Plan a Seacoast Boat Day: Season Calendar and Pre-Departure Checklist

A good boat day on the Seacoast is mostly decided before you leave the dock: the right tide, a forecast you've actually read, and gear you checked instead of assumed. This page gives you the calendar and the checklist. It doesn't tell you whether to go. That call belongs to you and the skipper, using the official forecast and what you see on the water.

Facts as of November 3, 2026, each linked to its source below.

The season, by the posted dates

These are the dates local yards, the City of Portsmouth and federal bridge rules publish. They're not predictions, and every yard runs its own calendar, so confirm with yours.

For the winter side of the calendar, and what it costs, see winter storage and haul-out on the Seacoast.

Pre-departure checklist

1. Read the NWS marine forecast for zone ANZ154 (Cape Elizabeth, ME to Merrimack River, MA, out 25 NM), including any advisories, and look again right before you leave.
2. Open the NOAA tide prediction for your launch or harbor, and the NOAA current prediction for any stretch of the Piscataqua you'll run.
3. If you'll pass the Memorial or Sarah M. Long bridges between May 15 and October 31, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., note the scheduled opening times and your clearance.
4. Count one USCG-approved wearable life jacket per person aboard, sized to fit. Add one throwable device if the boat is 16 feet or longer.
5. Put children under 13 in their life jackets before you get underway (unless they're below decks or in an enclosed cabin).
6. If the boat is under 26 feet, clip on the engine cut-off switch lanyard before you get up on plane.
7. Check the rest of the federal carriage list for your boat: fire extinguisher, visual distress signals, sound signal and navigation lights, as they apply to its size and type.
8. Check fuel for the round trip with a reserve, and make sure the battery, bilge pump and VHF radio work.
9. Leave a float plan with someone ashore: who's aboard, where you're going and when you'll be back.
10. Dress for the water temperature, not the air. Read the NWS cold water safety page if you're going out early or late in the season.
11. Bring your registration, your launch pass if the ramp needs one, and a charged phone in a waterproof case.

The checklist doesn't replace your state's boater education rules or a vessel safety check. It's a habit, so the good part of the day isn't interrupted by the obvious thing you forgot.

Where to look on the day

• Forecast: NWS ANZ154 coastal waters forecast · ANZ154 point forecast page
• Tides: Fort Point, New Castle · Portsmouth · York Harbor · Hampton Harbor
• Currents: Memorial Bridge and the rest in the Piscataqua tides and currents guide
• Ramps: Seacoast launch ramps
• Yards and marinas: Seacoast yards (public listings, unconfirmed)

Sources (read November 3, 2026 unless noted)

• Hampton River Marina, Pricing: summer wet slip, rack, and summer and winter trailer storage periods.
• Portland Yacht Services, Rates: winter (Oct 16 – May 15) and summer (May 15 – Oct 16) storage seasons.
• Great Bay Marine, Boat Storage: "2026-2027 Season, Sept. 1 – June 30".
• Island Marine Service, Winter Services: winter storage November 1 – April 30.
• City of Portsmouth, Peirce Island Boat Launch: 2026 opening and kayak rack season.
• eCFR, 33 CFR 117.531: Piscataqua River drawbridge schedules.
• Freeze timing (read October 30, 2026): NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for Greenland, NH, as presented by Harman frost dates for Portsmouth, NH.
• eCFR, 33 CFR Part 175 Subpart B: life jacket carriage and the under-13 wear rule.
• U.S. Coast Guard, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (PDF): the engine cut-off switch rule for boats under 26 feet and the rest of the federal carriage list.
• U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety, Float plan.
• National Weather Service, ANZ154 and cold water safety.