Sharing your trip plan might feel like a formality—but it can be critical if you’re unable to raise the alarm yourself. In this episode, we explain why it’s one of the simplest and most important steps in your boating routine. From rapid abandonments to incomplete distress calls, your trip details could be the key to starting a timely rescue.

• T – Tell someone where you’re going

• R – Report in while you’re out (e.g. log on or send a message)

• I – Inform them when you’re back

• P – Plans changed? Update them

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Digital navigation tools have transformed boating—they’re brilliant for planning routes, monitoring progress, and staying safe. But with so much technology at your fingertips, a day on the water can quickly turn into just another screen session, and some of the real benefits of being afloat can slip away.

In this episode, we explore how simple, hands-on navigation techniques can help you reconnect with the environment, sharpen your awareness, and get more from your time on board. It’s not about ditching the tech—but about knowing when to step back from it.

Crew overboard situations don’t just happen in bad weather—they often occur in daylight, calm seas, and under power. These incidents may end safely, but they’re a clear reminder it can happen to anyone. Research from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) shows that in cold water, crews may have less than 11 minutes to recover a person before they become unresponsive, and sometimes only four or five. Practising as a team, using the actual equipment on board, dramatically improves the chance of a successful recovery.

This episode explores how to prevent someone from falling overboard, how to support a human spotter, the role of technology, and how to adapt recovery plans based on the person’s condition, sea state, and vessel type, before wrapping up with practical ways to train effectively.