(a) Before Leaving Port
Ascertain the height of the eye of the bridge and any other place on the ship where you would be likely to take sights.
Have posted in the chart room and on the bridge the deviation of the compass on each 15° heading, so that it can be easily referred to.
Keep in each chronometer case or in a book nearby the error and daily rate of all chronometers on board.
Test each sextant for index error and record the result where you can refer to it easily.
See that all charts of the harbor out of which you are to steam are corrected to date and are familiar to you, both as to sailing directions and buoys, and also as to lights and other aids to navigation.
Examine, in detail, the steering engine and steering apparatus. In case of its disarrangement your intimate knowledge of it may be most valuable.
See that the patent log and sounding machine are in good order. See that the lead lines are well soaked in water, stretched, and properly marked.
See that the lighting system in the chart room and the navigator's room is such that when any door is not tightly closed the lights in the room are extinguished. Likewise, when the doors are closed, see that the lights will light and without repeated slamming of the doors.
If possible, provide yourself with a flashlight set back in a metal tube so that the rays of the light are not diffused but can be focussed only on one spot at a time.