Jay Coyle, well-known to readers of Yachting magazine, has put forth the idea that a “pre-float” inspection before casting off is as wise for yacht captains as the “pre-flight” inspection is for pilots.

Coyle’s definitely on to something here.

Checking filters, tank pressures, overpressure tabs to make sure they’re still in place, fire extinguishers to make sure they’re still charged, fluid levels (especially engine oil levels), air intakes, exhaust ports, hydraulic lines to make sure they’re not leaking, brake-wear tabs, tire treads, gear-door hinges, landing gear uplocks, vents, ports, lights, control services, engine inlets, turbine blades, probes, inspection panels, electronics bays, windows, windshields, wipers … yachts or aircraft, they both have them.

Concern over any of these items can – or, at least should –  cause delays or even cancellations.

With aircraft, there are several dozen cockpit checks between engine start and takeoff and any failure there can be a show-stopper, too.

Pilots are prohibited by regulation from taking off with what the FAA describes as “known mechanical deficiencies,” so pilots might be afforded a protection yacht captains lack. But, what price comes at the expense of not doing preflight or pre-float checks; of not taking the time to look in all the dark, cramped little spaces from whence most problems wrought by inattention or  wrought by inconvenience may come?

Inattention to detail and/or haste has brought down more than one airplane and sunk more than one ship. A Delta L1011 once crashed into the Everglades because of it and a rush job at the yard contributed to problems that eventually sank the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Scorpion.

There is pressure, of course, to meet the mission, but safety must always trump convenience.

Most times, passengers are polite about it; sometimes, not so much. Sometimes passengers try to bully the crew into going, citing such things as a dinner party that just cannot be missed. Such was the case a few years ago when a Gulfstream III crashed on a dark, snowy approach to Aspen. An overbearing passenger was bullying the crew to land in bad weather, all caught on the cockpit voice recorder tape. Eighteen people missed the party that night.

A yacht once sank in the Mediterranean after the passengers disregarded the captain’s advice about an approaching storm and ordered the captain to cast off.

Aircraft are often required to file detailed flight plans so somebody on the ground always knows where the plane should be at any given time. If the route changes, the flight plans are updated. Does the same go for yachts?

Sure, there are itineraries before departure, but if the itinerary changes, does anyone back at the dock know? Shouldn’t they? Aircraft regularly check in as they change sectors; do yachts update lats and longs?

Don’t fall complacent by thinking a mayday message or SATSAR epirbs will suffice in an emergency.The U.S.S. Indianapolis, the Navy’s heavy cruiser that delivered the atomic bombs that ended World War II, was three days on the bottom of the Pacific – the victim of a Japanese torpedo – before anyone noticed her missing.

Going above and beyond during pre-float and preflight inspections demands more attention to detail and more time of an already harried crew, that’s true. Avoiding the potential consequences, though, could well be time best spent.