Flying in to use your boat — a 24-hour readiness checklist

The pattern most absentee owners settle into: fly out Friday evening, taxi to the marina, open the boat in the dark, and discover that one of the cushions is damp, the fridge is empty, the heads smell, and there's no diesel. Saturday is a write-off doing prep that should have been done before you arrived.

A 24-hour prep visit before you fly out solves it. Here's the checklist that turns "lose a day" into "step aboard and go."

Inside

• Open everything — hatches, ports, lockers — to air the boat out
• Fridge on, cold by the time you arrive
• Heads flushed with fresh water; no standing water in the bowl
• Beds made (or at least cushions in the right place and dry)
• Damp check — any musty cushions out into the sun for a few hours
• Cabin lights tested, batteries checked
• Gas turned on, hob tested for a moment, gas turned off again
• Water tank topped up, pump primed
• A quick wipe of surfaces if calima has been through

Outside

• Deck rinsed down so you're not standing in dust
• Cockpit cushions out and dry
• Sprayhood and bimini up if conditions allow
• Fenders adjusted for the actual tide and trim
• A look at lines — anything obviously chafed since the last visit
• Sails ready — cover off the mainsail, headsail set up if you'll be sailing

Engine and systems

• Engine run under load in the morning before you arrive — not just a dock idle. Catches anything ugly while there's still time to call an engineer.
• Bilge pumped and dry
• Batteries reading good, charger confirmed working
• Navigation instruments powered up and checked

Provisions (optional but appreciated)

If you want to step aboard and actually relax, a basic provisioning run an hour before you arrive transforms the experience:

• Bread, milk, butter, eggs, fruit
• Bottled water (lots, if it's summer)
• Beer or wine in the fridge
• Coffee, tea, basics
• Any specific request

A €30 grocery run done by someone local is the difference between "go straight out for dinner because the boat is unusable" and "open the wine, look at the marina, decide what to do tomorrow."

What this is really worth

The maths is simple. If a flight-in weekend on the boat costs you €600 in flights, taxis and marina fees, losing the first day to prep is losing €150 of that. A short prep visit costs a fraction of that and gives you the day back.

For most owners we work with, the regular caretaking arrangement is the main thing, but the pre-arrival prep visit is the bit they end up valuing most. It's the difference between the boat feeling like a chore and the boat feeling like the holiday it's meant to be.

If you'd like prep visits set up around your trips, get in touch and we'll work out a schedule that fits.