Module 14 - Passage Planning
Appraise
What you will learn
Gather current route, tide, weather, vessel and crew evidence, then decide whether the proposed passage is suitable and where its limits lie.
Appraisal is evidence before route drawing. It identifies what can make the passage unsafe, what information is uncertain and which alternatives are genuinely available.
Start with appropriate-scale, current charting and publications, notices and warnings, tidal information, forecast and port or pilotage information. Identify shoals, overfalls, routeing systems, restricted areas, environmental constraints, daylight limits and harbour access. A source is useful only if its area, issue or update status and valid period match the planned passage.
Appraise the vessel as well as the chart. Consider draught, steering and propulsion, navigation and communications equipment, safety equipment, usable fuel and stores, known defects and the conditions the boat can reasonably meet. GNSS can fail or mislead, so the plan also needs suitable information and skills to reach safety without relying on one electronic position source.
Appraise the people aboard: experience, physical ability, cold, fatigue, seasickness risk, clothing and whether essential roles can still be carried out if the skipper is injured or overloaded. Name the departure limits and the evidence that would cause delay, cancellation or a different route. Tell a responsible person ashore the plan and what to do if concern develops.
| Evidence | Appraisal question | Possible decision |
|---|---|---|
| Charts, publications and warnings | Are they suitable, current and complete for the whole route? | Obtain current information or change the route |
| Tide and daylight | Do gates, streams, depth and visibility fit the timings? | Change departure, arrival or destination |
| Forecast and observations | Where will exposure and workload be highest? | Delay, shorten, reef early or choose shelter |
| Vessel | Are equipment, defects, stores and usable fuel appropriate? | Rectify, add margin or do not depart |
| Crew | Can the people aboard perform the critical tasks throughout? | Change roles, route, timing or trip |
| Refuge and shore contact | Is the alternative reachable and does someone ashore know the plan? | Verify the alternative and share the current plan |
Turn information into a departure decision
The charted route is possible, but the new forecast increases the exposed leg, the least experienced crew member has slept badly and the closest refuge has a tidal entrance.
1. Check currency
Confirm chart and publication status, forecast issue and validity, tide source and current local notices.
2. Map exposure
Relate wind, tide, sea room, daylight and harbour constraints to each leg rather than averaging them across the trip.
3. Test capability
Decide whether the vessel and this crew can manage the hardest leg and still retain capacity for the arrival.
4. Set the boundary
Choose delay, a shorter route or a different destination if the agreed limits or refuge assumptions are not satisfied.
Sense check: A route can be navigationally possible yet unsuitable for the crew, vessel, weather window or reachable alternatives.
Common mistake or limitation
- Collecting many sources without checking their date, scale, validity, coverage or relevance to the actual route.
- Assessing whether the boat can make the trip but not whether the crew can still navigate and handle the arrival after the exposed leg.
- Naming the nearest harbour as a refuge without checking its approach, tide, weather exposure, opening constraints and availability.
Recap
- Appraise current information, route hazards, vessel limitations, crew capability and usable alternatives.
- Translate evidence into explicit departure limits instead of merely collecting it.
- A technically possible route is not automatically suitable for the actual boat and people aboard.
Optional quick check
Section 2 of 6
Which finding belongs in appraisal rather than being left until underway?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 19 August 2026 - Day Skipper Revision.
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.