Safety Gear

Minimal

[ ] Appropriate gear to spend many hours in the water
[ ] Phone in waterproof case (charged battery)
[ ] Leash
[ ] Tool
[ ] Buoyancy aid and whistle
[ ] Lumo reflective tape your paddle and board

Basic additions

[ ] SafeTrx or similar local tracking app
[ ] Phone (iPhone 14 has emergency SOS via Satellite)
[ ] Nutrition (water and liquid food)

Getting serious

[ ] PLB personal locator beacon (EPIRB)
[ ] VHF in a waterproof pouch
[ ] Flares and signalling mirror
[ ] Paddle leash?

Planning and Weather

General

[ ] Always tell someone on shore where you are going and when you expect to be back
[ ] Have a plan, a fallback, and a few contingencies and exits in mind
[ ] Navigation, how you intend to find your way without a map from the sea

Conditions

[ ] Wind and weather forecasts for the duration of time you plan to be on the water
[ ] Likely wind shifts and implications if adverse
[ ] Water temperatures
[ ] Your fitness level
[ ] Difficult points with wave rebounds, chop, currents
[ ] Correct foil, correctly positioned for the worst of the run

Groups

[ ] Be very careful about who you crew with and their ability