Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
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Click image for a free Float Plan form |
As we pine for warmer weather, with a deck beneath our feet, we might even feel compelled to venture out in the next 60 days to catch the first hints of the incoming Spring. If so, the Float Plan, oft spoken of and more often ignored, can be key for you and those closest to you.
The Float Plan is nominally known as a mechanism for ensuring that missing vessels are indeed missed in time for action to be taken that might otherwise lead to the rescue of the crew rather than the recovery of their bodies. “Boat-A is supposed to be at Payne’s Marina in the Great Salt Pond on Block Island at this time and date. Is it there?”
So, in a nutshell, float plans are all about SOLAS - Safety Of Life At Sea. However, as the title infers, the development of a float plan delivers nothing but upside to the boat’s master and thus to the crew who are fully the master’s responsibility.