Show Notes
In this episode, Neil takes you through the essential items he will always pack into a boating kit bag. Depending on the season, activity and location you are boating in, you will want to adjust what you carry, but this list will help to get you thinking about what you already take and see if there are any tweaks to your list that you can make.
Learn more about this topic with our Safety & Sea Survival eLearning Course aabboating.com/sssc
More from Boating Insights
A legally compliant boat and an offshore-ready boat are often two very different things. In this episode of Boating Insights, we discuss the findings from our latest review of offshore standards used by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), Australian Sailing Category 1, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), and ARC / World ARC. While many skippers focus on equipment such as EPIRBs, liferafts, flares and VHF radios, one of the strongest themes that emerged from the review was the importance of training, crew competency, recovery capability and communications redundancy. In this episode, we discuss: • The difference between legal compliance and offshore readiness • Why training and competency featured so strongly across the standards reviewed • Crew overboard recovery systems and procedures • Communications redundancy for offshore boating • Common themes across offshore cruising and racing standards • Where skippers should focus their time and effort when preparing for offshore passages Access the Offshore Passage Preparation Checklist >
In Making, Storing and Using Power: See What Your Boat’s Really Doing, we look at the simple steps that help you understand how your boat generates, stores and uses power. Marine electrics don’t need to be complicated — your power budget works the same way as any other budget; you need to be clear about how much power you’re generating, how much you’re storing and how much you’re using.
Boating language can be confusing until you know what it really means — and that can lead to unintended consequences when it matters most. In this episode, Neil explores the quirky world of nautical terminology, from “make fast” and “spring lines” to “all hands on deck” and “pan pan.” We highlight some of the terms most commonly misunderstood, share ways to include simple explanations when using them, and offer ideas to help you set up clear, effective briefings that bridge the gap between what’s said by the skipper and what’s heard by the crew.
In this episode, Neil shares a practical approach to turning long-held boating ambitions into achievable plans. He explores how to decide whether to tackle each destination as an owner or crew, on your own boat or a charter, and how to structure your list in a realistic order so you give yourself the best chance to experience them all.
This episode explores the often-overlooked skill of line-of-sight navigation — using what you can see to stay aware of your surroundings and make confident decisions on the water.