Owning the plan
The Chief Mate prepares the plan, but the Master reviews, approves and owns it, and is answerable for the safe navigation of the ship throughout. The plan is worked berth to berth through the appraisal-plan-execute-monitor cycle, with no-go areas, clearing bearings, wheel-over and abort points, contingency anchorages, and the required underkeel clearance. The Master sets the standing orders, briefs the bridge team, and monitors that the plan is being followed and adapted as the weather and tide actually turn out.
- Review and approve the passage plan prepared by the Chief Mate; the Master owns it.
- Ensure the plan covers no-go areas, clearing bearings, abort points, contingencies and underkeel clearance.
- Set the standing and night orders and the circumstances for being called.
- Monitor that position is fixed by more than one means and the plan is being followed.
Ocean routeing
On ocean passages the Master routes by season and climatology, using routeing charts and professional routeing advice, to catch favourable winds and currents and to avoid the tropical-storm regions in their season. The command decisions — to divert for weather, to slow for the crew or the ship, to make a landfall by day rather than night — rest with the Master, informed by the mate's plan and the ship's actual progress.
NOTE — The Master owns the plan Whoever prepares it, the passage plan is the Master's once approved, and the Master is answerable for the safe navigation of the ship. Approval is an act of command judgement, not a signature.
WARNING — Season and region first, at sea and on paper Ocean command begins with seasonal planning to keep the ship out of tropical-storm regions in their season. No amount of good handling makes up for being in the wrong ocean at the wrong time of year.