Maiden Voyage Questions

[jflongwell]

anchor rode bitter end

Unless you already have, check the bitter end of you anchor road to see if it is secured. A brand new owner in our marina lost his in the lake last year.
Practice docking on a calm day several times.
My standard for a good docking is when I get off the boat.

 

[Bacchus]

Welcome to the trawler life.
You have come across as one who uses his concern and nervousness to plan well.
It seems like you have a good plan and have thought this through. Along with the good suggestions above I think you will do fine.
We all run into the unexpected at times and that becomes a skill dealing with the unanticipated.

I'm not familiar with AquaMaps but have used the Navionics app on a tablet and really like it. It provides access to the Active Capt data base of facilities, anchorages and hazards along with user reviews. Navionics is only $25/year for all US and they offer a free trial. Nothing to lose. If you download charts for the area you will be cruising you dont need cell coverage to review and search for facilities.
Only suggestion not mentioned is to get comfortable with a good weather site or app that includes boater info like winds. Get comfortable with its features and use it to plan ahead and confirm expected conditions each day. Be flexible enough to adjust schedule based on Wx.
Heres a link to our ABC-FLX website newsletter library. The May 2019 edition has more info on Navionics and my favorite Wx app... Windy
Enjoy the adventure!

http://www.abc-flx.org/index.php/newsletter-library

 

[OldDan1943]

Consider a couple of over sized round fenders to use in the locks.

 

[catalinajack]

If your fuel tanks are above the level of your filters you do not need spare fuel to top off. Just close the supply valve, take the top off the filter housing, replace the filter, and, with a catch basin under the housing, crack the valve open. Gravity will refill the bowl. In fact, if your filter housing is indeed below tank level if you don't close the supply valve when you crack open the lid you will have a mess.

Also have a container of diesel for topping off Racors when changing filters. I carry 5 gallons, not because I need that much, just because I have two engines, and two gensets.

 

[rsn48]

You don't need to join something like C Tow until you need to, you can sign up during the problem.

If you bought the boat with a decent dinghy/engine, then if you do lose engine power for whatever reason, you can side tow your boat where it needs to be with the dinghy.

https://www.sailmagazine.com/cruising/moving-a-big-boat-with-your-tender