Module 14 - Passage Planning
Passage Plan: Waypoints, Tidal Gates and Cockpit Cards
What you will learn
Turn the appraisal into a berth-to-berth route with checked timings, margins, position methods, crew actions, decision points and workable alternatives.
A route line is not a passage plan. The plan must show how each leg will be made, checked and abandoned safely if an assumption fails.
Plot or verify the whole route on suitable current charting, including departure and arrival. Mark intended tracks, courses or headings as appropriate, distances, hazards, no-go areas, clearing limits, safe water, position-fixing methods, tidal or daylight constraints, expected times and the points at which a decision must be made. Check every imported waypoint and the leg between waypoints; electronic routing and display precision do not prove that the route is safe.
Plan the navigation method and frequency of position checks for the risk. A constrained pilotage leg needs more frequent, independent evidence than open water. Identify where depth, visual bearings, radar or another suitable source can corroborate GNSS, and what the skipper will do if the evidence conflicts. Include the route-specific contingency: refuge or safe anchorage, its approach constraints, the latest safe decision point and the conditions that trigger it.
Plan the people and resources too. Brief the route, hazards, timings, roles, safety equipment, emergency actions and who can take over if the skipper is incapacitated. Estimate usable fuel from the vessel's known consumption and expected engine time, then add a contingency suited to headwind, adverse tide, delay, diversion and reserve policy. No RYA or MCA source reviewed for this lesson establishes one universal one-third reserve for every coastal yacht passage.
Worked example
Fictional training passage only: Bayhaven to Eastport is 15 NM. Planned speed is 5 kn. The destination tidal gate closes at 1600, and the skipper wants 45 minutes of contingency before that limit.
- 1Calculate passage time: 15 NM ÷ 5 kn = 3 hours.
- 2Subtract the passage time from the 1600 gate: 1600 − 3 hours = 1300.
- 3Subtract the 45-minute contingency: latest planned departure = 1215.
- 4At 1245, a three-hour passage would arrive at 1545, leaving only 15 minutes. The original 45-minute margin has been lost, so the plan must be reappraised rather than solved by assuming extra speed.
Sense check: Three hours from 1215 is 1515; adding the planned 45-minute margin reaches the 1600 gate. This checks the arithmetic, not the real-world accuracy of speed, tide or forecast assumptions.
| Cockpit item | Why it matters | What must remain available |
|---|---|---|
| Leg and expected time | Supports progress checks | Underlying chart, calculation and assumptions |
| Hazard and safe-side limit | Shows where error becomes dangerous | No-go area, depth or clearing evidence |
| Position method | Prevents dependence on one display | Primary and independent checks |
| Gate and decision point | Makes delay actionable | Latest safe choice, not just destination ETA |
| Alternative | Preserves refuge before commitment | Approach, tide, weather and availability constraints |
| Crew action | Turns the plan into coordinated work | Roles, safety brief and communications |
Make the plan usable at the helm
The detailed work is complete below deck. The helm and crew now need a concise, readable version that preserves the controlling limits.
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, minimum depths, clearing limits, gate times and abort points visible.
3. Show the choices
Name the alternative, its constraints and the latest point at which it remains a safe option.
4. Brief the team
Confirm roles, communications, safety actions and what evidence requires a change of plan.
Sense check: A cockpit summary should make the full plan easier to execute; it must not remove a constraint or imply that a waypoint alone defines safe water.
Common mistake or limitation
- Treating a sequence of waypoints as the plan without checking the legs, hazards, position methods, limits and escape options between them.
- Calculating an ETA from optimistic speed but leaving no allowance for tide, manoeuvring, delay, weather or an alternative.
- Applying a universal fuel fraction instead of known vessel consumption, expected engine use, usable fuel and route-specific contingency.
Recap
- Plan the whole trip, not just the open-water route line.
- Work backwards from fixed constraints and preserve explicit contingency rather than optimistic ETA alone.
- Verify electronic routes, plan independent checks and brief the crew on limits and alternatives.
Optional quick check
Section 3 of 6
For the fictional 15 NM passage at 5 kn, with a 1600 gate and 45-minute contingency, what is the latest planned departure?
Common questions
What should a Day Skipper passage plan include?
Include the berth-to-berth route, hazards, tracks or courses, distances, expected times, tidal and daylight constraints, safe-water limits, position checks, crew roles, decision points, alternatives and change-of-plan triggers.
What is a cockpit passage plan card?
It is a concise working summary for the helm. It should preserve the controlling leg data, hazards, checks, limits and alternatives while the complete source information remains available.
What is a tidal gate?
It is a time-dependent constraint, such as sufficient depth over a bar or an acceptable stream through a narrows. The plan should identify the usable window and the decision required if delay closes it.
Keep revising this topic
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 19 August 2026 - Day Skipper Revision.
Build a complete passage plan
The passage-planning module connects appraise, plan, execute, monitor, and navigational records.