Prepare a shared area for play
Set the route board between two to four crews and place the catch deck where it can be reached. The Bonus Dock belongs beside the final route space. With those shared elements arranged, each crew can pick its own boat.
Reserve a clear patch of table for active events and another for collected score chips. This small preparation makes later changes easier to follow: everyone can inspect the current condition and the visible awards without relying on memory.
Separate the crews at departure
Choose different boat tokens and give each crew its own buoy. A token’s colour answers “whose boat is this?”; it supplies no special power, preferred starting rule or advantage over the other crews.
Before beginning, trace the important places with a finger: catch spaces, Scatter lane, Bonus Dock and Trophy Lamp. Explain the job of each location. This is an orientation tour of the board, not a compulsory sequence of stops.
Resolve the opening action fully
For the opening turn, follow the roll and count the move. Check the destination before reaching for the deck, because only an instructed draw takes a card. Complete the resulting effect, including any choice, before handing play onward.
Allow time for the first unfamiliar card. One reading establishes its situation; a second can settle exactly which piece changes and where it belongs afterwards. The group can speed up naturally once those connections become familiar.