Build a float plan for your trip and leave it with someone reliable ashore, so that if you are overdue they can give the rescue services the details they need. Everything you type stays in your browser.
Float Plan Generator
Fill in your trip details to build a float plan, then copy, print or download it and leave it with someone reliable ashore. Everything stays in your browser — nothing is sent or saved online.
FLOAT PLAN
Leave this with a reliable person ashore before you depart.
Vessel
- Vessel name
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- Type & rig
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- Registration / sail number
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- Colour & distinguishing features
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People aboard
- Skipper
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- Skipper mobile
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- Total people aboard (POB)
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- Crew names
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The trip
- Departure point
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- Departure (date & time)
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- Destination
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- Expected return
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- Planned route
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Safety & communications
- Safety equipment aboard
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- VHF radio / call sign / MMSI
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- Onboard phone / satphone
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- Other communications
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If we are overdue
- This plan is held by
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- Their phone
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- If overdue, who to call
- If we have not returned or made contact by the expected return time, first try our phones, then call the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 or the local emergency number.
How it works
A float plan is a simple record of who is aboard, where you are going and when you expect to be back. You leave it with someone ashore so that, if you do not return on time, they can give the rescue services the details they need to find you quickly.
Fill in as much as you can, then use Copy, Print or Download to hand a copy to your shore contact. Nothing you type is uploaded — the plan is built entirely in your browser.
Good practice
- A float plan only works if someone has it. Leave it with a reliable person ashore, agree an overdue time, and make sure they know to raise the alarm — do not post it publicly on social media.
- Tell them when you are back. Always check in on arrival or if plans change, so nobody launches a search for a boat that is safely alongside.
- It is not a substitute for calling for help. In an emergency, use VHF Channel 16 or the local emergency number directly — the float plan just helps others find you.
- Keep the details current. Update the plan for each trip: people aboard, route and expected return change every time you sail.
Leaving a float plan takes two minutes and is one of the simplest things you can do for your own safety on the water.