A good route isn’t planned on a screen, but in your head. The plotter only ever comes into play at the very end. Before feeding it with start and destination points, the navigator first fills their head with everything that might be relevant to planning the trip. This mental ‘ballast’ improves stability when concrete decisions have to be made later on.
More on the topic of “Navigation”:
Navigation is the tool that helps you reach your destination safely and without stress. To ensure this, there are a number of things to bear in mind – many of which can be sorted out in advance. The fewer things you have to worry about later on board, the more relaxed you’ll be whilst travelling and the more you can focus on other aspects of the journey.
Freedom without risk
Many people are content simply to let the plotter run in the background whilst underway and to check their position from time to time. In familiar waters, where you are well acquainted with every shoal and all the other pitfalls, that may be enough. But it is precisely when venturing into unknown waters – for example, on a charter trip to a new area or on an extended holiday cruise in your own yacht – that thorough advance planning pays off. Such advance planning does not restrict your freedom of choice, but simply reduces the stress involved in weighing up options and making decisions. You are simply more mindful whilst underway – whilst still remaining flexible, provided that sufficient alternatives have been considered.
From the floor to the card table
The term ‘routing’ can be interpreted in many different ways. For me, it kicks in at the very latest when I spread myself out on the living room floor – with nautical charts, cruising and sailing guides, travelogues and suggested itineraries from magazines and online articles, as well as other useful documents. After all, the surface of a tabletop is often simply not big enough for all that.
What I then have in front of me is the result of some preliminary research – another important part of planning the trip. This often starts with a list of links to information about the sailing area and where to get supplies, which is gradually refined. Sometimes a tip is added; sometimes something is dropped because a better alternative has been found. And with every hour invested in this preparatory work, the anticipation grows.
Once I’ve gained a sufficient overview, it’s time to order, download and save the documents. I take a pragmatic approach to selecting the materials: where is a wealth of relevant information available, and where is it rather patchy? Where is there significant overlap? Which sources are more up to date? A good sailing guide, for example, should cover legal aspects as well as harbour charts and tips for going ashore: are there any specific navigation rules or restrictions in the area? What do I need to bear in mind in this regard and, if necessary, clarify in advance?
The deeper you delve into the subject, the more you’ll develop a feel for what’s useful. Customer reviews and testimonials are also helpful. On charter trips, I never rely on the nautical documents that are supposed to be on board. That limits my preparation and makes me unnecessarily dependent. I’ve often come across out-of-date harbour guides and sets of nautical charts on board – and that’s not a good basis on which to work.
Mobile in every sense of the word
The medium is of secondary importance: whether local and harbour guides are available as e-books or in printed form is primarily a matter of personal preference. When it comes to nautical charts, paper chart sets undoubtedly provide a better overview for initial orientation. But here, too, the ‘whether’ is more important than the ‘how’.
Personally, I still prefer to use a combination of electronic and paper nautical charts, and ideally complete sets of recreational boating charts. On charter trips, I also take a portable plotter with me – a handy device mounted on a wooden base with a non-slip underside and various adaptors for different power connections. This is supplemented by an external GNSS antenna, which can be mounted in a location with a good all-round view using suction cups and cable ties.
The advantage is that I am familiar with this system and know how to assess the timeliness and quality of the data. Anyone who prefers to use a tablet should be aware that the positioning accuracy is somewhat limited and may have to accept a slightly reduced range of functions, depending on the app used. But here too, the ‘whether’ takes precedence over the ‘how’.
In a tidal area, you should also have information on the prevailing tidal currents, as well as the times and levels of high and low tide. Here, too, you should not rely on accessing online information whilst on site – there may be no network coverage at the very moment it matters most. As a general rule, any self-sufficient solution also helps you relax by taking away unnecessary worries.
Adapting to reality
Back on dry land: Here, I first get a basic overview of the characteristics of the intended sailing area – such as topography, water depths, bridges, locks, restrictions, harbours and anchorages. In doing so, I already bear in mind the yacht’s specifications, such as draught, clearance height and potential speed.
Now the route is taking shape: What is the likely radius of our journey? Which harbours and bays are located in this area? Which sections of the route are suitable in light of this? Where are there guest moorings and anchorages with sufficient depth? How well protected are these areas – including from swell – in different wind directions? What supply facilities are available?
As well as nautical considerations, tourist factors also play a part: where are the particularly scenic spots, and where is it worth going ashore? A list of possible stops and destinations is drawn up. If the route could go in different directions depending on the wind and weather, this results in a correspondingly wide range of options.
Hit or Miss
This also involves setting priorities straight away: Which harbour or bay would be the first choice? What alternative options are available nearby if the top destination is already taken? Under what conditions – wind and sea state – would each option be the most favourable?
This also involves considering the possible route: what would be the best basic route between the respective destinations? Where might potential hazards such as shallow sections or low bridges lie in wait? Notes are also made on this, taking into account varying conditions: where and when, for example, might a treacherous jet effect or dangerous bottom currents occur?
The topographical information on the nautical chart – such as details of cliffs and depth contours – as well as statistical data on typical weather conditions in the area are helpful in this regard. The latter can be researched online. This preliminary assessment – ‘What is actually possible, and under what conditions would it be the right choice?’ – takes a lot of the pressure off the actual decision-making process later on.
This results in an initial, provisional sailing plan which, based on the top destinations and routes, essentially outlines an ideal itinerary. In fact, although I’ve never actually managed to follow this plan exactly later on – that in no way calls the preliminary planning into question. On the contrary, it has always proved its worth to be able to fall back on alternatives that have already been tried and tested.
Ideally, for every A destination, there is also a B destination. On my most recent sailing trip, for example, I had to ride out the weather twice, during which I fell back on suitable B and even C destinations – in the end, the better shelter was the deciding factor in each decision.
A compromise between the journey and the destination
In the days leading up to the trip, I go through my plans once more, checking them against the actual weather conditions I can expect. In doing so, I look not only at wind and weather forecasts, but also at the development and movement of the pressure systems that cause them.
Surface pressure maps, which can be accessed from national meteorological services – such as the German DWD – are helpful in this regard. This makes it much easier to assess the likelihood of the forecast.
Then I go back to my notes and reorder them based on this probability. Some ports now slip down the list despite their beautiful location, because they’re unlikely to be reachable after all or don’t offer sufficient shelter for the expected conditions. In contrast, other destinations move up the list because, on balance, they now promise to be the better choice.
The key is to strike the right balance – particularly between the journey and the destination. After all, what use is the most beautiful harbour if the journey there could be very arduous or even dangerous? Is it really worth it? Sometimes, destinations that I had originally ruled out come back into the picture because my priorities have shifted accordingly.
From head to water
I don’t actually plot the waypoints until I’m on board – either the evening before each day of the trip or in the morning before setting sail. It’s only at that point that I can make a truly reliable assessment of the conditions I’ll encounter along the way. That’s also when I make the final decision on the next day’s destination and the best route to get there.
This decision-making process also takes into account the crew’s motivation and the yacht’s capabilities, which, in the case of a charter boat, can only be assessed once on site. Perhaps the crew isn’t in the mood for a long offshore sail today, but would prefer a nearby destination – with a leisurely stop for a swim along the way. Or perhaps the yacht isn’t performing as well as expected when sailing close to the wind because the condition of the sails doesn’t allow for it.
Good decisions always stem from a combination of situational judgements and a solid foundation. The latter is based on knowledge and experience – the former translates these into real life. And life plays by its own rules. So I’ve often had to give up on my original dream destination whilst on the road – rather than rushing into things, I found a different route that ultimately worked out better for everyone.
When plotting a route on the chart plotter, I set waypoints wherever I need to pay particular attention – for example, because of a hazardous area or an impending change of course. This is not an area where you should cut corners.
Admittedly, programming the plotter before setting sail takes time – but it also helps me relax, so to speak. When the plotter later shows me that I’m on course and the next waypoint is still 30 minutes away, I can enjoy the sailing with a clear conscience – safe in the knowledge that I’m not missing anything important in terms of navigation.
A fair deal
My trip planning has evolved steadily over time. For example, online booking options for moorings have been introduced, and I make sure to find out about these in advance too. I set up the relevant apps and accounts before the trip even begins. The basic idea, however, has remained the same: to fill my head with information beforehand so that I can free it up later to enjoy the finer aspects of sailing – there’s no contradiction there.
I have also never regretted investing in my own charts – whether on paper or in electronic form – as well as local and harbour guides. It’s a relatively small price to pay for the freedom to set sail without a care in the world. The same applies to the time invested beforehand – ultimately, it even extends the holiday by allowing you to set sail much earlier, at least in your mind.
Sven M. Rutter
Freier Mitarbeiter
