You’re enjoying time on the water when your back goes out, the engine dies, or a dense fog settles in and visibility vanishes. As if that’s not bad enough, you also have no cell phone reception or can’t make it to the bridge where the VHF radio sits. We can all imagine one of those situations sending our plans awry, but if someone doesn’t know we’re away, who will send help?

Even if you boat to get away from people, it’s important that someone on land knows where you’ll be going and about how long you’ll be offshore. This sharing of details is known as a float plan. Whether it’s a jaunt to a waterfront restaurant three harbors away or a five-day-getaway, imparting the info ensures that someone on land is tracking you and will alert the authorities if you don’t return (or check in) at the designated time.

A float plan can be a text to a marina that knows your boat and the area: “I’m heading to Scavenger Island by myself and expect to be back around 7:00 pm.” Or it can be a much more detailed description given to a friend or loved one: “The four of us are taking the Seasucker II, a 22-foot white cuddy cabin, for an overnight trip to Friendship Harbor. Anticipate a call from us by 8:30 pm Sunday letting you know we’re back.”

A float plan doesn’t take a lot of time. Look for a template or create one with your boat type, length, color, and vessel name noted. Attach a photo of the boat and duplicate the semi-completed plan. Then you only have to add who’s aboard, the particular destination, and an expected return time before handing it or sending it to a responsible person.

Safety experts advise you not to post the plan in any social media group, leave on the dashboard of your car, or tack it up on a boatyard bulletin board — you’re telling those you don’t know how far away from home you’ll be and for how long.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has a mobile app with a float plan component among its safety features. Personal information is stored on the phone but not transmitted unless the user chooses to send it, so authorities are neither tracking you nor logging your location unless a need arises.
Are you a boater who never bothers with a float plan? I usually hear one of two excuses:

1. “I only boat in popular local areas where someone nearby would come to my aid or call the USCG.” Really? How will others in a cove know you’ve hit your head below if all they see is a boat on the hook?

2. “I don’t want any delays when I hitch my boat to the trailer and go.” Wouldn’t you rather the USCG be looking for you in a specific area rather than issuing a “missing mariner” notice to all rescue crafts, boaters, and volunteers in a region?

Before every second counts in a medical emergency or you end up cold and hungry from being stranded, make it a habit to share your float plan with a family member, friend, or someone at the yacht club or marina. And always remember to give your land lookout a heads up when you return safely to shore.

USCG mobile app: www.uscg.mil/mobile/.
Float plan forms: www.usps.org/o_stuff/fp_form.html and http://floatplancentral.cgaux.org/.