A Guide to Passage Planning for a Cruise

Don't know where to start when it comes to passage and cruise planning? I got you.

A question we got recently was, “How do you do your passage planning? How do you know where to go or what route to take?” and I had one of those moments where I realised that, actually, passage planning was quite complex! It’s something I’ve been doing for over ten years now, so it’s not something I give much thought to anymore, but I recall when we first started cruising and I took on responsibility for passage planning being totally overwhelmed and wondering where to start! And that’s exactly what we’re going to cover today. I’m going to discuss my passage planning process and all the resources, tools and apps I use to plan out our cruising.

Anchored in France- our favourite cruising ground ever!

Macro vs Micro Passage Planning

This is definitely a term I just made up, but it accurately describes the two types of passage planning one must do when cruising. There’s the macro level of planning- big picture, looking at the entire season and you’re overall route- and then there’s the micro planning- passage planning for a specific sail when you’re going from A to B.

Planning a Cruise

Whether you’re taking a week off to go on a short cruise somewhere local, or you’re a liveaboard and planning out an entire circumnavigation, having a good idea of your overall, big picture plans is a necessary starting point. But how, exactly, do you do this? Let’s dive in!

I’ve done a LOT of big-picture route planning in my time, and it’s fair to say that the process remains largely the same regardless of the scale of your cruising plans. Whether you’re plotting out an Atlantic Circuit or Circumnavigation, or spending the season in Greece or the Caribbean or the Bahamas- the process is largely the same, and it all starts with the most important consideration: the weather.

Step 1: Look at weather patterns

There’s a reason most cruises follow a similar course, and that’s because weather patterns and seasons generally dictate a desired route at a desirable time of year. Having a thorough understanding (and respect!) for the weather patterns that will affect your planning is key to this first step. Before we start, I want to highlight some important weather phenomena:

• Prevailing winds: this is the direction of the wind as it blows for the vast majority of the time, during certain times of the year. For example, in the Caribbean, the prevailing winds are Easterly. In the Whitsundays in Australia, the prevailing winds in autumn/winter are South-Easterly. Along the Atlantic European coast (ie, Atlantic Spain and Portugal) the summer prevailing winds are northerly. In some areas the prevailing winds switch direction with the season: for example, in Asia, the North-East Monsoon (a north-easterly prevailing wind) lasts from October until March, and the South-West Monsoon (south-westerly winds) lasts from April until September.

• Trade winds: this is the same as prevailing winds, but used for ocean weather. The trade winds are so named because merchant ships of old used to rely on them for their sailing routes. The trade winds that most sailors take advantage of are the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean Easterly winds. The trade winds are generally consistent throughout the year in terms of direction, although can be disrupted by named storms. At certain times of the year they are known to be stronger and more consistent, which is generally when most sailors make their crossings.

• Named storms: Hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons- these are all the same thing: a named storm with sustained winds of 64 knots or greater which takes place in a tropical area. Needless to say, all sailors should avoid being in the hurricane or cyclone zone during the storm season.

• Local weather phenomena: there are local weather phenomena that all sailors need to be aware of. The most obvious- and, for us, pertinent- example that springs to mind is the various winds that blow in the Mediterranean: the Meltemi in Greece, the Mistral in France, the Sirocco from North Africa, and more. These are generally summertime winds that blow hard for a few days or perhaps longer, then ease off. I can speak from experience that the Meltemi is no joke, and all you can really do is either hide in a protected anchorage or, if you’re out sailing, hold on and enjoy the ride!

Courtesy of Yachting.com

Now that we have a good understanding of some of the big-picture weather patterns that will dictate our routes and timings, let’s take a look at how those weather patterns will affect your plans. Here are some examples that Nick and I have personally experienced:

• Atlantic Circuit: Let’s say you’re in Europe and are planning an Atlantic Circuit. You want to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean, spend some time cruising this tropical paradise, then cross back to Europe in a year or two or three. The best time of year for a West-bound Atlantic Crossing is around Nov-Jan, partly because this is the end of the Hurricane Season and thus will give you the maximum time in the Caribbean before Hurricane Season rolls around again, and partly because the Atlantic trade winds are generally at their most consistent at this time. The prevailing winds in the Caribbean are consistently Easterly, meaning you can head north or south almost at leisure; but when it comes time to head back East, you’ll need to make your way up to Bermuda, then back across the Atlantic at a time where you’ll have the most conducive weather, which is generally May/June. Once you have an understanding of these big-picture considerations and your cruise is book-ended with these relatively unmovable passages, you can scale down your planning and look at the next step. We’ll get onto that in a minute, because it’s the most fun part of the entire process!

• Eastern Mediterranean: This is top of mind for us these days, since we’re currently based in Greece/Turkiye, but this is a popular cruising ground for many, so hopefully this is highly relevant. The main weather phenomenon in this region is the Meltemi- a strong northerly wind that blows throughout the summer months. It sets in around June and lasts until September. Therefore, during these months, it makes sense to plan a south-bound cruise or east-west.

• Gulf of Thailand: this region provides a good example of how to plan a cruise, because it’s off the beaten track and there’s little information about it. I’ll expand more on this later, but for now, the important weather considerations were the North-East and South-West monsoons, and the corresponding wet or dry characteristics of each season. This meant that certain areas would be more desirable during each monsoon.

Step 2: Research the destination

This is the fun part!