A Cruiser’s Journey From Dream to Safer Passages
Along the way, I often contacted my sister and told her, “I’m going from this port to that port, or from this country to the next. If you don’t hear from me by my arrival date, come looking for me.” That was my version of a float plan.
Years ago, while in college, I went spelunking (caving) with a friend. The standard protocol was simple: tell someone where you’re going so they can send help if you don’t return. During one school break, I called my uncle to let him know where I’d be exploring — at the base of the mountain in Virginia where Dirty Dancing was filmed. Afterward, I returned to campus but forgot to call him back. The next day, when I finally remembered and checked in, he admitted he had forgotten to follow up as well. It made me wonder: how often could the same thing happen with a float plan?
It’s important to remember that many of us today may be too reliant on technology and think the float plan is outdated. Not the case — it just needs to be updated for the way we actually cruise now.
Lessons From the Cruising Community
While in Costa Rica, I heard about a couple with years of experience — the husband had even been a ferry captain. They left Nova Scotia bound for the Azores and vanished. Months later, their life raft washed ashore on Sable Island. What struck everyone was that they had an EPIRB onboard, yet it was never activated. The vessel itself was never found.
I also learned of a boat struck by lightning that lost all electronics, including its EPIRB, leaving the crew unable to signal for help. And there was the heartbreaking case of a young family with three children who lost their mast in the South Pacific and required outside assistance.
Stories like these highlight a hard truth: technology alone isn’t foolproof. An EPIRB, Starlink, or satellite phone is valuable, but none of it replaces the basic preparation of a well-communicated float plan. A Starlink dish won’t work in a life raft, and cell phones run out of power. That’s why one of the tasks on my own departure checklist is simple but essential: charge the phone and the chargers before I ever leave the dock. And, there is always the chance my sister might forget.
Why a Digital Float Plan Matters
Traditional float plans are almost always out of date the moment they’re printed. Routes change, weather shifts, and delays happen. A plan scribbled on paper or buried in an email thread can’t keep up. If a vessel has a catastrophic failure and there is a search and rescue effort the area to search can be vast. That's why NAVOPLAN offers Active Tracking which records your passage on land as you progress. Stop progressing and we start to notice.
That’s where a digital float plan changes everything:
- Always Current — The plan lives in real time. If your departure is delayed or your route changes, the update is immediate. You can still print a copy if you want, but the master version is always up to date.
- Easy to Create — NAVOPLAN pulls from your existing vessel and crew data. Upload a GPX route file, and the float plan builds itself in seconds. No retyping, no duplicate effort — just a simple process that works with the tools you already use.
- Shareable and Monitored — NAVOPLAN doesn’t just create the plan; it helps monitor it. The captain can distribute it to a list of trusted contacts who can check for updates along the way. That means friends, family, or designated emergency contacts always know your latest position and expected arrival.
The Bigger Picture
A float plan isn’t just paperwork. It’s a lifeline. By making it digital, living, and actively monitored, NAVOPLAN transforms float planning from a forgotten formality into a powerful safeguard. It reduces the burden on you as the captain, reassures your crew and family, and ensures that if the unexpected happens, help is already a step closer.