Voyage Plan
A voyage plan is the passage written down before you leave: who is aboard, what has been checked, where you can run to if it goes wrong, and the captain's name against all of it. The boat keeps every plan, so each display sees the same ones.
Start a plan
A plan starts from a route.
- On the Charts screen, open Routes in the NAV tab of the Tools panel and tap a route to show it.
- In its menu (⋯), or in the route panel's menu, choose plan voyage.
The plan opens full screen as Plan Voyage. Zora saves it as a draft straight away and says Voyage plan created as draft. It takes the route, both ports and a name from the route, and sets the departure to the next whole hour at least an hour from now.
Then fill in the sections below, in any order.
Approving is the only save
After the draft is created, Zora saves the plan again only when you approve it. Close a plan without approving it and everything you entered since is gone.
The top of the plan
The top shows the voyage name, the route, and the Planned Departure. Tap the date or the time to change it.
Distance is the length of the route. Duration is how long it takes at 6 knots. That speed is fixed and cannot be changed, so read the duration as a rough guide to the passage. Estimated Arrival is the departure plus that duration, and moves when you change the departure.
A section still missing something shows a warning mark beside its title.
Data Readiness
Three boxes: Charts downloaded, Tidal data available and Publications reviewed.
Zora checks none of them: by ticking, you say you have. All three are needed to approve the plan.
Crew
Tap the pencil to open Crew. It lists everyone with a crew account on the boat, and a new plan starts with all of them aboard as Crew. Untick whoever is not sailing.
For each person aboard, set a Voyage role and add a Note if it helps. The roles offered are Skipper, Watch Leader, Crew, Cook, Engineer and Medic, or type your own. The note is free text, such as when someone joins or who is prone to seasickness.
At least one person aboard is needed to approve the plan.
Watch Plan
Switch on This voyage requires a watch plan, then choose a system.
| System | Pattern |
|---|---|
| 4 on / 4 off | two watches, four-hour shifts |
| 3-watch | three watches of four hours, needs six crew or more |
| Swedish watch | 4-4-4-6-6, so nobody has the same watch every night |
| 6 on / 6 off | two watches, six-hour shifts |
| Custom | describe your own rotation under Describe your watch system |
Zora records the system you chose. It builds no rota and puts no names against the watches. The watch plan is optional, so a day sail can leave the switch off.
Voyage Details
Tap the pencil for Voyage Name, Departure Date, Departure Time and Voyage Notes. The departure here is the same as the one at the top of the plan.
Below the departure, the estimated arrival date and time follow the departure you set, worked out at 6 knots. You cannot type over them.
The departure and arrival ports come from the route and cannot be changed in the plan. The plan needs both before it can be approved, so give the route a Destination before you plan the voyage.
Safety & Contingencies
Somewhere to write down your boltholes: a harbour to divert to, the point where you would turn back, an anchorage to sit out a blow.
- Tap the pencil and expand Add Contingency Point.
- Fill in the Location Name, choose a Type (Safe Harbor, Emergency Port, Anchorage, Abort Point or Weather Window) and add Notes if you like.
- Tap Add. Nothing happens until the point has a name.
The bin beside a point removes it. Select from Waypoints is not available yet.
This section is optional.
Systems Readiness
Ten boxes: GPS / Navigation, AIS, Depth Sounder, Wind Instruments, Bilge Pumps, Tanks, Water Maker, Life Raft, VHF Radio and Engine. All ten are needed to approve the plan.
A chip beside each box shows what Zora can tell you:
- GPS / Navigation reads ok when the boat has a position, warning when it has none.
- AIS reads ok when Zora sees other vessels, warning when it sees none.
- Depth Sounder reads ok with a depth, warning when the last depth is more than ten seconds old, unknown with none.
- Every other chip reads unknown, which means Zora has no information.
The chips are for your information. You can tick a box whatever its chip says.
Approval
- Tick the captain's declaration. The Captain Name field opens.
- Type the captain's name.
- Tap Approve Voyage at the foot of the plan.
Approve Voyage stays greyed out until all of these are true:
- all three Data Readiness boxes ticked
- at least one person aboard
- a voyage name, both ports and a departure
- all ten Systems Readiness boxes ticked
- the captain's declaration ticked
- a captain's name typed
Zora saves the plan, says Voyage plan approved, and shows Approved by: with the name and the time. The button then reads Voyage Approved. An approved plan is a record: changes made to it afterwards are not saved.
Print
The menu (⋮) at the top right has Print:
- Voyage plan: the whole plan.
- Crew list (customs): the crew for customs and port authorities, with each person's birthday, nationality and identity document taken from their crew account.
Both print what is on the screen, and carry the boat's letterhead. The crew list takes the vessel's name from the first line of the letterhead. Import is greyed out.
Find a plan again
Tap SCREENS in the app bar, then Voyages List (coming soon) on the Journal tab. The Voyage Plans screen lists every plan, newest first, with its ports and its status, draft or approved.
- Tap a plan to open it.
- The red bin deletes a plan at once, without asking.