Key takeaways
- ✓A passage plan covers four stages: appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring — the same structure used on commercial ships.
- ✓Use official forecasts (national met services, NOAA Ocean Prediction Center, the UK Met Office shipping forecast) and treat apps and models as a second opinion.
- ✓Pick a weather window with a margin, and plan bail-out ports for every leg.
- ✓Leave a written plan ashore with the owner or a shore contact, with check-in times and what to do if you miss one.
The four stages of a passage plan
- •Appraisal — collect everything: charts, pilot books, tidal data, notices, the boat’s limits and the crew’s experience.
- •Planning — draw the route, mark hazards, choose waypoints, note tidal gates, fuel stops and bail-out ports.
- •Execution — decide departure time from the weather window and tides, brief the crew, set the watch system.
- •Monitoring — check position, weather and fuel against the plan at set times and be ready to change it.
Where to get the weather
| Source | What it is good for |
|---|---|
| NOAA Ocean Prediction Center | Surface analysis, high-seas forecasts and wave charts for the North Atlantic and North Pacific |
| NOAA National Hurricane Center | Tropical storm forecasts and marine products — essential for Atlantic and Caribbean deliveries in season |
| UK Met Office shipping forecast | Official forecasts and gale warnings for the sea areas around the British Isles |
| National met services (e.g. Météo-France, AEMET, DMI) | Coastal and offshore forecasts for their own waters, often in English too |
| GRIB files and routing apps | Quick overview of model wind and pressure — useful, but check them against an official forecast |
Choosing the weather window
Look at the whole passage, not just the departure day. A good window gives you settled conditions for the longest open-water leg, with a margin of a day or more at each end.
Know the boat’s limits and the crew’s. A light 38-foot cruiser with a delivery crew of two has a very different comfort zone from a 60-foot ocean racer with six on board.
Bail-out ports and plan B
- •Mark at least one port of refuge for every 12–24 hours of sailing, and note whether it can be entered at night and in onshore wind.
- •Write down fuel range under engine, and where you can refuel.
- •Decide in advance what conditions make you divert — it is much easier than deciding at 03:00 in a rising wind.
Leave a plan ashore
Give the owner or a shore contact the route, crew list, departure time, expected arrival, check-in times and what to do if a check-in is missed. In the UK you can also register your plan with the RNLI and HM Coastguard safety schemes.
On Maritime Delivery the voyage log in each assignment lets the skipper post position updates and photos, so the owner can follow the trip without phone calls.
Frequently asked questions
What is a passage plan?+
A written plan for a voyage from berth to berth: route, hazards, tides, weather, fuel, ports of refuge and how progress will be checked. Commercial ships must have one under SOLAS chapter V, and it is good practice for every yacht delivery.
Which weather forecast should I trust for an ocean passage?+
Start with official forecasts from national met services and the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center or National Hurricane Center, then use GRIB files and routing apps as a second opinion. When they disagree, plan for the worse case.
How long a weather window do I need?+
Enough to cover the longest open-water leg with a margin — usually a day or more at each end. The right margin depends on the boat, the crew and how quickly you can reach shelter.
Sources
- NOAA Ocean Prediction Center — marine forecasts and analyses
- NOAA National Hurricane Center — tropical marine forecasts
- Met Office — shipping forecast and gale warnings
- World Sailing — Offshore Special Regulations
- RNLI — sea safety advice
- IMO — Safety of Navigation
- Noonsite — cruising and port information by country
- Yacht delivery season calendar (Maritime Delivery guide)
- How to become a yacht delivery skipper (Maritime Delivery guide)
Put it to work