Module 14 - Passage Planning
Plan
What you will learn
Build a checked berth-to-berth route with realistic leg times, fuel, position methods, crew actions, decision margins and usable alternatives.
A line through waypoints is not a passage plan. The plan must show how every leg will be made, checked and changed safely when an assumption fails.
Plot or verify departure, open-water legs, pilotage and arrival on current suitable charting. Mark tracks or courses as appropriate, distances, hazards, no-go areas, clearing limits, expected depths, position methods, tidal or daylight constraints, expected times and the points where an alternative must be chosen. Check imported waypoints and the water between them; display precision does not establish safe water.
Plan monitoring before execution. A constrained approach needs more frequent and more independent evidence than open water. Identify where visual bearings, depth, radar or another suitable source can corroborate electronic position, what disagreement means, and what safe-water action precedes diagnosis.
Plan the people and resources. Brief roles, hazards, safety equipment, communications, skipper-incapacitation actions and change triggers. Estimate fuel from known consumption and realistic engine time, distinguish usable from nominal capacity and add route-specific contingency. No reviewed RYA or MCA source establishes one universal one-third reserve for every coastal yacht passage.
Worked example
Fictional training passage only: three legs total 72 NM at a planned 5.5 kn. Allow 45 minutes for departure and arrival manoeuvring. The destination gate is 0700 and the skipper requires a full hour of contingency before it.
- 1Calculate underway time: 72 NM ÷ 5.5 kn = 13.09 hours, about 13 hours 5 minutes.
- 2Add 45 minutes for manoeuvring: planned duration = 13 hours 50 minutes.
- 3Protect the gate margin: 0700 minus 1 hour gives a latest planned arrival of 0600.
- 4Work backwards: 0600 minus 13 hours 50 minutes gives a latest planned departure of 1610 on the previous day.
- 5If departure slips to 1640, the original one-hour gate margin is no longer present; reappraise rather than assuming extra speed.
Sense check: 1610 plus 13 hours 50 minutes is 0600. The arithmetic checks the model, not the real accuracy of speed, tide, weather or harbour data.
| Fictional leg | Distance | Time at 5.5 kn | Controlling check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departure to headland | 30 NM | 5 h 27 min | Forecast trend and exposed-headland trigger |
| Headland to decision point | 24 NM | 4 h 22 min | Crew state, position independence and refuge deadline |
| Decision point to destination | 18 NM | 3 h 16 min | Arrival gate, depth, visibility and pilotage readiness |
| Total underway | 72 NM | 13 h 5 min | Add manoeuvring time and contingency separately |
Make the plan executable
The detailed work is complete below. The cockpit and relief watch now need a concise version without losing the safety boundaries.
1. Show each leg
Record track or course, distance, expected time and the next independent position or depth check.
2. Show the limits
Make no-go areas, gate times, safe-side evidence and abort points visible.
3. Show the choices
Name the alternative, its approach constraints and the latest point when it remains usable.
4. Show the people
Record watch roles, call-the-skipper triggers, communications and safety actions.
Sense check: A cockpit summary should simplify use of the complete plan; it must not hide a hazard, assumption or contingency.
Common mistake or limitation
- Treating a waypoint sequence as the plan without checking legs, hazards, position methods and escape options between points.
- Working from an optimistic destination ETA instead of backwards from the controlling gate with deliberate contingency.
- Using nominal tank size or a fixed fuel fraction without known consumption, usable fuel and route-specific delay or diversion allowance.
Recap
- Plan the complete berth-to-berth passage, including detailed pilotage and alternatives.
- Work backwards from fixed constraints and protect a deliberate margin.
- Verify electronic routes, plan independent checks and make crew actions explicit.
Optional quick check
Section 3 of 12
In the fictional example, what is the latest planned departure for the 0700 gate?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 2 September 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
Build a complete passage plan
The passage-planning module connects appraise, plan, execute, monitor, and navigational records.