Once you have your boat & you have spent a great deal of time & money on getting it just right, & you are sure that you have everything ready, what do you do? At this point it would be very tempting to just get it to the nearest slipway & hit the water, But if you stop & think about it you`l realise that there is still more to do to ensure you & your passengers are as safe as you possibly can be.

Have you taken a RYA VHF radio course? If you have one on board other than it being a legal requirement its also a damn good idea to get yourself trained in the proper use of such equipment.
Make sure you carry a back up radio i.e. a handheld VHF & a mobile phone, you may also find it handy to have a second VHF antenna fitted in case of damage or loss of the main one.

Have you got a First Aid kit & would you know what to do with it in an emergency? If you have no basic training in first aid, do something about it, get yourself enrolled on a first aid course. Things can happen fast out at sea & you may be the only person who can help.

Have you got life jackets for all on board, are they in good condition & does everyone know how to use them, If someone falls overboard do you have the means to retrieve them i.e. throwing line, lifebuoy, boat hook, A boarding ladder! A wet person in heavy wet clothing can be a bit awkward & heavy to drag over the gunnel's of a bobbing boat.

I carry clean, warm, dry towels & clothing sealed in bags to change into in the case of having been overboard, I also carry a number of foil survival blankets to wrap a person in. You never know when you will be the nearest person to someone in distress & in the water.

Flares, Bailers, Manual & auto bilge pumps, hand bearing compass, ships compass & charts, Plotter & dividers etc, There is a multitude of safety gear you should have on board not just for you & your crew but also for anyone you find yourself in a position to help, Never get too complacent & think your electronics are the be all & end all, if you lose your electrics your safety will depend on wither you can get to grips with your position & old style charts, plotters & compasses.

There is such a lot to think of before you slip your boat in the water, besides having everything on your boat to make your time out safe, there are other things to consider like letting someone know what time your going out, where you are expecting to be & what time you are coming back, There is also a thing called the CG66 this is a very useful service in which you fill in a couple of forms on line with all the information about your vessel i.e. size, type, colour, what equipment, what safety gear, distinguishing features, how many normally on board, etc.
All this information is kept by the coastguard and can be used to find & help you in an emergency
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-searchandrescue/mcga-hmcgsar-sarsystem/mcga-hmcg-cg66.htm
This is the link to the HM Coastguard CG66 website, Its free & could help save your life.

Another link you will find useful will be the RNLI as they do a free sea safety check on your boat & equipment, They take you through what you have, what you should have & give you very good advice on numerous things you may not have thought of, all aimed at you & your friends & family enjoying a safe boating experience. You even get a bit of paper & a sticker for the boat to say you have undergone the RNLI sea safety check.
You should look to doing this at least every two years. The link is http://www.rnli.org.uk/what_we_do/sea_and_beach_safety

One thing you really should do is make sure that you can handle your boat
adequately, responsibly & safely, The best way of doing this is to book yourself onto a RYA powerboat course where you will learn everything you need to know & earn yourself a certificate of competence. Join your local boat angling club, its a good way of getting out with others so you will not be venturing out on your own to start with (safety in numbers) & the clubs & their members have a wealth of information & experience & are extremely helpful especially to newcomers to the sport.

I have already done my VHF DSC course, Had the RNLI sea safety check, Filled in my CG66, I was trained as a medic in the RAMC so definitely know my way around a first aid kit & emergency situations, Although I have a little knowledge of Navigation with charts & compass I could do with some more in depth training & I will certainly be booking my Powerboat level 2 course in the very near future.
I joined two clubs, Poole Bay Small Boat Angling Club & Weymouth Angling Society, It was a great move socially and I have found the people in the clubs to be patient & extremely helpful wither it be just asking a few questions on the club site or having a friendly member come over to my home to help with some wiring work on the boat.

A boat is a bit of a money pit, a lot of work & can be down right frustrating at times but it is really worth it when you look at the enjoyment you get from it in so many ways & with so many really great people.
Be safe & Tight lines.

Mike.