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Passage planning for Yachtmaster: APEM explained

A good passage plan is what the Yachtmaster examiner most wants to see: evidence that you've thought about the tides, the weather, the dangers and the crew before you leave. APEM gives you a structure for it.

APEM: the four stages

APEM comes from the IMO's guidelines for voyage planning, and the same four stages work for a yacht as well as a ship.

  1. Appraisal: gather everything relevant to the passage.
  2. Planning: turn it into a plan, from departure berth to arrival berth.
  3. Execution: decide when to go, then carry out the plan.
  4. Monitoring: check your progress against the plan, and be ready to change it.

1. Appraisal: what you need to know

  • Weather: the forecast and its trend for the whole passage, not just the start. See depressions and fronts and the shipping forecast terms.
  • Tides: heights for departure, arrival and any shallow patches, and tidal streams along the route, including tidal gates where you must carry a fair tide or arrive at slack water.
  • Dangers: rocks, shoals, races and overfalls, traffic separation schemes, firing ranges and busy ferry routes.
  • Information sources: charts, the almanac, pilot books, tidal atlases and the latest notices.
  • The boat and crew: how fast you'll really go, how much fuel and water you have, who can stand a watch, and anyone who gets seasick.

2. Planning: putting it on the chart

  • Courses and distances between waypoints, with each waypoint checked on the chart, not just in the plotter.
  • Clearing bearings and transits that keep you off the dangers, and the lights you expect to see at night with their characteristics. See chart light characteristics.
  • The tidal streams for each hour, worked into a course to steer for longer legs.
  • Ports of refuge along the way, and when each one is usable, for example whether it has enough water at low tide or is dangerous to enter in onshore wind.
  • A pilotage plan for leaving and arriving: the marks, the turns, and what you'll see in what order.
  • A watch system, meal plan and safety brief for the crew.

3. Execution: when to go

Choose the departure time from the tidal gates and the weather window, not the other way round. Before you slip, check the latest forecast, brief the crew, and tell someone ashore your plan and expected arrival time.

4. Monitoring: staying on plan

  • Log your position, course, speed, log reading and barometer at regular intervals, at least hourly.
  • Cross-check the plotter with a second method: a bearing, a transit, depth or a dead reckoning position.
  • Keep asking whether the plan still works. If the wind, sea or crew aren't what you planned for, decide early whether to carry on, change route, or head for a port of refuge.

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Questions

What does APEM stand for in passage planning?

Appraisal, Planning, Execution and Monitoring: the four stages set out in the IMO's guidelines for voyage planning, and the framework used across professional and yacht navigation.

What should a yacht passage plan include?

The weather and its trend, tidal heights and streams with any tidal gates, dangers and clearing lines, waypoints and courses, the lights you'll see, ports of refuge, a watch plan for the crew, fuel and water, and a pilotage plan for departure and arrival.

Will the examiner ask me to plan a passage?

Usually, yes. Expect to be asked to plan a passage at the chart table and talk it through, including your contingency plans and where you would go if things changed.

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Last checked 4 November 2026. DeckPrep is an independent revision tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the RYA. Always check current requirements with the RYA.