Module 14 - Passage Planning

Yachtmaster Offshore Standard: Passage Release and Change Control

What you will learn

Release a passage only when the route, time, vessel, crew and fallback evidence pass together, then run a recorded change-control loop when a critical assumption fails.

Yachtmaster passage planning is command judgement made visible. The plan needs an evidence-based release, explicit margins and a controlled way to close, change or reopen an option as reality changes.

The RYA describes a Yachtmaster Offshore as competent to skipper a cruising vessel by day or night, in a wide range of weather conditions, while no more than 150 miles from harbour. Its practical examination assesses skippering, boat handling, seamanship, navigation and safety awareness. Written revision can rehearse a defensible decision structure, but it cannot demonstrate live command, crew leadership, vessel handling or examination competence.

Run a passage-release gate before departure and again before each demanding leg. Check current route and warning evidence, tide and time, weather, vessel condition and systems, usable fuel and stores, crew competence and rest, communications and legal requirements, plus a genuinely usable refuge. Mark each critical item pass, hold or unresolved. A loaded route and a favourable ETA do not release the passage when another controlling item has failed.

Separate facts, estimates and assumptions. A charted distance or observed time can be a fact for the exercise; speed over ground, forecast timing and harbour access remain estimates or time-bounded evidence. For each critical assumption, state the accepted margin, the observable trigger that closes the plan and the alternative that remains usable at that trigger.

IMO guidance says the voyage should be executed in accordance with the plan or changes made to it, and that progress should be closely and continuously monitored. When a critical assumption fails, stop defending the original destination: reappraise the remaining route, recalculate time and resources, compare the fallback, brief the crew, record the change and set the next review. The amended plan becomes the working plan.

Close the loop with a short command brief: facts, uncertainty, decision, immediate action, roles, fallback, next review and the evidence required before a closed option can reopen. All figures below are fictional revision data; use current official, local, vessel and crew information for a real passage.

Worked example

A fictional yacht departs at 0630 for an 1130 tidal gate. The planned route is 24.0 NM at 5.5 kn. At 0830 the log shows only 8.0 NM made good in two hours, leaving 16.0 NM. An easier harbour is 7.5 NM away and expected to make 5.0 kn.

1Original route time: 24.0 NM ÷ 5.5 kn = 4.36 hours, about 4 hours 22 minutes.
2Original planned arrival: 0630 + 4 hours 22 minutes = 1052, leaving 38 minutes before the 1130 gate.
3Observed progress: 8.0 NM ÷ 2 hours = 4.0 kn made good.
4Revised destination time: 16.0 NM ÷ 4.0 kn = 4 hours, so the monitored arrival is 1230 — one hour after the gate.
5Fallback time: 7.5 NM ÷ 5.0 kn = 1.5 hours, giving a 1000 estimate from 0830. Compare and brief that option while it remains easy to take.

Sense check: The original arithmetic gives 1052 and a 38-minute margin; the monitored arithmetic gives 1230 and fails the gate. The fallback estimate is not a guarantee and still needs current approach, weather, tide and availability checks.

Yachtmaster Offshore Standard: Passage Release and Change Control
Release field	Evidence to state	Control question
Route and time	Current charting, warnings, distance, speed model, gate and contingency	Does the monitored arrival still pass the chosen margin?
Vessel and systems	Condition, defects, navigation and communications resilience, usable resources	Can the yacht complete this leg and remain safe after a credible failure?
Crew	Competence, rest, illness, roles and capacity for the hardest stage	Who is genuinely fit and available for the leg and arrival?
Fallback	Approach, tide, weather, availability, latest decision time and common-mode risks	Is the alternative still usable under the condition that closes the main plan?
Change control	Trigger, decision, action, roles, record, next review and reopening evidence	Has the changed decision become the crew's current working plan?

Run a passage-release board

The route file is complete, but the wind is building against the stream, actual speed is below plan and one experienced crew member has been unable to rest.

1. State the evidence
Record current sources and warnings, position and time, observed progress, weather, vessel state, crew state and both route calculations.
2. Expose assumptions
Name which speed, gate, forecast, system, crew and harbour assumptions still pass, which are uncertain and which have failed.
3. Release or hold
Release only the option whose complete safety case and fallback remain inside the accepted margins; close the failed option explicitly.
4. Brief and record
Give immediate action and roles, record the amended route and reason, and set the next review plus exact reopening evidence.

Sense check: If the crew cannot say which option is closed, why it closed and what evidence could reopen it, the plan has not been controlled.

Common mistake or limitation

Treating a completed route file, passage card or APEM mnemonic as proof that the passage is released.
Hiding assumptions inside one ETA instead of stating speed, gate, weather, crew and fallback margins separately.
Calling a destination change without recalculating the remaining route, checking the alternative and updating the crew and record.
Leaving a closed option emotionally open, so the crew continue towards it while waiting for evidence that may arrive too late.

Recap

Release the passage only when route, time, vessel, crew and fallback evidence pass together.
Separate facts, estimates and assumptions; give every critical assumption a margin and trigger.
When a trigger fires, recalculate, compare, brief, record and set the next review.
A closed option reopens only when named evidence restores the accepted safety case.

Optional quick check

Section 11 of 12

At 0830, monitored progress changes the destination arrival from 1052 to 1230 for an 1130 gate. What is the strongest response?

Sources and factual review

Reviewed 2 September 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.

Continue studying Passage Planning

This public lesson is part of Revision Module 14. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.

Go to full module