1 ) Does your main have reef points?
2 ) Have you ever reefed your main?
3 ) Can you drop or furl your jib in a blow? Have you ever tried?
4 ) Can you drop your main in a blow? Have you ever tried?
5 ) Do you know how to "heave to"? Have you ever tried?
6 ) Have you ever had to drop anchor in an emergency? Have you ever tried?
7 ) Do you have an emergency tiller? Have you ever used it?
8 ) Do you know how to get help when in a dangerous situation? What options have you provided yourself?
9 ) Flares? VHF? Smoke? Dye? Cell phone?
10) Do you have lifejackets fitted for each perminant crew member?
OK, this isn't fair. I'm not just Walter Mitty, I'm also anal retentive.
Windward has three reef points in the main. I just rerigged the 3rd set, along with the lazy jacks, because it took too long to tie it in the two or three times a year I need it.
Permanently mounted preventers all but prevent the unplanned jibe. Does nothing to prevent idiots from flying the spinnaker in 20 knots of breeze and rounding up / washing the cockpit repeatedly, but that's a whole different story.
The same steps on my mast that make it possible to attach the windex I forgot, do other maintenance readily, or get a better vantage point when necessary make it a PITA to reef the main off the wind. I've worked through that, too, although "relocate upper mast steps" is still on my list of ToDos.
I generally carry three full sets of ground tackle (two different styles of anchor), two of which can be deployed immediately. Each is sized for a boat at least 4 feet larger than Windward, and has held both Windward and at least one other larger, rafted-up boat in winds up to 25 kts (no significant seas, though) without dragging. There's enough scope to Bahamian moor at 7:1 in 40 ft of water and still have some rode in the locker. Four cleats with large stainless backing plates forward, two amidships (slated for replacement with larger models) and four aft give me enough options for mooring or rafting up.
Having put the spare in place (already set up with the spare tiller tamer and a tillerpilot pin), I'm now reworking my "normal" tiller, which had some cracks that I found during my last semi-annual disassembly inspection.
Two life jackets -- an auto-inflatable with harness and a normal Type III -- for each regular crew member, plus three spares of various sizes. That doesn't include the ones I keep at the house. This weekend I'm installing the cockpit tether padeyes to supplement the jacklines.
The companionway dropboards are positively pinned in place, and the companionway hatch can be securely latched from inside or outside. The forward hatch has two additional dogs on it. There are grab rails inside and outside, with toe rails installed on the edge of the cabin trunk.
Lifesling, plus a throw bag and Type IV tossable, are ready to deplay from the cockpit when we're underway (the extra four-part tackle for lifesling recovery is below, second compartment back above the starboard settee.
Separate starting battery for the outboard, so that even running down the pair of Group 27 deep cycles won't prevent remotely cranking the outboard.
Three fire extinguishers (v-berth, salon, cockpit) may make the unthinkable at least addressable.
Two VHF's, one of which is handheld and runs on fresh AA lithium batteries. A spare depth-sounder display, although the second transducer is not yet mounted. Two back up GPS's, two hard-mount and a bearing compass, paper charts to supplement the GPS-side ones, plus a full, current NOAA set on the laptop. Hourly log entries when I'm someplace that matters.
There's a puny but functional set of emergency nav lights aboard, with batteries that work. I carry a second spotlight, too.
Just got a radar reflector, for those few times I'm out in the ocean at night.
It sucks to paddle Windward anywhere (I've done it) but a pair of paddles is below, in case wind and motor fail simultaneously.
The biggest "be prepared" thing, though, is that every time is the first time. I realize that I can screw up and could lose the boat, my life, or my crew. Every time I set the anchor, I make a couple of passes to ensure I know the bottom reasonably well. I back down on it, forcefully, to ensure it's not dragging. I wonder: what happens if the wind shifts? Am I screwed if it comes from the only direction it can't come from? I wear my PFD more than any other adult who can swim that I know. When I need to reef, or sailing at night, or sailing alone with my son, my PFD is on. If it's looking maaybe dicey later, the jacklines are rigged and the tethers are clipped into the cockpit. If it's a new inlet, I've studied the charts, laid in at least tentative waypoints, and have a pair of binocs ready at hand.
My complacent aspects? You bet...
- =>I've not yet disassembled the keel to inspect the pin.
=>The ditch bag is half-hearted. I would not want to have to abandon the boat at all, but for sure not within a couple of minutes.
=>No true storm jib; the 70 sq ft yankee does roller furl to about 30 sq ft, but I sure don't like removing a larger sail in 25 kt of wind to strap it on, and I've not made the solent stay a priority.
=>My rudder shaft broke a month ago, and while it's sturdily repaired and tested I've not yet ordered the drogue that I'm planning to use for emergency steering (and on the off chance I have to run off in following seas). Dumbass!
=>I only have the one bilge pump permanently installed, plus the bucket, portable tubular manual pump and the portable electric pump; I've not yet installed the two other hard-mount electric ones I bought, or the two manual ones.
=>The softwood plugs and hammer are in the swing keel tray, not tether to the individual through-hulls.
=>No MOB pole with a strobe. I might only be able to use this a week or two each year (only coastal, and no need when I'm solo), but it would be bloody hard to find someone in big waves and every little bit helps.
=>Again, I'm only coastal a couple of weeks each year, but the 10 aerial flares (plus the hand helds) are a joke. I should really have at least 4 parachute flares to supplement them, the handhelds and the CG-not-SOLAS smokes.
=>I sail solo a bunch (need better people skills), but the crew is only so competent with boat handling and less so with nav. I'm the single point of failure on the boat. I've stopped telling my wife what the life insurance is worth, but still need to get her more up to speed on how to recover my sorry butt when it eventually hits the water because I'm doing something that only I know how to do.
Actually, I think it's worse to know there are shortcomings than to simply be complacent, and I'm certainly guilty there. I probably have other liabilities, too -- I could look at my list, but I'll bet there are some I haven't even considered -- but these spring to mind.