Offshore Checklist

Use this handy suggestion list before putting out to sea, adding to it as necessary….

PEACE OF MIND:

☼ Does the boat have a current survey?
☼ Hauled out, hull inspected and bottom painted.
☼ Rudder checked.
☼ Rudder fittings checked.  Steering cables & pulleys inspected.
☼ Zincs checked.
☼ Thru-hull fittings inspected.
☼ Engine shaft, prop etc. inspected.
☼ Batteries checked out
☼ Masthead, spreaders & rigging thoroughly inspected.
☼ Ship’s main compass checked and adjusted for deviation.

OFFSHORE NECESSITIES:

☼ Certified life raft (preferably a GIVENS BUOY).
☼ Class A EPIRB (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon –registered)
☼ Immersion suit
☼ Sea anchor & tether.
☼ Drogue & tether.
☼ GPS
☼ Autopilot
☼ Self steering – don’t put out to sea without a good windvane!
☼ Cockpit dodger (a must for cruising).
☼ Emergency watermaker.
☼ VHF radio.
☼ SSB
☼ WeatherFax.
☼ Hydraulic wire cutters.
☼ Calamity pack.

SAIL INVENTORY:

☼ Heavy (6 oz. Minimum) cruising mainsail near new.
☼ Heavy working jib.
☼ No. 1 & 2 Genoas.
☼ Storm jib, near new “the cheapest sail in the inventory, but the one you’ll be needing most in heavy weather!”
☼Storm trysail on a separate track (don’t forego this).
☼ Drifter/spinnaker.
☼ All sails stitching, reef points & reefing systems checked by a sailmaker.
☼ All running rigging, blocks & winches inspected & refurbished if necessary.

SAFETY ITEMS:

☼ Hand held VHF radio.
☼ Type-1 Life Jackets for all.
☼ Safety harnesses for all.
☼ Whistles for the crew (make them wear it around their necks like dog tags).
☼ Man O’r board flag, life ring or horseshoe, ready for the heaving.
☼ Approved fire extinguishers in working order.
☼ Flare gun and assorted flares.
☼ Marker dye
☼ Horn
☼ Signal mirror
☼ Hand held strobe/s.
☼ Running lights, spreader lights, navigation lights and mast-head strobe checked.
☼ Cyalume light sticks.
☼ Assorted flash lights and spare batteries.
☼ Watch & clock batteries.
☼ Pumps, bailers, plastic and stainless steel buckets “no better pump than a frightened sailor with a bucket in his hand!”
☼ Dinghy, tender and paddles.
☼ Boat hook
☼ Heaving line.
☼ Boarding ladder.
☼ Wooden plugs for thru-hull fitting.

GROUND TACKLE:  OVERSIZE!  OVERSIZE!

☼ Ship’s reserve/storm anchor.
☼ Ship’s working bow anchor.
☼ Ship’s stern anchor.
☼ Lunch hook.
☼ Adequate lengths of anchor chain.
☼ All told at least 600’ of new nylon anchor rode, for various anchoring applications (can be segmented).
☼ Related hardware.
☼ Oversize mooring swivels, shackles etc. don’t forget to wire all of your shackles!!

FIRST AID:

☼ Checkout: http://www.markus.org/sail/medkit.html.
☼ Consult your personal physician for your particular needs, special prescriptions/medications etc.
☼ Bandages & bandaids
☼ Antiseptic cream and spray.
☼ Eyewash
☼ Compress
☼ Inhalant
☼ Antacids and laxatives
☼ Codeine
☼ Aspirin
☼ Dramamine
☼ Vaseline
☼ Chapstick
>☼ Sunscreen lotion
☼ Water purification tablets
☼ Insect repellent
☼ Nail clippers
☼ Scissors
☼ Tweezers
☼ Dental floss
☼ Oil of cloves
☼ Emergency dental kit.
☼ Spare prescription glasses.

HIGH PRIORITY ITEMS:

☼ Wet suit and diving weights.
☼ Mask, snorkel & fins (need several pairs of spare straps for these).
☼ Alarm clocks  TWO OF THEM!
☼ Binoculars:  be sure to purchase 7 x 50, or 10 x 50 optics as these have higher light gathering capacity.
☼ Thick wool sweaters.
☼ Sailing boots.
☼ Assorted parkas, jackets, gloves and items of clothing.
☼ Plenty of hammocks to keep clothes high and dry.
☼ Ski or Uvex storm goggles.
☼Knee pads & head gear.

NAVIGATION:

☼ Ship’s main compass.
☼ Ship’s backup compass.
☼ Hand bearing compass.
☼ Sextant
☼ Quartz watches
☼ Short wave receiver (to set the watches by –tune to WWV, 5, 10, 15 and 20 megahertz for the time ticks and listen in at 7 and 48 minutes after the hour for Atlantic and Pacific weather warnings.
☼ Nautical almanac
☼ Reduction tables, etc.
☼ Divider
☼ Parallel rulers
☼ Pens, pencils & erasers.
☼ Ship’s log, note books and jotting paper.
☼ Triangle
☼ Protractor, etc.
☼ Coast Pilot (domestic).
☼ Sailing Directions (foreign).
☼ Charts
☼ Pilot Charts – shipping lanes and a great deal of other VERY useful information on Pilot Charts ask for “Pilot Charts” by name.
☼ Tide tables, etc.

TOOLS:

☼ Assorted screwdrivers.
☼ Assorted pliers
☼ Wrenches
☼ Large vise-grips (vise-grip’s cam action will cut through Ľ” wire in 5 tries).
☼ Small vise-grips.
☼ Wire cutters
☼ Spanners
☼ Sparkplug wrench & gapper.
☼ Allen wrenches
☼ Scratch awl
☼ Files
☼ Chisels
☼ Hammers
☼ Axe
☼ Crow bar
☼ Woodsaw
☼ Hacksaw & blades
☼ Hand drill and bits – BUY THE VERY BEST
☼ Nicropress tool and assorted nicropress sleeves.
☼ SS rope clamps – 2 rope clamps will do the job of one nicropress.
☼ Grommet kit & assorted fasteners (use hammer and board to install these on canvas & sails.
☼ One extra large C-clamp.
☼ Assorted nuts, bolts, screws & nails.
☼ Glass cloth & resin.
☼ Epoxy resin
☼ Assorted glues
☼ Spare paints & thinner.
☼ Brushes
☼ Scrapers
☼ Lacquer thinner (best all around solvent).
☼ WD-40
☼ Silicone Caulk
☼ Lots and lots of duct tape (you can repair sails with this stuff).
☼ Stainless steel wool
☼ Industrial razor blades.

MARINE ITEMS:

☼ Depth sounder
☼ Radio direction finder (?)
☼ Barometer don’t put out to sea without a good barometer (a falling barometer means you are being overtaken by an atmospheric vacuum.  Where there is a vacuum air rushes in to stabilize the system.  Rushing air means high wind and heavy seas).
☼ Anemometer
☼ Radar reflector
☼ Two masthead feathers (wind indicators) keep one in reserve in case the other one gets blown off.
☼ Bosun’s chair and maststeps.
☼ Cockpit awning for those hot days.
☼ Spare winch handles.
☼ Spare blocks
☼ Spare turnbuckles.
☼ Assorted snaphooks, SS shackles & fasteners.
☼ SS cotter pins (NEVER USE COTTER RINGS, use cotter pins instead.  (Take all cotter rings off the boat immediately.  The only thing they are good for is hanging keys on).
☼ SS Seizing wire.
☼ Hose clamps.
☼ Rigging knife & stone.
☼ Sail repair kit
☼ Dacron Scraps
☼ Assorted lines, cables, webbing, shock-chord velcro.
☼ Emergency underwater epoxy – don’t put out to sea without at least a quart of Z-Spar.
☼ SPLASHZONE as this stuff can affect wet/dry repairs like nothing else can.
☼ Book of knots (there are only about half a dozen knots you will need; master them before you put out to sea – make sure you can tie all of them blindfolded.
☼ Other marine books.

ENGINE:

☼ Crankcase/2-cycle and gear oils.
☼ Grease
☼ Spark plugs
☼ Spare filler cap wrenches.
☼ Sheerpins
☼ Spare prop, shaft collars and related items.
☼ Spare parts.
☼ Filters, gaskets.
☼ Diesel additives etc.

MISCELLANEOUS:

☼ Rods, reels, hooks, lures, weights, gaff.
☼ Large, three-prong grappling hook (also good for retrieving lost anchor lines, etc).
☼ Camera and lots of film.
☼ Hats & spare Polaroid sun glasses.
☼ Blankets, etc., including thermal “space blankets”.
☼ Tarps & shades
☼ Sandwich, zip-lock & garbage bags – don’t throw garbage overboard offshore, it’s not nice.
☼ Plastic wrap
☼ Aluminum foil – wrap some around a fender, hoist it up on a halyard and you’ve got an emergency radar reflector.
☼ Drinking straws (you’ll need these in heavy weather – “many a slip between the cup and the lip”).
☼ Waterproof matches & Bic lighters
☼ Candles & clothes pins
☼ Towels.
☼ Paper towels.
☼ Toilet items.
☼ Toothpaste & brush.
☼ Sea soap – else use liquid detergents.
☼ Several can openers (good, expensive ones).
☼ Assorted scissors, large and small.
☼ Propane, kerosene alcohol & other fuel for the stove.
☼ Several stainless steel Thermos jars.
☼ Mosquito netting & attire.
☼ Thermal underwear & socks.
☼ Hot water bottle & catalytic hand warmer.

FOOD & SUSTENANCE:

☼ Fresh water (allow at least on gallon per person per day to be on the safe side).
☼ Dehydrated and/or freeze-dried dinners, vegies, etc.
☼ Dried fruits.
☼ Tinned bread (if you can find it).
☼ Butter (in plastic containers).
☼ Cheese
☼ Spreads
☼ Peanut butter
☼ Honey
☼ Dried milk, oats, rice, potatoes, flour (sealed in double zip-lock bags).
☼ Sugar, salt, pepper & spices.
☼ Cookies
☼ Nuts.
☼ Tea, coffee & cocoa
☼ Tang
☼ Canned goods (stew, beef, corned beef, chicken, spaghetti, sardines, soups etc.).
☼ Eggs (raw, coat the shells with salad oil).
☼ Bread (preservatives added).
☼ Olive oil
☼ Potatoes & onions.
☼ Vinegar
☼ Pickles
☼ Lots of lemons/juice
☼ Fresh fruits (lots of oranges – apples don’t last and bananas all ripen at the same time).
☼ Vegetables.
☼ Vitamins.
☼ Mineral supplements
☼ Energy bars.
☼ Ghirardelli’s Chocolate – exceedingly good for the soul on a lonely watch at night.
☼ Life-savers & chewing gum.
☼ Beer and wine.

DON’T FORGET:
 
☼ To file a FLOAT PLAN with friends or relatives.
☼ To take along valid registration, passport, visas & documents, along with phone numbers, addresses, credit cards & travelers checks.

OTHER:

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