A passage plan is how a voyage gets thought through before it gets sailed. This guide covers the four-stage framework the professionals use, what a passage plan should actually include for a recreational boat, and a template you can copy for your next trip — whether that is an afternoon in the Gulf Islands or an ocean leg.
What is passage planning?
Passage planning is the process of working out, in advance, how a voyage will be sailed: the route, the timings, the tides, the weather window, the hazards, and the alternatives if things change. The formal framework comes from SOLAS Chapter V — appraisal, planning, execution, monitoring — and while the regulation was written for ships, the four stages map perfectly onto a small boat. The plan is not a promise to the sea; it is a set of decisions made while you can still think clearly, so that the decisions underway are smaller.
The four stages, on a real boat
Appraisal is gathering: charts for the whole route (including the places you might divert to), tide tables, the long-range forecast, the state of the boat, and an honest look at the crew. Most planning failures are appraisal failures — the tide table nobody checked, the crew member who had never sailed at night.
Planning is laying the route: waypoints, distances, expected speeds, tidal gates with their earliest and latest transit times, hazards marked, and ports of refuge chosen for each stretch. This is where the template below earns its keep.
Execution is adjusting the plan to the day you actually get: the forecast that shifted, the crew member who slept badly, the engine that ran rough on the pre-departure check. Departure is a decision, not a deadline.
Monitoring is the passage itself: logging position against the plan every hour, re-checking weather, and knowing at every moment which bail-out option is still open. This is where the passage plan meets the logbook: the plan says where you should be, the log says where you are.
The passage plan template
Eight sections. For a day sail, a line or two each; for an offshore leg, as much as it takes. If a section genuinely does not apply, write “n/a” — deciding something does not apply is planning too.
- 1 · The route: departure, destination, waypoints, distances per leg, total distance, expected speed and timings
- 2 · Tides & currents: tidal gates with earliest/latest transit times, current set and drift on each leg
- 3 · Weather: the forecast, the window you need, the conditions that cancel, and when you will re-check
- 4 · Hazards: shoals, traffic separation schemes, fishing fleets, restricted areas, night arrivals to avoid
- 5 · Ports of refuge: realistic bail-out options along the route, with entry constraints (bar crossings, tide, daylight)
- 6 · Boat & consumables: fuel range with reserve, water, engine checks done, rig and steering inspected
- 7 · Crew: watch schedule, experience level, seasickness plan, briefing done before departure
- 8 · Communications: check-in schedule with shore, radio/sat channels, and who holds the float plan
Section 8 is the one most templates leave out, and it is the one your family cares about. A communications plan — who gets told what, and when — is the difference between a shore crew that enjoys your passage and one that dreads it.
Passage plan vs. float plan
The passage plan stays aboard and gets you there; the float plan goes ashore and gets you found. They share most of their raw material — boat, crew, route, timings — so writing both is not twice the work. The full comparison lives in the float plan guide, and the free Float Plan Builder turns section 8 of your passage plan into a printable document in a few minutes.
WatchKeeper closes the loop. Plan the passage in WatchKeeper, and the float plan generates itself from what you entered. Underway, the logbook tracks you against the plan and the shore briefs keep your people calm — the whole four-stage cycle in one tool.
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Passage planning FAQ
What are the four stages of passage planning?
Appraisal (gather everything relevant: charts, weather, tides, crew, boat condition), planning (lay the route, waypoints, hazards, and alternatives), execution (adjust the plan to the actual departure conditions), and monitoring (check progress against the plan and adapt underway). The framework comes from SOLAS Chapter V and applies to a 30-footer as well as a ship.
What should a passage plan include?
Route and waypoints, distances and expected timings, tidal gates and currents, weather forecast and the window you need, hazards and no-go areas, ports of refuge along the way, fuel and water calculations, watch schedule, and communications plan. The depth should match the passage: an afternoon sail needs a paragraph, an ocean leg needs the works.
Is passage planning a legal requirement?
For commercial vessels, yes. For recreational boats, SOLAS V/34 requires that the voyage be planned with regard to weather, tides, and the vessel’s capability, and many flag states apply it to pleasure craft. In practice the obligation is mostly moral: the plan is what turns a hopeful departure into a considered one.
What is the difference between a passage plan and a float plan?
The passage plan is the navigation document you keep aboard: it gets you there. The float plan is the safety document you leave with someone ashore: it gets you found. They share most of their raw material, which is why WatchKeeper generates the float plan from the passage you already planned.
How far in advance should I plan a passage?
Route-level planning can happen weeks out, but the plan is not real until the weather window is: finalize timings against the forecast in the last 48–72 hours, and treat departure day as a decision, not a deadline. The most dangerous phrase in passage-making is "we have to leave today."