Preparing for our First Overnight Passage on our Sailboat
We started preparing for our first overnight passage weeks ago, going down our checklist one by one. And since it was my first overnight passage, I had a lot to learn about the navigational and safety equipment. Of course, we turned on the camera so you could learn along with me. Check out the video here.
A lot of the preparations involved looking at the weather and planning the best time to leave. With a 26-30 hour trip out on the water, we need the perfect weather window that allowed for a safe and pleasant passage.
I learned the basics of how to read a chart, and how to use the Epirb and Fire Extinguishers and where they are mounted in the boat.
Our life vests are really cool, with pockets that hold a knife, whistle, a pull cord, and even a small epirb. They are much safer and technical that those old stiff orange ones, and they are a lot more comfortable to wear for 26 hours too.
Jack Lines and Tethers are a must when traveling off shore. They are strong safety lines that connect the life vest to a railing on the boat, so at all times we are attached to the boat. If the wind or waves move the boat quickly, we won’t wind up overboard.
We also checked the engine, turning it on and checking that it runs properly. We check the oil too. And fill up the gas and water tanks.
We replaced the hull clamps when we noticed a small leak during this check.
Another thing we did was make sure we had plenty of drinking water on board. We carried 25 gallons of water. Now that is a lot of water for two people for 26 hours, but it lasted us a couple of weeks and we didn’t have to run out and get water when we got to our destination.
And that brings me to food. I prepared food and snacks the day before and put it all in a bag to keep up in the cockpit with us so we didn’t have to go down below when hungry. I made hard boiled eggs for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and dinner, humus and veggies, fruits, and nuts for snacks, and of course some chocolate to keep up going. I also made ginger tea and kept the candied ginger close by in case I got seasick.
For a full list of all the safety checks we do, email us and just ask. We’d be happy to share it with you.
Some of the safety checks and repairs have been edited short for this video. The longer versions are here below with Amazon links to the products we used.
The links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you decide to purchase after clicking on the link, we will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Replacing Through Hull Clamps: https://youtu.be/SMmVyeWwky0
316 Stainless Steel C-Clamps: https://amzn.to/3yBM5Yt
EPIRBS: https://youtu.be/YcXOrpCbpQE
Fire Extinguisher Requirements Safety, and Usage: https://youtu.be/gi_7i85_7qs
Inflatable Life Vest Tutorial: https://youtu.be/wI6OHM5IHYc
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