The Importance of Passage Planning

SOLAS V Regulation 34 requires an intended voyage to be planned with appropriate charts and publications before proceeding to sea. RYA guidance explains that, in practice, even a short or familiar trip should receive a proportionate plan. A six-mile daytime trip may need a compact brief; a longer, exposed or tidal passage needs more detail. Short does not mean risk-free, and detailed does not automatically mean safe.

IMO voyage-planning guidance describes four connected components: appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring, often remembered as APEM. Appraisal gathers and tests the evidence. Planning turns it into a berth-to-berth route, limits and alternatives. Execution puts that plan into use. Monitoring compares what is happening with what was expected and triggers a change when the two diverge.

The cycle matters because a plan cannot guarantee that nothing has been overlooked. Forecasts change, equipment fails, people tire and timings slip. A useful plan names the assumptions, margins, decision points and safe alternatives so the skipper can recognise a change early enough to retain a genuine choice.