Whether it is a ten-minute guest run or a day crossing, every good passage follows the same four steps. Professional mariners call it APEM.
Appraisal, planning, execution, monitoring
- Appraisal: charts, tide tables, weather, the boat, fuel and crew
- Planning: route, waypoints, hazards, times, tides and fuel
- Execution: brief the crew, leave on time, keep a lookout
- Monitoring: check your position at every waypoint and feature
The numbers
Time in minutes = distance in nautical miles ÷ speed in knots × 60. At 6 knots you cover a mile every 10 minutes; at 20 knots, a mile every 3. Work out the time to each waypoint before you leave, so you know when a headland should appear.
Tides and fuel
- Rule of twelfths for tide height: 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1 twelfths of the range each hour
- Check the height of tide for when you arrive, not when you leave
- Fuel: the rule of thirds. One third out, one third back, one third reserve
If you would not be happy to explain the plan to the Coastguard, it is not a plan yet.
Before you go
Forecast for the whole trip, two bolt holes on the route, lifejackets on, kill cord attached, VHF on, and someone ashore who knows your route and when to raise the alarm.
Two-sheet passage planThe printable plan I use on courses: tides, weather, fuel, waypoints and pilotage.
Download free PDFWant the full kit? The 65-page handbook, the fillable passage plan and the Excel calculator. Passage Planning Pack, €9 →