Assisted Passages

How much time do you spend planning your trips? Passage planning and pilotage are a fundamental part of going to sea or cruising in catagorised waters yet the level of detail people go into varies dramatically. So what should you be taking into consideration and why?

It's your legal obligation under SOLAS V to plan your passage - Regulation 34 requires a properly prepared passage plan.

This must take into consideration a number of factors including: size of the vessel, it's crew and the length of the voyage.

The RYA strongly recommend that you always have a plan, this needn't be complicated but an element of planing is required for even the most simplest or shortest of journeys.