Chartering?

Chartering an ILCA for your next event and unsure what you need to take? I have put together the following to help remind you what you may need to take. Charter boats may come with more than I am assuming, but in recent years what comes on/with your charter boat seems to be reducing so I have erred on the cautious side. Let’s start with the obvious and then move bow to stern over all the smaller bits that you may forget to pack, and finish up with a few spares that you should consider.

OK, let’s start with the obvious items:

• Sail and batten set.

• Tiller and tiller extension.

• Kicker/vang, downhaul and outhaul systems, not forgetting you clew block, clew strap and bungee.

• Centreboard and rudder blade/stock (although these are normally included in a charter in Europe)

Bow to Stern Checklist:

• Mast retainer line

• PVC tape

• Wind indicator

• Timing watch

• Deck blocks. These used to be fitted as standard but more charter boats now don’t have these fitted.

• Centreboard elastic/bungee

• Compass and mount

• Compass mounting fixing pads – you can never have too many of these!

• Centreboard strop

• Centreboard wear pad

• Centreboard friction pad (in case the one on the charter boat is badly worn)

• Maybe a spare bit of line to make up a centreboard handle. It is unusual to find a charter boat centreboard with a handle on it, although it may have the holes drilled. If it doesn’t have holes drilled some charter boat companies will drill them for you.

• Ratchet block and spring

• Mainsheet

• Hiking strap adjustment line

• Hiking strap elastic

• Your own hiking strap if you have a particular one that you want to use (eg Zhik GripII)

• Water bottle and fixing line/elastic

• Self bailer bung

• Traveller line

• Traveller block

• Rudder pull down line

• And last but not least, a transom bung! If like me you always leave your bung in it is not something that you would normally check, until you have a charter boat without a bung. That sinking feeling isn’t a nice one to have!!

Spares Box

On top of all the above it’s a good idea to have a spares box with some of the ‘little parts’ that can get lost during an event. Here is a list of things that you may want to consider – even if you don’t use them, for sure someone will ask “have you possibly got a …?”

• Wind indicator spare / spare vane

• Batten tips

• Gudgeons (in case the ones on your charter boat are worn)

• Tiller extension universal joint

• Kicker/vang clevis pins and split rings

• Clew strap

• Self bailer and transom bungs

• Kicker key

• Kicker/vang bullseye fairlead

So, that’s it. If you think that I missed anything please leave a comment!