As the sun starts to warm up and blue skies outnumber the rain, more and more of us are venturing onto the water. As a recent meeting with Cowes RNLI reminded us, it is easy to feel lulled by the improving weather and perhaps to skip the vital pre-season checks.

Over the last five years, a worrying 24.4% of the Cowes RNLI lifeboat launches were logged to mechanical or equipment failure. We can't comment on the detail behind this statistic, but it is a reminder that planning and prevention are critical to a relaxing day afloat. So, use pre-season checks to learn more about your boat and share knowledge with your crew.

A bit of pre-season practical refresher training is never a bad idea, whether you choose to get an RYA qualification, hire an instructor for the day or practice with your crew. We all have something new to learn: man overboard, emergency drills, reefing, marina manoeuvring. As they say, 'Every day's a school day!'

When was the last time you checked your lifejackets? We're hosting a free RNLI Lifejacket Clinic at Shepards Marina on Good Friday, March 15. Everyone is welcome.