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T-1 Day (June 18) — Skipper Sign-Off Ladder

Calendar: 2026-06-18 (for 2026-06-19 race start).

Every TBD in the role playbooks, every proposed threshold, and every race-week deliverable must be locked or explicitly waived before departure. Print this page; check boxes physically; sign at the bottom.

  • Every box signed off by the Skipper before the boat leaves the dock.
  • Any item that cannot be confirmed → flag in "Outstanding at departure" log — never silently passed over.
  • No blank values. Either locked, or consciously deferred with the deferral noted.
  • Cross-checks: Card 01 readiness, all 10 cards readable, all 6 playbooks reflect locked values.

Section 1 — Crew

  • [ ] Watch 1 Watch Captain: Joel (navigator-anchor)
  • [ ] Watch 2 Watch Captain: Ryan (navigator-anchor)
  • [ ] Driver roster locked (≥2 per watch)
  • [ ] Trim roster locked
  • [ ] Pit roster locked
  • [ ] Bow roster locked
  • [ ] Every crew member has read their role playbook (verbal confirmation logged)
  • [ ] Every crew member has read all 10 onboard cards
  • [ ] Every crew member has read crew_orientation.md — Squall Protocol
  • [ ] Anti-nausea medication on board for every crew member
  • [ ] Final Crew Reality Check — all 8 go/no-go questions answered YES (any "no" outranks remaining routing/calibration work)

Section 2 — Boat

  • [ ] Race registration confirmed
  • [ ] ORR / SDL cert filed; status: ____ (note if VPP polar pending)
  • [ ] Required-equipment list audited against current NOR / SI
  • [ ] EPIRB registered, battery checked, mounted
  • [ ] Liferaft serviced, expiration current
  • [ ] MOB gear deployed positions confirmed by every crew member
  • [ ] VHF Channel 16 watch confirmed
  • [ ] Race office VHF channel briefed to all crew
  • [ ] MOB card blanks filled (from the Day-4 drill), reprinted, posted at the nav station
  • [ ] Emergency quick reference gear/valve/switch-location blanks filled — no ____ remaining
  • [ ] Comms plan locked from the SIs — no blanks; shore contact + missed-check-in procedure + medical line confirmed (personal names/numbers print-only, never committed)
  • [ ] Watch roster — crew watch schedule published and confirmed current with the skipper
  • [ ] YB satellite transponder mounted, powered, and tested (collected at registration)
  • [ ] All crew pre-cleared Bermuda Immigration at Newport Race HQ; passports + crew list aboard for arrival clear-in (see Card 11)
  • [ ] Pre-departure inspection passed

Section 3 — Driver thresholds (locked from driver_playbook — Driver thresholds)

  • [ ] Continuous-steering limit before relief: ____ hours (proposed ≤2h)
  • [ ] Stable-heading ± tolerance during peel: ____ ° (proposed ±5°)
  • [ ] Helm-transition overlap before solo: ____ minutes (proposed ≥2 min)
  • [ ] Helm-transition stay-period after handoff: ____ minutes (proposed ≥5 min)
  • [ ] Helm-overload-call threshold: >30 sec sustained (confirmed)
  • [ ] Down-mode trigger: bear off 5–10° on slam/stall onset (confirmed)

Section 4 — Navigator thresholds (locked from navigator_playbook — Wake thresholds)

  • [ ] Wind-divergence wake threshold: ___% / ___ min
  • [ ] Current-divergence wake threshold (Stream): >___ kts vs forecast
  • [ ] Current-divergence wake threshold (offshore): > kt / > min
  • [ ] Squall echo wake threshold (navigator): inside 30 nm — confirmed
  • [ ] Squall echo wake threshold (Skipper): inside 20 nm — confirmed
  • [ ] GRIB update frequency offshore: _______
  • [ ] GRIB satellite path: SSB / Iridium / _______
  • [ ] Instrument calibration cadence: _______
  • [ ] Expedition .trip file management: master held by _______
  • [ ] sail-iq integration: confirmed / deferred to nav/PRE_RACE_CHECKLIST.md
  • [ ] S3 polar (10% degradation) default confirmed for all routing scenarios

Section 5 — Trim / Pit / Bow thresholds

Trim: - [ ] Jib lead car positions documented per sail (J1 / J2 / J3 / J4): documented in 01_boat_data/sail_inventory.md

Pit: - [ ] Reef #1 hardware: rams horn at gooseneck (race-week confirmed) - [ ] Reef #1 halyard mark in place and visible: ___ - [ ] Pit response-time target (call → at-mast): __ seconds - [ ] SS setup: poleless confirmed ✅ (mid-deck padeye, Sec J1 halyard)

Bow: - [ ] Bow response-time target: ____ seconds - [ ] Bow / pulpit nav-light configuration documented and verified - [ ] Foredeck jackline route walked in daylight by every Bow-roster crew - [ ] SS setup: poleless confirmed ✅ (mid-deck padeye, Sec J1 halyard)

Section 6 — Watch Captain thresholds (locked from watch_captain_playbook — Reef triggers)

  • [ ] Reef #1 in TWS trigger, upwind: ____ kts sustained (proposed >22)
  • [ ] Reef #1 in TWS trigger, reaching: ____ kts sustained (proposed >26)
  • [ ] Watch Captain authority chain table reviewed by both WCs
  • [ ] Whole-watch handoff brief format briefed to both WCs
  • [ ] Six-step maneuver coordination contract briefed to both WCs

Section 7 — Squall protocol lock

  • [ ] Squall drill completed in race week: yes / no
  • [ ] If yes: signed by Skipper or Watch Captain — primary trigger is 20-nm rung inside Stream, 30-nm rung pre-Stream
  • [ ] If no: all rungs collapse to conservative 30-nm branch everywhere — verbally re-briefed to every crew member
  • [ ] Frontal passage protocol briefed (card_09 — Frontal Passage Protocol)
  • [ ] Post-squall 20-min wait briefed

Section 8 — Routing lock (from navigator at T-1 brief)

  • [ ] Pattern classified — analog: _______
  • [ ] Model agreement: GFS vs ECMWF Δ on arrival = ___ hours (>6h = HIGH UNCERTAINTY)
  • [ ] Pre-race route chosen at T-1: _______
  • [ ] Pre-race route printed and pinned at nav station
  • [ ] Stream entry latitude: _______
  • [ ] Stream entry sail (committed at T-2h / 50-nm pre-gradient window): _______
  • [ ] Meander exit latitude (if T-ME is in play): _______
  • [ ] Crew briefed on chosen route + T-CL gate discipline
  • [ ] Backup hypotheses identified in case forecast shifts

Section 9 — Onboard cards readiness

  • [ ] All 10 onboard cards (+ MOB & emergency safety cards) printed (or accessible offline on nav station device)
  • [ ] Offline navigator binder rebuilt this week, offline-QA'd with Wi-Fi off, copied to the nav laptop
  • [ ] Crew PDF pack (10 cards + MOB + emergency + comms + decoder) made and AirDropped/messaged to every crew member
  • [ ] Card 01 — first-card decision points briefed to start-watch
  • [ ] Card 03 Navigator 50-nm checklist reviewed by navigator
  • [ ] Card 04 red flags briefed to all crew
  • [ ] Card 09 squall protocol briefed verbally before departure

Section 10 — Outstanding at departure

Item Why deferred Path Owner

Sign-off

Skipper:        ______________________________  Date: 2026-06-18

Navigator:      ______________________________  Date: 2026-06-18

WC (Watch 1):   ______________________________  Date: 2026-06-18

WC (Watch 2):   ______________________________  Date: 2026-06-18

Departure: 2026-06-19 (race start).

Cross-references