Passage Planning
Passage planning has gotten complicated with all the apps, routing software, and online opinions flying around. As someone who has planned everything from weekend coastal hops to multi-day offshore passages, I learned everything there is to know about putting together a solid plan that actually works when conditions change. Today, I will share it all with you.
Here’s what I’ve found: the best passage plan is the one you’re willing to throw away. That sounds contradictory, but hear me out. Planning thoroughly means you understand the weather windows, the waypoints, the contingency harbors, and the tidal gates so well that when something shifts — and it always shifts — you can adapt without panicking. The plan itself isn’t sacred. The knowledge you gained making it is.
My Approach to Cruising Preparation
Prepare your vessel thoroughly — and I mean really go through it, not just a quick walk-around. Develop seamanship skills in manageable steps before you tackle anything ambitious. Plan conservatively, because the sea has a way of humbling the overconfident. That’s what makes passage planning endearing to us cruisers — it’s the quiet work that makes the adventure possible. Probably should have led with this section, honestly: no amount of technology replaces good old-fashioned preparation and seamanship.
