For most owners, this means months of sourcing, specifying, installing, checking and stowing equipment before the boat’s ready to leave. Pegasus eliminates much of that burden by delivering yachts that are genuinely ready to go from day one, aside from only your personal kit bags and provisions.
Historically the sailing world has been well behind aviation and other industries in terms of routinely using checklists to ensure critical tasks or items are not overlooked. Yet it’s inconceivable that a commercial aircraft would operate without them, even though pilots have the benefit of comprehensive training, with regular updates.
It’s important not to underestimate how powerful the use of checklists can be – a similar approach in operating theatres in the UK, for instance, led to surgery related deaths dropping by 40 per cent.
The following checklists are useful starting points for anyone preparing for longer passages or extended cruises. While they cannot comprehensively cover every boat, they can be tweaked to suit individual vessels and their crews. Checkmark (✔) identifies the items that are already included in the standard specification of Pegasus Yachts.
1. Safety and emergency equipment
- Liferaft serviced, correctly sized ✔ and with grab bag
- EPIRB registered tested and in date ✔
- Lifejackets, harnesses and tethers for all crew, plus 2 spares and re-arming kits ✔ (two sets included in Pegasus standard)
- PLBs and personal AIS units, registered, tested and in date
- Jackstays and strong points for clipping on ✔
- Flares or approved electronic alternatives, all in date ✔
- Fire extinguishers and fire blanket ✔
- Emergency tiller or steering backup ✔
- Bilge pumps, both manual and electric ✔
- Grab bag contents, including GPS, plus hand-held VHF and satellite phone, plus spare batteries
- Emergency water and food
- First aid kit ✔, including seasickness medication
- Man overboard recovery equipment ✔
- Knife, torch and whistle accessible from cockpit ✔
- A strong bucket ✔
2. Navigation and communications
- Up to date electronic charts ✔
- Paper charts and backup navigation options
- Pilot books and cruising guides
- VHF radio, including handheld backup ✔
- Satellite communications or offshore email/weather system (option)
- Weather routing sources
- Charging cables and waterproof cases for tablets/phones
- Backup GPS ✔
- Navigation lights checked ✔
- Compass deviation card ✔
When a boat is delivered as a complete package owners don’t have to build their own coherent navigation and communication setup. The systems on Pegasus yachts, for example, are intended to work together from the outset, which saves time and reduces commissioning headaches.
3. Power, water and energy management
- Battery capacity and charging sources ✔
- Solar, alternator, shorepower and generator ✔
- Inverter capacity ✔
- Spare fuses and breakers ✔
- Water tank capacity ✔
- Watermaker operation and spares ✔
- Fuel capacity and range ✔
- Gas or electric cooking supply ✔
- Energy budget for autopilot, instruments, refrigeration and domestic loads ✔
- Charging plan for laptops, phones, cameras and safety devices ✔
A modern cruising boat is effectively a small off-grid home. Pegasus’s high standard specification helps simplify operation and maintenance by providing many of the systems owners would otherwise need to add, upgrade or integrate themselves after delivery.
4. Tools, spares and maintenance
A yacht that’s delivered as a turnkey package means the owner starts with a boat whose systems have been specified as a coherent whole, with appropriate spares to match.
- Engine spares: belts, impellers, filters, oil, coolant ✔
- Hose clips, hoses and jubilee clips ✔
- Electrical connectors, wire, terminals and crimping tools ✔
- Spare blocks, shackles, pins and fasteners ✔
- Sail repair kit and fabrics
- Winch service kit
- Rigging tape, self-amalgamating tape and pins
- Service kits for freshwater, bilge and shower drain pumps ✔
- Toolkit suitable for all key systems ✔
- Multimeter
- Lubricants and corrosion protection ✔
- Manuals for major equipment, including hard copies ✔
- Spares inventory and stowage plan ✔
5. Galley and domestic
- Cutlery, crockery ✔
- Pans, knives and cooking utensils ✔
- Coffee-making equipment and storage containers ✔
- Non-slip mats and secure stowage ✔
- Cleaning supplies, bin bags and waste storage ✔
- Tea towels, cloths and sponges ✔
- Bedding and towels ✔
- Laundry arrangements ✔
- Food stowage plan, including labelling system for lockers
- Secure stowage for heavy items ✔
- Fridge and freezer operation ✔
Pegasus’s attention to detail is especially useful in terms of the galley and domestic inventory, avoiding the need for owners to spend days buying basic domestic equipment before they can live aboard comfortably.
6. Comfort and liveaboard practicalities
Living well on board for weeks or months at a time requires a boat with domestic and comfort details that have been properly thought through.
- Ventilation. both in port and at sea, with fly screens ✔
- Heating or air-conditioning where appropriate ✔
- Shade and cockpit protection ✔
- Secure sea berths and leecloths ✔
- Shower and heads operation ✔
- Hot water system ✔
- USB and mains charging points ✔
- Wet weather gear storage ✔
- Easily accessible, dry stowage for clothing and other personal kit ✔
.gif?width=800&height=450&name=Pegasus-videodingy2%20(1).gif)
7. Deck gear, anchoring and tender
- Anchor, chain and rode correctly sized and bitter end secured ✔
- Suitable kedge anchor and rode ✔
- Windlass operation and spares ✔
- Snubber or bridle ✔(only on Pegasus 67)
- Mooring lines ✔
- Fenders – enough for both sides of the boat and transom ✔
- Boat hook ✔
- Dinghy and outboard ✔
- Tender launching and recovery arrangements ✔
- Boarding ladder and gangway / passerelle ✔
- Deck wash ✔
- Cockpit cushions and covers ✔
- Sail handling systems ✔
- Halyards and reefing lines clearly marked ✔
8. Documentation and administration
- Registration papers
- Insurance documents
- Passports and visas
- Crew list
- Radio licence
- MMSI and EPIRB registration
- VAT status or proof of tax paid
- Marina bookings where needed
- Pet documents, if relevant
- Vaccination records and prescriptions
- Copies of all key documents stored digitally and on paper
- Emergency contacts
- Warranty information
- Equipment manuals
9. Provisioning and passage readiness
- Meal plan for expected passage length, plus reserve
- Drinking water reserve
- Easy food for heavy weather
- Snacks available on watch
- Gas/electric cooking plan
- Fridge and freezer inventory
- Crew dietary needs
- Watch system
- Pre-departure briefing
- Final weather check
- Final rig, engine, deck and bilge inspection
- Passage plan and alternative ports
When the boat is already well equipped and organised, owners can focus more of their pre-departure energy on passage planning, crew preparation and provisioning, rather than spending the final days chasing missing equipment.
10. Important small items
- Spare reading glasses
- Head torches
- Batteries
- Sewing kit
- Marker pens
- Labels
- Waterproof notebook
- Spare sunglasses
- Sun cream
- Insect repellent
- Ear plugs
- Clothes pegs
- Laundry line
- Spare phone charging cables
- Cash in small denominations
- Courtesy flags
Small items such as these are often not considered important, but when they are overlooked it can delay departure and make life awkward during the first weeks aboard.
A genuinely turnkey cruising yacht dramatically shortens the preparation list and reduces the risk of overlooking mission critical items. By delivering boats with a high level of standard equipment – right down to two year’s of spare parts – Pegasus allows owners to spend less time on tedious admin and stowage and more time preparing themselves, their crew and their passage plans.
