I've been a pilot for 37 years and spent 28 years flying passenger aircraft for the airlines – you can bet that the weather was always one of my foremost concerns. I've retired from the airlines, but my interest in the weather, in forecasting weather and in all of the available resources to help me plan a safe journey, are just as important as ever. It’s still a matter of my personal safety, the safety of my loved ones and my friends, except now, I’m at the helm of my own boat.

Read more: Great Resources for How to Weather the Weather

Discipline is paramount in implementing a total starting strategy for each and every boat race. Without a sound understanding of the procedure by every team member on a boat, and allowing time to gather information before the start of every race, your chances of making well calculated decisions are substantially reduced. Many different sailors and teams have their own ideas and plans for the start of the race. The guide outlined here is a system that works well for me and you may find that modifying this works better for you – but the only way to establish this is to start practicing and sticking to a plan from the outset.

Read more: Starting – A System To Help You Get Off The Line...

A number of weeks ago I received an e-mail from a Canadian who owned and operated a recreational boat in the U.S. The boat, for the most part, stayed in U.S. waters and was licensed in a U.S. State. The owner wanted to know where he could fly a Canadian flag to indicate his citizenship.

The simple answer was that he could not, if he was operating in U.S. waters. The National flag indicates the Country of registry, or where the boat is licensed, in this case the U.S. A courtesy flag indicates where the vessel is being operated, for the most part, also the U.S. These flags do not indicate the citizenship of the owner/operator.

Read more: Flag Etiquette: Flying Flags and Pennants Properly

Every trip, whether it is a day trip, series of day trips, single or multiple overnight trips, will consist of three primary areas of activity: Pre-departure planning, the trip itself and post trip follow up. Let’s start with the planning.

Read more: Overnight Passage Making

An accident that occurs with surprising frequency to passengers and crew is falling. The chance of this happening can be greatly reduced if precautions are taken, such as wearing non-skid shoes that lace up and wearing appropriate clothing that does not impede movement. Those on board should make sure they have a sound footing and a good handhold at all times.

Read more: Man Overboard

Waterways across the country where locks have been built to assist navigation are the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Trent-Severn Waterway (including the Murray Canal), the Rideau Waterway, the Ottawa River, the Richelieu River, the St. Peter’s Canal and the Canso Canal. Regulations and information regarding these waterways can be obtained from government offices and the lockmasters.

Read more: Canals and Locks

Getting the boat away from the dock can sometimes be challenging if the wind and current are contrary and other boats are nearby. With inboard and inboard/outboard engines, the bilge blower must be turned on for a minimum of four minutes to clear away any explosive fumes that may have collected. The size of the engine does not determine how long you need to turn on the blower to clear the bilge of potentially dangerous fumes but rather the volume of the bilge. The more volume the more time is required.

Read more: Docking and Undocking

Why anchor? Well let’s start with the simple fact that unless a boat is secured, it will drift away due to the actions of wind, wave action, tide and/or currents. If a boat cannot be attached to something secure such as a dock, piling, mooring buoy, tree, or rock, it must be anchored. There is much more to anchoring than simply tossing the anchor over the side.

Read more: The Art of Anchoring