Before Leaving Shore - Bella 620 HT Owner's Manual

3

3. Before leaving shore

Familiarise yourself with this owner's handbook.
Always check at least the following items before leaving shore:
Weather and forecast
Consider the wind, waves and visibility. Is the design category, size and equipment of your boat, as
well as the skills of the skipper and crew sufficient for the waters you are going to? In strong winds
and rough seas portholes, doors, hatches and vents must be closed to prevent water from getting
into/onto the boat.
Loading
Do not overload the craft, distribute loads suitably. For stability, do not place heavy loads high up. You
can check the maximun allowed loading from the technical part of this book or from the CE-plate.
Passengers
Ensure that there are life jackets for everybody on board. Make sure all members of the crew
understand their specific tasks, before leaving shore.
Fuel
Check that there is enough fuel, plus a reserve tank for bad weather etc.
Engine and equipment
Check the functioning and condition of steering, electrical equipment and batteries, and carry out the
routine checks specified in the engine instructions handbook. Check for seaworthiness elsewhere: no
leaks of fuel or water, safety equipment on board etc. Check that bilge water is at a minimum.
Ventilation (only in gasoline-driven stern drive engine boats)
Run the engine compartment fan for at least 4 minutes before starting the engine. Start the engine
following the instructions of the engine manufacturer. Ensure the ventilation of the fuel compartments
to reduce the risk of fire.
Fastening down objects
Make sure everything on board is properly secured even in the event of high winds and rough seas.
Nautical charts
If you are not navigating on totally familiar waters, ensure that you have nautical charts covering a
sufficiently large area. Eve if you are having a chart plotter, you should carry regular charts onboard.
There is always a risk for technical malfunction, therefore regular charts are important.
Leaving the berth
The crew releases each mooring rope etc. as per your instructions. Make sure mooring ropes or other
ropes do not tangle with the propeller.
Every now and then, check the condition of seals of hatches and port lights. Most of the hatches are
supposed to be watertight and therefor seals must be in good condition. Due to time and salt water,
the seals may become brittle and start leaking. Brittled seals must be renewed immediately.