Passage planning, Chartwork & Position fixing


This will help people studying for their master 200 and the officer of the Watch (yacht 500).

You will also learn how to position fix using charted objects, calculate the compass course to steer and how to counteract tidal stream and leeway.

You will learn how to complete estimated positions, true set and drift, course to steer, running fixes, horizontal sextant angles questions and use luminous range diagrams.

You will also learn about the cause of tides and learn to calculate times and heights of tides at European and Pacific ports.

This online training is aligned with the UK MCA Master (Code vessels less than 200 GT) / Officer of the Watch (Yachts less than 500 GT) oral examination syllabus.

You can see the content included within the syllabus below.

  1. Publications required under SOLAS
  2. Passage Planning Principles
  3. The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide
  4. Admiralty Chart 5500
    1. Subscriber Content
  5. Appraisal
  6. Planning
  7. Execution
  8. Monitoring
  9. Updating charts
  10. The meaning and significance of chart symbols and abbreviations in common use
  11. Buoyage
  12. IALA Maritime Buoyage Systems PDF download
  13. Cardinal Buoys
  14. North Cardinal
  15. East Cardinal Mark
  16. South Cardinal Mark
  17. West Cardinal Mark
  18. How to Pass a Cardinal Mark
  19. IALA Region A Lateral Buoys
  20. Port Hand Lateral Marks
  21. Starboard Hand Lateral Marks
  22. Preferred Channel Marks
  23. Preferred Channel to Port
  24. Preferred Channel to Starboard
  25. Safe Water Mark
  26. Isolated Danger Mark
  27. How to Pass an Isolated Danger Mark
  28. Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy
  29. Special Marks
  30. Region A all buoys by day and night
  31. Region B all buoys by day and night
  32. Buoyage Quiz
  33. The Operation of Electronic Charts
    1. Radar and ARPA
  34. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
  35. The importance of regular checking of the vessel’s position and action to be taken if found off track
  36. Transits and clearing marks from the chart in order to plan a safe approach to harbour or anchorage
  37. Radar plotting
  38. Estimated Positions
  39. True Set and Drift
  40. Course to Steer
  41. Leeway
  42. Running Fixes
  43. Compass, True and Gyro Courses
  44. Compass to True Courses
  45. True to Compass Courses
  46. Horizontal Sextant Angles
  47. Luminious Range Diagrams
  48. Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
  49. Tides
  50. The Causes of Spring and Neap Tides
  51. European Standard Ports
  52. European Secondary Ports
  53. Pacific Standard Ports
  54. Pacific Secondary Ports
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Publications required under SOLAS

SOLAS Chapter V regulation 27 requires that all charts and publications for the intended voyage are adequate and up to date.

The following publications are required:

  • The sailing directions describe coastal navigation and port approaches that ships may take.
  • The list of lights covers navigational and light signal information for lights and fog signals. It covers lighthouses, lightships and floating lights.
  • Notices to mariners contains weekly updates on critical navigational safety information.
  • The tide tables provides the heights and times for ports around the world.

Passage Planning Principles

There are four stages of passage planning:

  • Appraisal
  • Planning
  • Execution
  • Monitoring

The principles remain the same regardless of if you are passage planning using paper charts, or using ECDIS.

The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide

The IMO Ship’s Roueting Guide can be used at the appraisal stage of APEM.


The measures that are described or defined in parts are individually described in the following parts of the book:

  • B – Traffic separation schemes and inshore traffic zones
  • C – Deepwater routes
  • D – Areas to be avoided
  • E – Other routeing measures, such as recommended tracks, two-way routes and recommended directions of traffic flow
  • F – The rules and recommendations on navigation that are associated with particular traffic areas and straits
  • G – Mandatory ship reporting systems, mandatory routeing systems and mandatory no anchoring areas and
  • H – Archipelagic sea lanes.

Admiralty Chart 5500

Admiralty Mariners’ Routeing Guide Chart – 5500 English Channel and Dover Strait is designed to assist in the appraisal stage of the passage planning by assisting with navigation and passage planning for English Channel and Dover Strait.

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