FAQ topic · 10 answers
Passage planning
Planning routes, crews and conditions for a passage.
10 practical answers
Browse every topic →How do South Australia's tidal streams and local wind patterns affect short coastal trips?
Tidal streams and local wind patterns can change trip time, fuel use, helm balance and safety margins on short coastal runs — plan your departure and route to use favourable tidal flow, allow margin for wind-driven sea and gusts, and check up-to-date local tide and weather information before you go.
Read the answer →How do I plan coastal passages around Perth/Geraldton/Dampier with regard to tides, tidal streams and local hazards?
Plan passages by overlaying predicted tides and tidal streams onto your charted route, timing departures to use favourable streams through constrictions and offshore features, avoiding local hazards (shoals, banks, strong rips) and building contingency waypoints. Confirm with current official tide tables, local pilotage notes and recent Notices to Mariners before departure.
Read the answer →What local tidal streams, shallows and mudflat hazards should I watch for when entering South Australian estuaries and inlets?
Watch for shallow entrance bars, shifting sandbanks and channels, tidal streams that accelerate through narrow channels or around headlands, drying mudflats and sills that expose at low water, and localised eddies or overfalls — and always confirm conditions for the specific estuary before you enter.
Read the answer →How should I plan a crossing of the Bass Strait or other exposed passages from Tasmania—route, timing and weather sources?
Plan the crossing as a deliberate offshore passage with a chosen route that reduces exposure, a weather window that keeps wind, swell and fronts well offshore, and firm alternates and abort points — using up-to-date synoptic and high‑resolution marine forecasts plus local observations to time departure and arrival.
Read the answer →How do I plan passages across Spencer Gulf or to Kangaroo Island — fuel, stops, and shelter considerations?
Plan passages across Spencer Gulf or to Kangaroo Island by basing fuel on your boat’s actual consumption plus a generous reserve, choosing sensible staging/stop options that match your boat and crew, and prioritising shelter and weather windows (gale fronts, strong winds and tidal streams can make the gulf uncomfortable or unsafe). Confirm fuel availability, safe anchorages or marinas on your route, and check up-to-date local weather, tide and navigation information before you go.
Read the answer →How do I plan a multi-day coastal hop along the NSW coast, including anchorages, fuel and emergency options?
Plan as a chain of conservative daily legs tied to your boat’s real-world fuel and speed in the expected sea state, with confirmed primary and alternate anchorages/berths, fuel legs and back-up fuel options, and a documented emergency/diversion plan (comms, tow and med-evac). Build tidal and weather gates into each leg and carry chart and comms redundancy.
Read the answer →How can I check compatibility between new electronics (chartplotters, autopilots) and my boat’s existing systems?
Systematically compare interfaces, communication protocols and power/ground characteristics, then bench-test or simulate before final installation — confirm physical connectors, NMEA (0183, 2000) and seatalk compatibility, autopilot control inputs, data sentence requirements, and electrical load/voltage behaviour.
Read the answer →How do tides and local currents around Sydney Heads and northern NSW estuaries affect passage timing?
Plan to transit Sydney Heads and northern NSW estuary entrances to take advantage of favourable tidal streams or slack water; account for local acceleration over shoals, eddies, wind-on-current effects and river discharge, and always check the latest local observations and tide/stream products before departure.
Read the answer →What simple anchoring techniques work for beginners in sheltered Australian bays?
Use a sensible scope (line length), pick good ground, set the anchor with a controlled reverse to load it, and check you’re not dragging by noting fixed references and using a stern line or anchor alarm if needed.
Read the answer →How should I plan a short coastal trip, including tides, currents and likely escape options?
Plan the trip by setting a clear route and timeline, checking tides and currents for your passage times, identifying safe anchorages/harbours as escape options, and building a conservative margin for delays and weather changes.
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