Module 16 - Pilotage
Pilotage Plan Preparation
What you will learn
Convert a full harbour appraisal into a concise, briefed cockpit plan whose gates, reports and contingencies remain usable under pressure.
Preparation is complete only when the chart work, local information, vessel limits and crew brief produce a shared execution model: what comes next, what confirms it and what stops the approach.
Appraise the approach on a suitable-scale, corrected chart with current Sailing Directions, lights, notices, tide, weather, port control and local regulations. Mark no-go water, intended track, clearing boundaries, depths, tidal window, traffic conflicts and places to wait or turn away. Test both arrival and departure: an escape route that works inbound may be unsafe against the stream or traffic outbound.
Build the cockpit card around gates, not a prose itinerary. Each row should name the stage, steering and speed expectation, observable cue, depth or clearing limit, call or crew report, next action and abort response. Use true, magnetic and compass suffixes explicitly; write complete light characteristics and periods; distinguish a port-control instruction from a navigational recommendation.
Brief the route by asking the crew to repeat the next cue, limit and response in their own words. Agree concise reports such as 'depth 3.4, reducing slowly' rather than numbers without trend. If the skipper becomes heads-down or incapacitated, a competent crew member should be able to slow, hold or follow the safe escape—not improvise the whole route from an unexplained sketch.
Before commitment, run a final change check: actual tide and stream, visibility, wind, traffic, equipment, crew readiness and port information. If a critical assumption has changed, revise the plan outside the confined water. The last safe gate is a command decision, not a deadline created by the ETA.
| Stage | Expected evidence | Limit or gate | Action if not confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer approach | Landfall light matches full identity; depth trend expected | Do not pass holding area without both | Hold and rebuild the picture |
| Bar | Leading marks aligned; actual depth above planned minimum | Abort before cross-stream turning room is lost | Turn away on briefed track |
| Entrance | Port signal permits movement; traffic lane clear | No commitment on ambiguous signal or call | Remain outside and contact port control |
| Inner turn | Abeam cue plus depth and position corroborate | Do not turn on transit alone | Continue to safe holding leg or abort as planned |
Brief the final commitment gate
At the outer holding point the crew can identify the leading lights, but the predicted tidal stream is stronger and the engine is not reaching planned speed.
1. State the changed assumptions
The steering correction, time exposed to cross-stream set and ability to abort no longer match the card.
2. Keep the gate closed
Remain in safe water while the route, speed and turning room are recalculated or another window is chosen.
3. Rebrief
Do not silently edit one course number; brief the changed stages, reports and abort response to the whole team.
Sense check: A visible entrance and an approaching ETA do not override a failed manoeuvring assumption.
Common mistake or limitation
- A dense card that reproduces the publication increases heads-down time instead of supporting decisions.
- A contingency named only as 'abort' is incomplete unless the trigger, route, room and crew actions are briefed.
Recap
- Convert appraisal into short cockpit gates with observable evidence.
- Brief roles, reports and escape actions before workload rises.
- Treat changed assumptions as a reason to re-plan before commitment.
Optional quick check
Section 10 of 10
At the final gate, engine speed is below plan and cross-stream set is stronger. What is the correct command decision?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 2 September 2026 - Coastal Skipper Revision.
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