Make sure your boat does not sink or catch fire while you are away and that the major mechanical systems are not damaged. Keep your boat clean and odor-free during the off-season. And, finally, do all you can to keep everything else in good repair.

To ensure there is little chance of sinking, close all the through-hulls. The major ones are the raw-water inputs to the engine(s), which usually go to glass-encased sea strainers. But don’t forget the washdown, the water-maker, the toilet and any other openings to the sea. The other major place where water — and other things — can intrude is the exhausts. Find out if your marina has had any cases of muskrats or other small creatures crawling up exhausts and chewing their way through exhaust hoses. If so, put in exhaust grates.

Make sure all your boat’s bilge pumps work before you leave. Check the float switches and ensure there is no debris or bilge socks that can jam the float switch on or off.

AC power and battery power are very important. Bilge pumps need power to work. Batteries need AC and chargers to stay charged. The number-one way AC fails is when its connection at the boat fails, most often due to stress on the cord. Make sure lines are properly tied, not just to keep your boat safe in the wind, but also so the power cord can’t get “tangled” with a fender or pulled past where the lines stop a tug on the boat.

For odor, make sure the heads have only fresh water, and flush them with a deodorant. Empty the holding tanks, and have some air circulation and heat on the boat. Either keep the refrigerator going, or shut it down and prop the door open.

I think engines should be filled with fresh oil before hibernation and run at least once a month, if you can. And don’t forget the outboard. Run all the fuel out of it, and flush it with fresh water.

If you visit the boat during the off-season, run everything you can — toilets, water-makers, heaters, etc.