RYA Day Skipper Passage Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What factors should be considered when choosing a departure time for a coastal passage?
- Only the weather forecast
- Tidal streams (to gain favourable current), depth of water at departure and arrival ports, weather windows, daylight hours, and crew fatigue (Correct answer)
- The time the pub opens at the destination
- Fuel prices at different times of day
Correct answer: Tidal streams (to gain favourable current), depth of water at departure and arrival ports, weather windows, daylight hours, and crew fatigue
Departure timing considers favourable tidal streams, sufficient depth at both ports, weather conditions, available daylight, crew rest, and the overall passage duration to arrive at a suitable time.
Question 2: What is a 'pilotage plan' and when is it needed?
- A plan for carrying airline pilots
- A detailed plan for navigating in confined or congested waters such as harbour entrances, rivers, and estuaries (Correct answer)
- A plan for long ocean passages only
- A plan for entertaining guests on board
Correct answer: A detailed plan for navigating in confined or congested waters such as harbour entrances, rivers, and estuaries
A pilotage plan provides detailed instructions for navigating in confined waters — harbour approaches, rivers, and estuaries — where precise navigation is critical and there is little room for error.
Question 3: Why should a passage plan include a fuel calculation?
- Fuel is irrelevant to sailing yachts
- To ensure adequate fuel for the engine, including reserves for motoring in calms, charging batteries, and emergency manoeuvring (Correct answer)
- To minimise marina bills
- To calculate speed only
Correct answer: To ensure adequate fuel for the engine, including reserves for motoring in calms, charging batteries, and emergency manoeuvring
Even sailing yachts need fuel calculations for motoring in calms, battery charging, harbour manoeuvring, and emergencies. A prudent reserve (typically one-third) should always be maintained.
Question 4: What is the significance of 'notices to mariners' in passage planning?
- Marketing material from marinas
- Official publications providing updates on chart corrections, new hazards, changes to aids to navigation, and other navigational warnings (Correct answer)
- Invitations to sailing events
- Weather forecasts
Correct answer: Official publications providing updates on chart corrections, new hazards, changes to aids to navigation, and other navigational warnings
Notices to Mariners (NMs) provide critical updates including chart corrections, new or altered navigational aids, newly discovered hazards, and changes to regulations that could affect safe navigation.
Question 5: When planning a passage, what is the recommended safety margin when passing a headland or lee shore?
- As close as possible to save time
- A generous clearance that accounts for tidal set, leeway, wind effects, and sea conditions — typically at least 1-2 nautical miles (Correct answer)
- Exactly 100 metres
- There is no recommended distance
Correct answer: A generous clearance that accounts for tidal set, leeway, wind effects, and sea conditions — typically at least 1-2 nautical miles
A generous safety margin should be maintained when passing headlands and lee shores, accounting for tidal streams, wind-driven current, leeway, and the possibility of conditions worsening.
Question 6: What is a 'cross-track error' (XTE) on a GPS and why is it important during passage execution?
- A GPS malfunction
- The perpendicular distance between the vessel's actual position and the planned track, indicating how far off course you are (Correct answer)
- The error in calculating tidal streams
- The distance to the next waypoint
Correct answer: The perpendicular distance between the vessel's actual position and the planned track, indicating how far off course you are
Cross-track error shows how far the vessel has drifted from the planned route. Monitoring XTE helps detect tidal set or leeway and ensures the vessel stays clear of hazards along the route.
RYA Day Skipper Passage Planning 2
What factors should be considered when choosing a departure time for a coastal passage?