offshore checklist
- Nearby at all times
- Below deck
- At the helm
- On deck
- Rigged and fitted
- Boat construction
- Our experience
- Rigging emergency VHF antenna
- A structural inspection of keel, rudder and steering systems
- Alternate steering method (drogue, storm jib and whisker pole for self-steering, bungees, windvane etc)
- Ownership of EPIRB, and EPIRB registration with rescue authority (or recently registered PLB for every crew)
- Each lifejacket has been inspected in last 12 months
- Having an MOB plan, familiar to all onboard
- First aid training for at least 50% of the crew
Nearby at all times
- Watertight handheld VHF radio transceiver stowed in ditch bag
- Independent receiver capable of receiving weather (ex. satellite phone)
- First aid kit
- Sound device to use as foghorn
- Back up paper charts, cruising guides for intended destination, Almanac etc.
- Tools, spare parts, method to disconnect/sever standing rigging in emergency (axe, hacksaw (10x blades), hammer & drift, bolt cutters, Bosuns chair or mast steps)
- Several frictionless rings, lengths of dyneema and a pair of T-track slides (to rig blocks, or a jib car, see jib cars)
- Flares, 4 red hand-held, 2 orange smoke — all in date
- Approved lifejackets c/w light, whistle; 1 for each crew & marked with name, with crotch strap and short tether (no longer than 2m)
- Spare gas inflation cylinder for each lifejacket (impossible to have them shipped by air, spares as carry-ons on planes is ok)
Below deck
- Miminum of 2 exits, with 1 forward of the foremost mast
- Any inward opening hatches labelled “NOT TO BE OPENED AT SEA” (to inform crew, if any)
- Sea cocks or valves on through-hull openings below waterline, with tapered soft wood plug at each
- Heel of keel-stepped mast is secured to structure
- Permanent head installation
- Permanent bunk installation
- Securely fastened stove, with fuel shut-off
- Water tank to provide 3 L per person per day
- 10 L of separate, and sealed emergency water
- Hand holds below deck
- Spare bulbs for lights onboard
- 25W DSC enabled VHF w/ masthead antenna & programmed MMSI
- An AIS Transponder w/ shared masthead antenna or dedicated antenna 15" in length and 10' above waterline (if possible, dedicated is safer)
- Material for an emergency antenna (approx. 2m of 50-ohm coax types ex:RG-58 or CA-195R, approx. 50cm tinned 14-18 AWG insulated stranded wire, a BNC or PL-259 connector, approx. 2m of 12mm hollow-core rope, soldering iron & solder, self-amalgamating tape, caulking for waterproofing.) [See notes] 2023.05.08 recommendation
- Fire blanket near every open flame system
- Min. 2 fire extinguishers, 2 kg each, accessible, in different parts of the boat
- Safety equipment location chart (for extra crew)
- 406 MHz EPIRB with GPS (or each crew with registered personal PLB)
- Ditch bag for liferaft
- Sextant, table and ability to use
At the helm
- GPS recording crew overboard location within 10 seconds
- Lifebuoy with self-igniting light and drogue
- Heaving line, preferably 'Throwing sock' type, 15-25 m (50-75')
On deck, ready for deployment
- 2 suitably sized anchors and rode, one suitable for anchoring in 50 ft with coral
- Watertight flashlight with spare batteries and bulbs
- Liferaft, or modified dinghy
- Liferaft is easy to deploy near the stern of the boat, but also, cannot get ripped off deck
- A strong, sharp knife on deck or cockpit, sheathed and securely restrained
Rigged and fitted aboard
- LPG locker with vapor proof barrier and marked accordingly (if using LPG)
- A setup for solar cooking, in case of system failure, or if out of cooking fuel.
- Navigation lights of specified intensity, not obscured when sailing
- Jacklines to permit movement between work areas and cockpit
- Clipping points at key work areas to clip onto without jacklines
- Radar reflector (ideally, not the tube type which don't reflect as well)
- 2 x anchors with chain at least the length of the yacht and 60m of extra rope or chain, a second cable of 6m chain and 40m of rope or chain ready for use at any time and securely fastened.
- Sail repair kit (UV resistant thread, sail repair tape, palm or awl stitcher, sail needles etc)
- Emergency tiller, or backup tiller
- Sheeting positions for trysail (or mainsail with 3 reefs, to reduce main luff by 50%) and storm jib
- Yachts with self furling sails shall have a separate means of setting a storm jib (ideally...)
Boat construction and fitting out
- Heavy items such as batteries, floorboards, anchors, propane bottles, engine are permanently installed or securely fastened
- Add extra security strap to engine in case mounts fail
- The boat is watertight and all openings capable of being immediately secured
- Forward hatches open outward only, except on coachroof
- Hatches are attached, above water at 90° heel & capable of being shut if capsized
- Companionway drop panels attached and can be secured in place. Operable from interior and exterior
- Companionway sill is above local sheerline, or acceptable blocking panel alternative
- Cockpit is above waterline, strong, and all openings can be closed and secured. Drains are unobstructed openings 4 x 3/4" or equivalent
- Lifelines taut and, in combination with pulpits, surround entire working deck
- Lifelines are uncoated stainless steel: 4mm for under 43 W, 5 mm for over
- Minimum 25 mm (1") toerail around foredeck
- 2 strong buckets, each with lanyard and 9 l (2.4 US Gal) min capacity
- 2 permanent manual bilge pumps, 1 operable from below deck with hatches closed
- Bilge pumps not discharged into closed cockpit or cockpit drains
- Bilge pumps readily accessible for maintenance and cleaning
- Magnetic compass, independent of power supply
- 2nd magnetic compass, unpowered, may be handheld
- No less than 2 halyards per mast, each capable of hoisting a sail, and not secured to mast in a way that requires a person to go aloft
- Chain plates must be through bolted
- Mast fitted with a water tight collar
- Rigging should have appropriate spec to size of boat
- Cockpits should be self draining
- Inboard propulsion engine
- Depth sounder
- Boat's name on buoyed equipment
- Marine grade retro-reflective material on buoyant equipment
Offshore checklist sourced from Vic Maui and Yachting NZ Cat 1.
Our experience
We used this checklist to prepare Pino for our departure from Canada in 2016. We did our best to fulfill most of these requirements, as they were put in place to keep people safe. We left with a roller-furler without a storm jib, but in hindsight, we should have had one. We reduced the jib in heavy weather, but a dedicated sail would have been better. A heavy storm jib is also useful for self-steering using the poled storm jib method.
While in the north pacific ocean, our boat was knocked down, and we had not adequately attached some of the floorboards. It did not cause any damage inside but it could have. In the future we will secure these properly. We also did not strap down the engine, relying entirely on the engine mounts. A friend had his engine leap out of the engine room in a severe storm, the boat and crew barely made it to port in one piece, no one wants that experience.
Neither of us had first-aid training, relying entirely on books and lived experiences. If you're able to get training, do it (now we have training).
We did not have an EPIRB, but if you can afford one, get it. We had a registered PLB instead, which is not ideal, but better than nothing.
VHF antenna failure at sea
2023.05.08
In March 2023, our friends Andreas and Birgit on the sailboat Muktuk sailed from La Paz MX to Okinawa JP. On any long sail, breakages happen, and you have to be ready to effect a repair with materials already onboard. We received an email from Andreas(via satellite phone) saying that their VHF antenna had broken off the top of the mast, and that they were looking for some advice on making a replacement antenna.
Andreas had taken a Basic Amateur Radio License course many many years ago, but still remembered the basics. A Basic Amateur Radio License course teaches you how to build and operate a radio. We confimed some details with our radio expert friend Amatecha, and sent them instructions.
They were able to make a separate antenna. After this event, we thought it wise to recommend materials to build a DIY antenna in the offshore checklist. An even better recommendation, is to also take a Basic Amateur Radio License course to familiarize oneself with radio components.
Read up on their antenna adventures. They arrived safely in Okinawa JP on March 20th 2023.