A simple day sail or weekend trip can give a captain much to think about. The decks need cleaning. The engine needs maintenance. The galley needs provisions. Guests need directions. One way to keep it all straight is with a checklist–actually, a few of them.

Commercial and military personnel have used checklists for years when operating large and complex machinery. They build good habits, insure procedures are followed and keep you from doing something dumb. Anyone who has ever left home without the boat keys or left the boat with a hatch open will understand.

The captain has a lot on his mind. A few lists can help.The lists you use will depend on your boat, where and how you use it and how long you'll be away from the dock. If you keep your checklists on a computer, they are easily tweaked, annotated and printed. Use a web application, and they can be shared online with other members of your family or crew.

Some may find it more convenient to keep lists in a binder or to use a pocket notebook and add to them as thoughts occur–just remember to bring the notebook itself when coming and going. Checklists can also be laminated, for use on a cockpit or flying bridge, or made into a plaque and mounted on the boat wherever needed.

The best lists are precise. For instance, "trailer tires" might be on every trailer sailor's checklist because you cannot get far if they are flat. It is more helpful, though, if you jot down what pressure the tires should register, along with a reminder to check the lug nuts. A check called "turn off stove" could be expanded to insure that the stove is turned off both on the appliance and the panel.

Remember that lists are supposed to be tools to make life easier, not chores to give you more paperwork. Start with some basics, then adjust them to suit your needs. While everyone's lists will be different, here is a checklist–a list of lists–to give you some ideas:

• If you take overnight cruises, a getaway checklist for the house is a good idea. It may change with each trip, but some staples include stopping newspapers and mail, booking a house or pet sitter, bringing prescription medications, returning rented DVDs, activating alarms and timers and, of course, taking the boat keys with you.

   

• On the boat, one standard–and a good place to begin–is a pre-start checklist for firing up the engine(s). This can begin with insuring that the thru-hull on the cooling line is open, go through all procedures and end with checks to insure cooling water is flowing and that the exhaust is the right color. Specifics might include the proper engine temperature and how long to warm it up. You can also include procedures for shutting the engines down. Mount this list on the boat and it becomes a safety aid in case the captain is incapacitated.

   

• Another good idea is a list of procedures to operate the VHF radio, including the basic channels and their purpose. This too can be displayed, insuring that anyone onboard can make an emergency call if necessary. This same concept can be applied to other safety equipment, with lists detailing how to deploy the life raft, dinghy or EPIRB. BoatExec

   

• When giving a pre-cruise safety talk to guests, working from a list insures you won't leave anything out–like remembering to tell them what can and cannot be flushed down a marine toilette. You can then simply hand them the list, much like airlines do with safety cards. You can also pin it up in key areas, including the head.

   

• Provisioning is one area that all but requires a list or two. One easy way to make a provisioning checklist is to make a master list of menus for one to three weeks and a list of supplies needed to cook them. You can then use the same shopping list again and again. Your crew will probably never realize that you serve chicken every Wednesday or that every third Sunday breakfast is blueberry pancakes.

   

• Lists are terrific for reminding you where seldom-used items are located, including fire extinguishers, flares, first aid kits–even thru-hulls and bilge pumps. Extend the concept one step further and you can keep inventories that show what you have on the boat and where it is located, a good strategy for tracking spare parts and other items you don't reach for regularly.

   

• Most of us leave at least some food and clothing on board throughout the season but belongings have a way of running out, getting lost, wearing out or going stale. If you keep a list of what is onboard, you'll always have enough wardrobe, bedding and food on board to take off on short notice–or at least know what to stop and buy.

   

• A commissioning checklist will remind you of all the things that need to be flushed, hooked up, unhooked, cleaned, refreshed or replaced before you take the boat out for the first cruise of the season. Although you'll need it only once a year this will be a very long list involving the boat and all her systems, the galley and living areas, water toys and any other needs. It should also list related annual chores, such as renewing insurance and registration, scheduling haul-outs, reserving storage space for next fall or dock space for the following spring.Ship's Log

   

• It's handy to have two lay-up checklists, one for putting the boat away for a few days at a time and another for de-commissioning for the season. This checklist will depend on whether you store the boat indoors or out, with or without electrical hook-up, covered or uncovered, wet or dry and whether any extra security or anti-theft steps are called for.

   

• Periodic maintenance can be tracked via lists that are specific to each system on the boat, reminding you when it is time to change fuel filters, charge fire extinguishers, check plumbing lines or wax the hull.

   

• Specific jobs can also be made easier by using a list. For example, if you change the impeller this season, listing the steps you took will make it easier next season. You can list tool sizes, part numbers and any quirks in the process.

   

• Trailer sailors will find it handy to have a checklist of things to do or check before launching, retrieving and hitting the road, things like inspecting for loose ties, soft tires, or dangling wires.

   

• The longer the voyage, the more useful you'll find a Countdown Checklist of things to do a month before, a week before, the last day, the night before and so on. That concept can also be extended to cover when you are out on the water. For example, it may be handy to have a checklist of things to do on the last day out before pulling into port, such as stopping to empty the holding tank, top off fuel and donate leftover provisions. You might also run the fuel out of the dinghy engine and do other maintenance tasks.