Frequently Asked Questions

NAVOPLAN helps recreational boaters—sail & power—achieve safer, smoother passages by turning proven seamanship into clear, crew-ready procedures.

We combine focused guides, curated links & YouTube videos, printable checklists/forms, destination country summaries, vessel readiness tools, passage planning, digital float plans, and tiered Emergency Assistance Coordination (EAC).

A dreamer does not own a boat but aspires to cruise the oceans.

A cruiser owns a boat and is already on the water but wants to achieve safer passges.

Owner/operators at every stage: learning, buying, outfitting, coastal cruising, and planning longer hops. Ideal for couples and short-handed crews.

Equally useful on lakes, coasts, and offshore. Where sail vs. trawler procedures differ, we call it out explicitly.

It replaces scattered advice with usable workflows: step-by-step procedures, decision aids, and checklists your crew can run day or night.

It centralizes vetted learning (links, videos), operational docs, float plans, and support—so you spend less time searching and more time executing safely.

Chartplotters show where you are; NAVOPLAN shows what to do—procedures, roles, verification steps, and recovery options when things go sideways.

It complements your nav tools with practical guidance, checklists, country snapshots, float plans, and optional EAC—not a replacement for official charts or notices.

Focused reviews of key topics important to all boaters—fire prevention/response, steering & control, watermaker failures, grounding avoidance, weather calls, and more.

Each briefing includes curated web resources, YouTube walkthroughs, and ready-to-use checklists/forms you can print or run on a tablet.

No. They’re written for all boaters (sail & power). Topics emphasize fundamentals that improve safety and readiness on any water.

When offshore-specific practices apply, we note them separately so coastal and inland boaters can still use the core guidance.

Yes. We curate manufacturer documentation, official sources, and the most helpful YouTube demos—embedded right where you need them.

This saves you hours of hunting and keeps your learning anchored to authoritative references.

Yes. Briefings ship with printable and tablet-friendly checklists/forms (pre-departure, emergency actions, watchstanding, maintenance, and more).

You can tailor them to your vessel and export to PDF, then keep copies offline before you cast off.

Yes. Country snapshots cover entry basics, paperwork, local communications, safety notes, and links to official sites.

Use them to prep your float plan, document set, and arrival procedures; coverage expands over time.

A shareable plan with who/what/when/where and your intended route/ports. Send it to family, friends, or shoreside contacts.

Update plans as they evolve and pair with checklists/country notes so everyone understands the trip and trigger points for concern.

A tiered service offering advisory help, monitoring, and (at higher tiers) active coordination when you face significant problems underway.

EAC augments your response; for imminent danger or distress, you should contact the Coast Guard and local authorities first.

SECURITÉ: Advisory & monitoring during elevated risk. PAN-PAN: Priority response for urgent, non-distress events. MAYDAY: Highest level with active tracking & coordination.

Higher tiers add faster channels, more Captain’s Minutes, and larger document storage to support complex events.

For life-threatening emergencies or imminent danger, call authorities first (VHF DSC/16, local SAR).

Use EAC for steering/propulsion failures, medical concerns, severe weather decisions, threats from other vessels, or multi-system issues that benefit from planning/monitoring.

Prepaid consulting time used initially for setup and configuration; remaining minutes are available for training or help as needed.

You can purchase additional minutes à la carte if a project requires deeper assistance.

Vessel readiness & passage planning features, checklist functionality, digital float plans, email support, a bundle of Captain’s Minutes, and document storage.

Perfect for outfitting/refit work and typical coastal cruising with short-handed crews.

Progressively more storage, faster support channels (email/text/phone), larger Captain’s Minute bundles, and elevated EAC features.

Choose the tier that matches your risk profile and cruising plans—you can change tiers later.

Exploration: Learn the lifestyle with Volume I of Bluewater Living and free resources. Transformation: Tools and briefings to turn interest into a plan.

Acquisition: Guidance and tools focused on selecting and purchasing the right vessel, then you move into Coastal for operations.

Absolutely. Start with Exploration and Transformation to build skills, compare options, and prepare intelligently.

When you’re ready, use Acquisition to select a vessel and transition into Coastal for day-to-day operations.

There is limited vessel tracking while underway if you lose access to the internet. Once reconnected the data is uploaded to NAVOPLAN so we know you are making progress. If this does not happen it can initial EAC Protocols.

This product was designed to be used with Starlink or vessels that have internet service.

Yes. Tailor checklists to your vessel and crew, attach photos/references, and upload manuals, receipts, and procedures into your storage.

Keep a printed binder or tablet copies for redundancy—especially for emergency procedures.

Modern browsers on desktop, tablet, and mobile (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox). No app-store install required.

For best results underway: a larger tablet at the helm plus printed backups for critical checklists.

We use HTTPS and modern hosting practices. Access is controlled by your logins; you decide what to share outside your workspace.

We don’t sell personal data. Review our Terms & Privacy for details on retention and backups.

Not by default. At higher EAC tiers you may opt-in to share position updates for monitoring during an event.

You remain in control of what is shared, when, and with whom.

Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade between tiers and cancel future renewals; access continues through the end of the paid period.

See the Offerings & Terms for specifics on renewals, refunds, and add-ons.

Yes. Request an online demo to see workflows live and get your initial questions answered.

Need a white-glove start? Choose on-site setup to accelerate configuration, data import, and crew training.