Getting underway &middot; checklist

Last checks

Brief whoever is aboard criticalHow
How Where the PFDs are, where the extinguishers are, how to call for help on the VHF, and what you want them to do with the lines. Do this even with people who have been aboard before.
Watch for If they have never driven the boat, show them how to stop it and how to press the DSC distress button. That is the whole lesson if you go over the side.
Read the wind and current in the fairwayHow
How Look at flags, other boats' fenders, and the water around pilings before you cast off. Plan which way the bow will blow.
Decide the order the lines come offHow
How Say it out loud. Usually last off is whichever line is holding you against the wind or current.
Fenders at the right height for THIS dock
Record departure criticalHow
How Time, engine hours both sides, log reading, fuel. This is the baseline for every number the log will later tell you.

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Emergencies — Mayday script and six procedures · All checklists

General good practice, not a substitute for the owner's manual, USCG requirements, or your own judgment. Verify equipment requirements against the current USCG rules for a vessel of this length. General practice. Your training, your boat and the situation in front of you override anything written here. Take a hands-on safety course; reading is not the same as having done it. Not a substitute for training. These are one boater’s lists, published because they may be useful — not a standard, and not advice for your vessel.