Chapter 6 · Lesson 4Practical demonstration · about 6 minutes
Daily tender launch and recovery
Plan the lift, control the operation and reset the tender when it is back aboard.
Video coming soon
Daily tender launch and recovery — demonstration
In the video
- The brief and the checks fitted to this tender
- The approved lifting arrangement, shown unloaded
- The waterborne check and the final reset
From the captain
Use the checklist for the craft in front of you
A daily launch can become familiar very quickly. That is useful only if familiarity helps you see a change. The crew, communications, lifting arrangement, landing and actual condition still need checking each time.
By the end of this lesson
Explain the phases of a tender launch and recovery and identify checks that must remain installation-specific.
See it
See it for yourself
Positive checks, not remembered ones
Tap each check only when you have confirmed it on the tender in front of you. Until the plan, tender and lifting checks are confirmed, the launch holds. Until the afloat checks are confirmed, the tender is not released or taken away.
Plan and brief0/4
Check the tender0/6
Check the lifting operation0/3
Verify afloat0/2
Launch: hold. 13 checks are not yet confirmed. The launch holds. Stop if any attachment, pin, lead or command is uncertain.Release or departure: hold. The launch comes first. These checks are made once the tender is waterborne.
Illustration · not a checklist to use aboard · the number and place of drain plugs or bungs vary · your vessel's checklist governs
What to look for
Positive checks beat assumed counts
Confirm every drain, plug or self-draining arrangement required by the fitted tender. 'Both bungs' is not a rule for every craft.
Waterborne is another check
After launch, responsible crew confirm normal flotation and no unexpected ingress before completing the operational sequence. Recovery also includes securing, aftercare and a truthful readiness report.
The lesson
The lesson
Four launch phases
- 01
Plan and brief
Confirm the authorised operator, task, route, conditions, passengers, communications and roles. Use the current checklist for the exact tender and its launch system.
What goes wrong: The machinery starts moving while different crew members are working from different assumptions.
- 02
Check the tender
Complete every craft-specific item: hull and tubes, applicable drain plugs or bungs, fuel, oil or other fluids where required, battery, safety equipment, kill-switch system, communications and loose gear.
What goes wrong: A generic memory check misses the one item that is unique to that tender or engine configuration.
- 03
Check the lifting operation
Inspect and connect the approved lifting arrangement exactly as trained. Establish one person directing, clear the route and exclusion area, and stop if any attachment, pin, lead or command is uncertain.
What goes wrong: The tender is ready but the strop, lifting point or communication plan is not, placing people and equipment in the lifting path.
One lift, one clear voice
Raise, move outboard, lower: watch who directs, where nobody stands and who may stop it.
4/4Lower. Anyone may call stop if they see danger. Unexpected sound, movement, damage, poor visibility or lost communication means stop and refer upward.
Concept only — not a rigging arrangement · not to scale · your vessel's lifting procedure and training govern
- 04
Verify before departure
Once waterborne, check the tender is floating normally with no unexpected ingress. Complete the vessel's engine, steering, propulsion, kill-switch, equipment and communications checks before release or departure.
What goes wrong: The tender departs as soon as it touches the water and the first sign of a missed item appears away from the recovery point.
The drain check
- 05
Drain plugs and bungs require a positive check
Confirm every drain plug or bung required for the exact tender is correctly installed and secured before launch. The number, location and arrangement vary, and some tenders have self-draining systems, so never teach ‘both bungs’ as a universal instruction.
What goes wrong: A missing plug may allow serious water ingress, but the learner must identify the actual fitted system rather than reaching for an assumed location or count.
Photo coming soon
A crew member's hand checking that a tender's drain plug is fitted and secured before launch.
A positive bung check
Recovery ends with a ready tender
- 06
Recover and reset
Secure the tender and complete the shutdown or isolation required before lifting. Connect and cross-check the approved lifting arrangement; keep everyone outside the suspended-load and machinery zones. Recover and land the tender using the vessel's commands and assigned roles. Complete the model-specific wash, engine flush, drainage, drying and ventilation routine. Reset safety equipment and communications, deal with fuel or charging under the vessel procedure, report defects and leave the tender ready for its next use.
Where it goes wrong
The same arrangement is used without noticing a changed connection, person or condition. Once movement starts, the missing check becomes much harder to recover.
Your call
What would you do?
Pick one, then read the feedback on all three.
The situation
A colleague says the usual two bungs are fitted. This is a replacement tender with a different drain arrangement.
Take it aboard
Walk the launch phases
Do this during your induction or first weeks, with the person responsible for your work.
Walk-through aboard
Use the vessel's approved checklist with an isolated tender and lifting installation.
- 01Identify task, roles and route.
- 02Find the fitted preparation and drain checks.
- 03Trace the approved lift and waterborne verification phases.
- 04Explain recovery, aftercare and final readiness.
What a useful result looks like
- The checklist matches the actual tender.
- Lift, waterborne checks and final reset remain distinct.
Stop: Only trained and authorised crew carry out a live lift or operate the tender. The walk-through does not supply a lifting procedure.
Deckhand Foundation · Job card
Tender launch and recovery prompt
From the lesson: Daily tender launch and recovery
- Task, conditions and roles briefed.
- Exact fitted preparation checklist complete.
- Approved lift arrangement and exclusion controls confirmed.
- Waterborne state verified by responsible crew.
- Recovery and securing completed on command.
- Aftercare, defects and readiness handed over.
Tender / checklist
Role / supervisor
Defect / readiness
Your vessel's procedures and senior crew come first. Nothing on this card is stored.
Quick check
Four decisions, then move on
This check confirms the principle. Your vessel's own induction still comes first.