities to be carried out. Take all the necessary information to carry out the procedures properly, and don’t forget to take the requested documents and documents with you. Also think about the courtesy flag to hoist in the country you are visiting!
10. Diligently consult and follow the weather forecast
Before leaving by motorboat or sailboat, it is imperative to check the weather forecast carefully. Find out at regular intervals, via different information channels, to be able to study the evolution of the situation.
Be careful: just because the forecast was good a few days before your departure, when you started planning your cruise, does not mean that it will still be good at the time of departure. You will have to delay your boat trip if the conditions do not allow it.
Once at sea, you will continue to check the weather reports, thanks to your VHF and thanks to your mobile data if you have it, to stay informed.
Are you a boater, do you still need help organising your cruise, or do you want to know the marinas of the Port Adhoc group in which it is possible to stopover? Trust our agents!
