FloatPlanWizard User Manual

FloatPlanWizard helps you keep boating information together, build a route, prepare a Float Plan, share your plans with people ashore, and report your progress during an active trip.

Start at Dashboard. The member navigation also opens Active Cruise, Monitor, Weather, Fuel Calculator, and My Account. On a smaller screen, open the menu to see the navigation.

What each workspace is for

Trip Planner, Routes, and FPW Route Generator refer to connected planning work. You do not need to create the same trip in three separate editors.

Dashboard actions depend on the route's state. A saved route may offer Activate Route. A draft may offer Complete Float Plan. An active trip offers Open Active Cruise, with sharing and other actions when available.

Use Help for the shorter Help Center and this manual for complete procedures. Dashboard Tour and the generator's Guided Tour can show you the main controls.

Keep these steps separate

Save Route saves planning work. Save Float Plan saves the details you will share. Premium Save & Send sends and activates an eligible route-backed trip. On Track records actual departure when the trip has not started. Close Float Plan ends a completed trip.

FPW is not an emergency dispatch or rescue service. Use official emergency channels when emergency help is needed; do not wait for a check-in, email or web page to summon help.

Before building your first route, prepare your vessel, an operator, a shore contact, and at least two saved waypoints with usable coordinates. Passengers are optional for a solo outing.

1. Open Dashboard and find Getting Started.
2. Choose Add your vessel and save your boat's details.
3. Choose Add a shore contact and save the person's name, phone and email.
4. Choose Add an operator and save the person responsible for operating the boat.
5. Choose Add waypoints. Save a starting location and a destination; add intermediate stops if needed.
6. Review Trip Setup Readiness. Follow Continue Setup for anything still missing.
7. Use Create My Route or + Create Route when you are ready to plan.

The Getting Started switch controls that setup panel. View Welcome, Explore the Dashboard, Show Me Around, and Tour offer introductory help. Hiding the panel does not delete your saved information.

Set a home port and account name

Open My Account to save your name and Home Port. The account name identifies the sender of your Float Plan; it does not replace the operator selected for a particular trip. Home Port helps with map and weather defaults. It is separate from a vessel's Hailing Port.

Manage saved information

Dashboard's Boat & Trip Setup / Manage Saved Items groups your Saved Vessels, Trip Contacts, Passengers & Crew, Operators, and Waypoints. Use the relevant + Add action, or the Dashboard shortcut.

Choose Edit for an existing record, make the change, and save it. Choose Delete only when the record is no longer needed, then read the confirmation. A record used by a Float Plan can be protected from deletion. Follow the displayed list of references and remove those associations where editing is allowed; do not repeatedly retry deletion.

Saving these records prepares reusable information. It does not create a route, send a Float Plan, or notify a contact.

Save a separate vessel record for each boat you use. You can choose the appropriate boat when planning a route and completing a Float Plan.

Add a vessel

1. From Dashboard, choose Vessels → + Add, Add Vessel, or the setup prompt.
2. Enter the required Vessel Name, Type, Length, and Hull Color.
3. Complete the identification, communications, propulsion and safety information relevant to that boat.
4. Select Default Vessel if this should be your usual boat for route calculations.
5. Choose Save Vessel and wait for the saved record to appear in the list.

Only one vessel is the default. Choosing a new default removes that designation from the previous boat; it does not delete either vessel.

Vessel information to maintain

Select the available hull-material, radio and propulsion choices that match your boat. Do not select equipment merely because it appears in the form. Keep the information accurate for the vessel and supplies you will actually take.

The onboard mobile number belongs to this boat's record. Editing it does not change the phone number in My Account.

Photo

Add a JPG, PNG or WebP vessel image up to 5 MB. Use Remove image to remove it. Choose a photo you are comfortable including in shareable vessel information. Confirm both the saved record and the image result if an upload error appears.

Performance numbers and units

Current unit caution: the vessel form labels Max Speed and Most Efficient speed as KPH, while the Route Generator asks for knots (kn). Do not assume a saved speed has been converted when it appears in the planner. Before using an estimate, verify the planner's speed values in knots. If you cannot verify them, do not rely on the resulting time or fuel estimate.

Fuel-burn fields use gallons per hour. Capacity fields use gallons. Use the units shown beside each field and correct invalid or negative values when the form asks you to.

Edit or delete

Choose Edit on the vessel, update its fields and choose Save Vessel. Recheck route assumptions after changing or selecting a vessel; a saved route should not be assumed to have adopted every later profile change.

Choose Delete and read the confirmation to remove an unused vessel. If a Float Plan references it, the application can block deletion and explain which plan needs attention.

An Operator is a reusable person you can select for a Float Plan. Your account's sender name and the trip's operator can be different people.

1. Open Dashboard Operators and choose + Add, or use Add Operator.
2. Enter Name.
3. Add Phone and Notes if useful. A supplied phone number must pass the form's US-phone validation.
4. Choose Save Operator.
5. In the Float Plan Wizard's Basics step, select the operator for that trip.

Save more than one operator when different people operate your boat. The primary Wizard selects one operator for the plan; it does not turn every saved operator into trip crew.

Use Edit to maintain a person's details. Use Delete for an unused record and follow any reference warning. There is no separate reusable Captain database that you must fill in as well.

The Wizard's Operator has PFD checkbox belongs to the trip review. Confirm it accurately rather than treating a saved operator record as proof of equipment aboard.

Use Passengers & Crew to maintain people you may take aboard. The saved-person form does not have separate passenger and crew roles.

1. Open Dashboard Crew or Passengers & Crew → + Add.
2. Enter Name.
3. Add Phone, Age, Gender, and Notes as appropriate.
4. Choose Save Passenger.
5. In the Wizard's Passengers, Crew & Contacts step, open Passengers and select the people actually on this trip.

Use the search box to find a saved person. Review the selected count and On This Trip summary; having someone in your saved list does not automatically put them on every Float Plan.

A solo trip can have no passengers selected. Select the operator separately in Basics.

Use Edit to update a saved person and Delete to remove an unused record. Removing a selection from one editable trip is different from deleting the reusable person. A reference warning may prevent deletion while a Float Plan still uses the record.

A shore contact is someone you have agreed will receive your trip information and know what to do if you do not return or check in as expected.

Save a contact

1. Open Dashboard Contacts / Trip Contacts and choose + Add, or use Add Contact.
2. Enter Name, Phone, and Email. All three are required.
3. Check the email carefully and use a phone number that passes the form's US-phone validation.
4. Choose Save Contact.

The form does not ask you to assign contact types such as shore, emergency or notification. Use your trip selections and the actual send confirmation to see who will receive a particular message.

Select contacts for a trip

In Passengers, Crew & Contacts in the Wizard, open Contacts, search if needed, and select the people for this Float Plan. At least one contact is required. Review the selected count and names before sending.

Basic Save & Send in the Dashboard Wizard sends a PDF to one chosen saved contact. Premium Save & Send uses the selected trip contacts with email addresses. Other notifications have their own recipient rules; a routine check-in is not a promise that everyone receives an email.

Talk with your contact before leaving. Explain the route, timing, normal communication method and your agreed response plan. Ask them to confirm that they can open the PDF and, when you share one separately, the Follow Link. FPW does not confirm that an email was delivered or read.

Keep contacts current

Use Edit to correct phone or email details. For an editable trip, review its selections and latest saved PDF before sending. Use Delete for an unused saved contact; if a Float Plan still references it, follow the application warning.

The Call, Text and Email shortcuts in Active Cruise open the device's communication handler when available. They do not replace confirmation that your contact received a message.

A waypoint is a saved location. A route uses waypoints as its start, destination and intermediate leg endpoints.

Save a location

1. Open Dashboard Waypoints → + Add, or choose Add Waypoint.
2. Click or tap the map to place the marker, or enter Latitude and Longitude.
3. Drag the marker if you need to adjust the location. Check the resulting coordinates.
4. Enter a recognizable Name of up to 45 characters. An automatically suggested name can be replaced.
5. Add Notes if useful, then choose Save Waypoint.

Use decimal latitude and longitude in the coordinate fields. Confirm the marker is at your intended location before saving. A named waypoint without usable coordinates may be listed as [no coords] when building a route.

Save at least a starting point and a different destination for your first route. Add intermediate waypoints where you want separate legs or stops. The route builder uses the selected endpoints in order; saving a waypoint alone does not insert it into a trip.

Map context and editing

Use available NOAA chart and radar layers for context. Chart detail depends on zoom; radar availability depends on coverage. A marker or displayed chart layer is not a verified route between points.

Choose Edit to update a saved waypoint. Review existing routes separately after changing an endpoint; do not assume all saved geometry has moved to match a later waypoint edit.

Choose Delete for an unused waypoint and read any reference warning.

Reuse a Great Loop port

Open a port's detail page and choose Add to My Waypoints when signed in and valid coordinates are available. The saved record uses the port's location and source notes. Then choose it as an endpoint in My Routes & Waypoint Builder.

Adding a port does not automatically add a leg. Check your saved waypoint list before adding it again on another visit.

A route describes where you intend to travel. Build it from saved waypoints, review its path and estimates, and save it before preparing the Float Plan.

Start with the waypoints you need: your departure point, intermediate stops, and destination. Give each waypoint a recognizable name and check its coordinates. A waypoint marked [no coords] needs attention before it can provide a useful distance estimate.

Build your route

1. Open Dashboard → Routes → + Create Route. The FPW Route Generator opens. Generate Route opens the same planner.
2. Enter a recognizable Route Name.
3. Under My Routes & Waypoint Builder, check the name in Create Route, then select Create. To continue an existing waypoint route, choose it under My Routes instead.
4. Choose Route Start Waypoint, then select Set Start.
5. Under Add Leg by Waypoint, choose the next stop and select Add Leg.
6. Repeat for each remaining stop. Each new leg begins where the previous leg ends.
7. Select Load.
8. Review the vessel, planning assumptions, leg paths, summary cards, and Cruise Timeline.
9. Select Save Route and wait for the success message.

The saved route is available in your Dashboard Routes list. Creating or saving it does not send a Float Plan or begin monitoring.

For guided help, select Guided Tour at the top of the planner. Use Back, Next, Skip, or Done as appropriate. A step can display Waiting until its required action is complete.

Reopen or change a route

Select the saved route on the Dashboard and choose Edit Route. Review the existing information, make your changes, then select Save Route.

To change the waypoint sequence, use the Leg Sequence controls. Remove removes that leg. Removing a middle leg can change how the following leg connects and remove its previously saved path adjustment. Review the affected legs and totals afterward.

Choose distinct names for separate routes. Entering an existing name under Create Route can reopen an existing route; it is not a dependable way to make a copy.

Know what has already been saved

Some actions take effect before the bottom Save Route button:

My Routes → Delete removes that waypoint-route entry from the available selection. It is different from the Dashboard’s Delete or Archive action for a saved generated route.

If you cannot add a leg, check that a route and start waypoint are selected and that the next endpoint differs from the current one. If loading or saving fails, read the message, correct the identified issue, and wait for confirmation before closing the planner.

Delete or archive a saved route

From the Dashboard route's actions, choose Delete or Archive when offered, and read the confirmation. Delete can remove associated Draft data. Archive removes the route from your Routes list while retaining protected completed Premium Send history.

An active route cannot be deleted or archived. Complete or cancel the actual trip using the appropriate workflow first. Archive does not open a completed-trip history screen.

When Activate Route finds existing Drafts, its confirmation may offer to rebuild and replace them. Read that warning before continuing; activation is not a mail-send command.

Editing an active route can be refused if existing progress cannot be preserved. Do not treat editing as a way to reset a trip.

Select the boat you will use under Vessel. FPW fills the corresponding speed and fuel-burn fields from its saved information. Review those values before relying on the estimates. Selecting another vessel replaces those fields.

Check speed units carefully. The saved vessel form currently labels its speed fields KPH, while Route Generator uses kn. Do not assume that choosing a vessel converts its speed values. Check the numbers in the planner against reliable performance information for your boat, expressed in knots, before using the resulting time or fuel estimates.

Review these assumptions:

Use Pace to compare Relaxed, Efficient Speed, and Max Speed. These are calculation choices; they do not change your boat’s actual speed. Relaxed uses a fraction of maximum speed, while Efficient Speed uses the efficient-speed value you supplied.

Recheck the summary after changing assumptions. A blank or unavailable fuel result means the planner lacks a usable input; it does not mean the trip requires no fuel.

Select Save Route when you want to retain the revised planning assumptions. Departure dates, departure times, and trip timezones are entered later in the Float Plan workflow.

Open the Great Loop reference libraries from the shared navigation. Use their maps, filters, and individual records to research your route.

The libraries provide planning information. Check record sources, review dates, and current official information before making a transit decision. A map marker or published record does not establish that a location is suitable for your boat today.

Find a reference

1. Open Locks, Anchorages, Ports, or Bridges.
2. Enter a search term or choose a relevant filter.
3. Use Apply Filters for the search.
4. Review the results and map, then open the individual record.
5. Use Clear Filters, or Reset in Ports, to start a different search.

Some dropdown changes apply immediately and clear other selections. Check the displayed filters after each change. Initial views may show featured places rather than every available record.

The library maps offer NOAA Nautical Charts where available. Use Map and List controls where shown to change your view.

Locks

Filter by State / Province or Waterway / System, or use Search Locks. Changing the state clears the waterway selection so you can choose from the relevant waterways.

Open a lock record to review its location, VHF channel or phone when listed, approach notes, operating notes, special instructions, and official source. Related guides provide lock-through preparation and communication guidance.

Check current operating arrangements separately. Missing contact information or an empty field means it has not been supplied.

Anchorages

Search by name, location, waterway, or descriptive information. Filters include Location Group, Waterway, State / Province, Country, Anchorage Type, and Public Status.

Review the record’s holding, protection, shore access, planning notes, nearby places, verification information, and source. These details help you investigate a stop; they do not confirm present holding conditions, available space, or suitability for the current weather.

Ports

Use Search, State / Province, Loop Segment, and Major stop candidates. Open a port to review its approach notes, services, nearby places, coordinates, and review information.

To reuse a port in your planning:

1. Sign in and open a port with available coordinates.
2. Select Add to My Waypoints.
3. Wait for Added.
4. Find the saved location in Dashboard Waypoints.
5. Choose it as a start or leg endpoint when building your route.

Adding the waypoint does not add it to a route automatically. Check your saved waypoints before adding the same port again on a later visit.

Bridges

Use the location, route, and bridge-type filters. Additional filters include Drawbridge only, Air-draft concern, Has VHF or phone, and Has coordinates.

Review closed and open vertical clearance, horizontal clearance, opening schedules, contact procedures, and navigation or regulatory notes. Compare the information with your vessel’s air draft and current conditions. The library does not automatically approve clearance for your boat.

Confirm current water levels, bridge gauges, opening restrictions, notices, and official charts before transit.

The default distance for a waypoint leg can be the direct distance between its endpoints. It may not follow a navigable channel or account for the bends and detours you intend to travel.

Use Edit Route on an individual leg to inspect and refine its path.

Draw or edit a leg

1. Load or reopen the route in FPW Route Generator.
2. Find the leg under Leg Sequence or Cruise Timeline and select Edit Route.
3. In Leg Geometry, locate the start and end.
4. If helpful, enter a place, marina, or city in the search box and select Search.
5. Use the map’s line-drawing or editing controls to trace your intended path. A line needs at least two points.
6. Review Computed NM.
7. Select Save Overrides and wait for confirmation.
8. Recheck the leg distance, total distance, time, and fuel estimates.

Search adds a reference pin. It does not draw the route or move your saved waypoints. Clear Pin removes the search pin.

A drawn line is your planning input. FPW does not establish that every part of it is safe or navigable. Compare it with appropriate charts, depths, restrictions, and local information.

Clear or revert an adjustment

Clear Draw clears the line in the editor. Saving that cleared state can remove the leg’s adjustment.

Revert to Default removes the applicable saved adjustment and returns to the default path or distance. Review the resulting Computed NM and route totals before continuing.

Geometry saves take effect when you use their save controls. Closing the planner or selecting Reset is not a universal undo.

If the editor reports that geometry cannot be saved, or a leg has no usable coordinates, correct the underlying route or waypoint information before relying on the estimate. On a smaller screen, scroll through the stacked planner panels; the leg’s Edit Route button still opens the geometry editor.

The planner’s summary answers several different questions:

• Total Distance: how far the planned legs cover.
• Total Travel Hours: the estimated travel time under the current assumptions.
• Estimated Fuel: estimated required fuel including the selected reserve.
• Adjusted Speed: speed after the planning adjustment.
• Fuel Cost: estimated cost using the entered price.
• Locks and Offshore Legs: the route information available to the planner.
• Expected Avg GPH: estimated average consumption.

These are estimates, not observations of your vessel underway. Changing the route path, pace, burn rates, weather factor, idle time, or reserve can change the results.

Read the timeline

Select a leg row in Cruise Timeline to expand its details. Review the selected leg’s distance, hours, and locks, then the associated Day Rollup.

Underway Hrs / Day controls the grouping. One long leg can span several days, and a day can include portions of several legs. A day total therefore need not equal the selected leg’s total.

GREEN, YELLOW, and RED day indicators reflect planning factors such as reserve margin and day length. They do not certify weather, navigability, or safety.

Interpret lock information

Where locks are mapped, Lock Navigation Details includes available lock information and Best, Typical, and Worst waiting estimates. Use Retry if retrieval fails, or Hide to collapse the details.

No canonical lock mapping for waypoint leg means that FPW does not have a lock mapping for that leg. It does not mean there are no locks. Research the waterway separately.

Mapped lock delays can affect estimated time. Actual waiting and operating conditions can differ.

Understand reserve and cost

Idle fuel comes from Idle Burn × Idle Hours. Reserve is then calculated using the selected method.

With One-Third Rule, an estimated base consumption of 60 gallons produces 90 gallons required: 60 gallons of consumption plus 30 gallons reserved. It is not a 33% addition to consumption.

The 20% and 15% methods add their stated percentage to base consumption. Fuel Cost uses required fuel, including the reserve calculation.

Review your boat’s usable capacity and practical refueling opportunities independently. Save the route after changing the assumptions you intend to retain.

FPW provides three weather tools: the dedicated Marine Weather Briefing, Route Generator’s Live Weather Assist, and the Weather panel in Active Cruise. Each serves a different purpose.

Weather readings and suggestions are tied to the location and time shown. Check both before using them. Missing readings are not zero wind, zero waves, or an all-clear.

Open a Marine Weather Briefing

1. Select Weather from the member navigation.
2. Under Location, choose Home Port / ZIP or Coordinates.
3. Review the ZIP, or enter latitude and longitude.
4. Select Update.
5. Confirm the resolved location and update time.

A ZIP represents an approximate area and may not match your marina. For a more precise default, maintain your home-port coordinates in My Account.

If FPW reports missing home-port coordinates, select Update Home Port and correct them. If ZIP lookup is unavailable or the ZIP is not found, use appropriate coordinates or update the saved home port. For temporary provider failures, wait and try Update again.

Review the briefing in this order:

1. Marine Risk and its listed reasons.
2. Conditions Now, including observation time and station.
3. Waves / Seas and Tide Now.
4. Marine Alerts. Select View active NOAA alerts to read the available details and instructions.
5. Next 12 Hours for changes during your planned travel.
6. Tide & Water Level, using Today or Tomorrow.
7. NOAA Zone Area Forecast and Source & Station Details.

Select Open NOAA Map to view the available overlays. Layer availability varies; use the listed radar, warning, wind, cloud, or other layers that are supplied for the location. Close the map to return to the briefing.

Check the displayed timezone, source, station, and observation times. A favorable summary is not a substitute for reviewing the relevant warnings and official marine information.

Use Live Weather Assist while planning

In Route Generator:

1. Load the route.
2. Under Live Weather Assist, select Refresh Suggestion to use the route’s starting point, or enter Lat and Lng and select Lookup Point.
3. Review the suggested factor, confidence, and source.
4. Select Apply Suggested if you want that value applied to Weather Factor (%).
5. Review the changed estimates, then select Save Route to retain your planning assumptions.

Looking up weather does not apply it automatically. The suggestion represents a point, not conditions at every place and time along your trip.

Check weather in Active Cruise

1. In Weather, choose the current leg’s available Start or End point.
2. Select Check Conditions.
3. Review the point, temperature, wind, gusts, waves, visibility, alerts, and calculated Weather Factor.
4. If appropriate and available, select Apply Weather to Route.

Apply Weather to Route saves the factor and updates the route’s estimates. Check Conditions alone does not. If the point or apply control is unavailable, read the explanation and use the dedicated Weather page for a separate lookup.

Select Fuel Calculator from the member navigation to compare an independent fuel-planning scenario.

The calculator does not load or update your saved vessel or route. Enter the values for the scenario you want to examine.

Calculate a scenario

1. Enter Total Distance (NM).
2. Enter Most Efficient Speed (kn) and GPH @ Efficient.
3. Enter Max Speed (kn) and Fuel Burn @ Max (GPH) when needed for your chosen Pace.
4. Add Idle Burn (GPH) and Idle Hours if applicable.
5. Review Weather Factor (%), Underway Hrs / Day, and Reserve Method.
6. Enter Fuel Price ($/gal) if you want a cost estimate.
7. Enter Usable Fuel Capacity if you want a range estimate and capacity comparison.

Results update as you change the inputs. There is no separate Calculate step.

Usable fuel is the fuel available for planning before the calculator applies reserve. It may be less than the tank’s nominal capacity.

Review and retain results

Read the time, fuel, speed, average GPH, cost, and Estimated Range with Reserve results. Expand Calculation Breakdown and JSON to inspect the assumptions and calculation.

The range estimate is based on usable capacity, reserve, adjusted speed, and burn. It does not subtract the separately entered trip idle fuel from its range allowance. Review idle consumption and other practical limits before using the range figure.

Use Copy Result JSON to copy an available result. This copies information to your clipboard; it does not save a vessel, route, or Float Plan in FPW.

Reset clears the scenario and restores calculator defaults. A fresh page load does not restore an earlier scenario, so copy any result you want to retain before leaving.

If a result is unavailable, check the required speed and burn values, positive trip distance, and usable capacity. An unavailable result is not a zero requirement or confirmation that the trip fits your fuel supply.

The Float Plan Wizard brings your route, boat, people, schedule, and safety information together. Start with a saved route and saved vessel, operator, and shore-contact records.

Open and resume your plan

1. Open Dashboard → Routes.
2. Find the route you want to use.
3. Choose Activate Route if it does not yet have a Float Plan Draft.
4. Choose Complete Float Plan to open its Draft. Other available plan actions may read Edit Float Plan or View & Send Float Plan.

Activating a route prepares the Draft. It does not send an email.

The primary Dashboard Wizard has six steps. Use Next and Back to move between them. These buttons do not save automatically. Choose Save Float Plan before closing if you want to preserve your changes.

Step 1 — Basics

Complete these fields:

Your account name identifies the sender. It is separate from the selected operator.

If the correct vessel or operator is missing, return to Dashboard to add or correct that record, then reopen the Draft. Required fields can prevent saving; closing may lose unsaved edits.

Step 2 — Times & Route

Enter or check all six required fields:

• Departing From
• Departure Date & Time
• Departure Time Zone
• Returning To
• Return Date & Time
• Return Time Zone

FPW may fill missing locations from the route or home port. Check that they describe this trip correctly.

Choose the timezone that belongs with each entered local time. Return must be after departure, and sending requires a return time that is still in the future.

FPW can suggest a return time from your route. Review that suggestion against your plans. A return time you edit manually is preserved.

Once actual departure has been recorded, the scheduled departure cannot be changed in the Wizard.

Step 3 — People & Safety

Choose the required Rescue Authority. Its authority information is filled from the selection. N/A - Call 911 is also an available choice.

The other fields are optional:

Review the authority and contact information before sending. Selecting an authority does not request assistance.

Step 4 — Passengers, Crew & Contacts

1. Open the Passengers tab.
2. Select the saved people coming aboard. A solo trip can have no passengers selected.
3. Open the Contacts tab.
4. Select at least one saved contact.
5. Review On This Trip and the selected counts.

Use Search passengers... or Search contacts... to find a record. Selecting a row adds or removes it from the trip.

On smaller screens, expand the summary when you need to check the selections. Selecting a contact here does not send anything yet.

Step 5 — Waypoints

Review the numbered In Route summary.

This step shows the route’s waypoint order. It is read-only in the Dashboard Wizard. If the route itself needs correction, save your Draft and use the route-planning tools.

Step 6 — Review

1. Check the sender name.
2. Choose Save Float Plan after making changes.
3. Review the PDF preview.
4. Check the boat, people, route, times, timezones, safety information, and contact details.
5. Choose a sending option only when the plan is ready.

The preview uses saved information. Unsaved edits may not appear until you save again. The send actions save current changes before submitting the plan.

Expected result: Saving displays Float plan saved successfully and keeps the Wizard open. You can close it and later reopen the saved Draft.

If something needs attention: Follow the field message and return to the indicated step. Common problems are missing required records, no selected contact, invalid timing, and an unavailable PDF preview. Closing without saving can lose your latest edits.

Choose the option that matches what you need for this trip.

Send with Basic

1. Finish the Wizard and review the saved PDF.
2. Choose Basic Save & Send.
3. Read the Send Basic Float Plan? confirmation.
4. Check the recipient’s name and email.
5. If several contacts are selected, use Choose one saved contact to select the recipient. An unusable email cannot be selected.
6. Choose Continue with Basic Send.

Choose Cancel to leave the confirmation without sending. Upgrade to Premium Send starts the Premium send workflow and may send immediately when access is available; use it only when ready. If access is missing, follow the displayed credit or membership requirement.

Expected result: FPW submits the PDF email to the chosen contact. Your saved Draft remains available. This Basic option does not start monitoring, Active Cruise, live trip updates, or Private Follow access.

Send with Premium

1. Finish the Wizard and review the saved PDF and selected contacts.
2. Read the Premium availability message.
3. If access or a credit is available, choose Premium Save & Send.
4. Wait for the result before leaving or trying again.
5. After success, return to Dashboard to open Active Cruise or share the Follow Link.

Expected result: FPW submits the selected contacts’ PDF emails and activates the route-backed trip. Activation and actual departure are separate: use the underway controls described in Chapter 19 when you start the trip.

FPW permits only one active route/Float Plan group at a time. If another trip is active, resolve that trip before sending this one.

Purchase access without sending

When a purchase is needed, the Review screen may offer Buy One Trip, Monthly Membership, and Annual Membership.

1. Choose an available option.
2. Review and complete the hosted checkout.
3. Return to FPW and wait for credit or access confirmation.
4. Reopen your plan and review it.
5. Choose Premium Save & Send when ready.

Purchasing does not send the Draft.

A Premium Send Credit supplies operational access for that exact trip for 21 days from the send that consumes it, not from scheduled departure. Eligible membership may independently provide access. Closing or cancelling the trip ends its operational lifecycle.

If checkout remains being confirmed, refresh/check My Account. Do not assume that returning from checkout means a Float Plan was sent.

A checkout return can occasionally display a different Wizard layout. Use Back to Dashboard and reopen the original plan from Routes. The procedures in this manual describe the current six-step Dashboard Wizard.

Read the result before retrying

After a confirmed Premium send, Show Original Premium Send Result displays that earlier result. It does not send another email or spend another credit.

A definite failed Basic request may instruct you to reopen Basic Send and start again. Follow that instruction only when the result says the request failed.

If FPW reports:

The email was submitted, but its completion could not be confirmed. Do not resend; contact support.

stop and contact support. An uncertain result is not proof that no email was submitted. Likewise, allow an already in progress request to finish rather than starting another.

Common blocks include missing access or credit, another active trip, a return time that has passed, no usable recipient, or unsuccessful PDF preparation.

Email submission is not proof of delivery or reading. Agree with your shore contacts about what they should expect and how they will respond if you are overdue.

The initial Float Plan email contains the PDF. Sharing the Follow Link is a separate action.

Use Follow to give trusted people access to the eligible trip’s shared page. Keep the link private to the people you intend to include.

Share the Follow Link

1. Open Dashboard and find your active route.
2. Choose Share Follow Link.
3. Use Open Follow Page to check the page.
4. Choose Copy Link to paste it into your preferred message, or Send by Text Message to open your device’s text-message handler.
5. Send the link to your chosen recipients.

Opening a text-message handler does not itself confirm that the message was sent. Complete the message in that application.

A recipient can use a valid shared link without signing in as the captain. The page remains subject to the trip’s access and state.

Explain what recipients are seeing

The page can show the current leg, next stop, route progress, check-in information, conditions, map, Track Log, Cruise Timeline, photos, and Voyage Stream. A Float Plan PDF download appears when available. Open Full Map provides a larger map view.

Explain these limits to people ashore:

• Route-progress markers and arrival times are estimates.
• FPW is not continuous live vessel tracking.
• A green status is not proof of the boat’s location or condition.
• The shared page does not replace your agreed check-in and emergency-response arrangements.

Post an owner update

Sign in to FPW as the trip owner before using the composer.

1. Open Follow Page.
2. Find Voyage Stream.
3. Enter an update, select a photo, or do both.
4. Optionally use All good, Underway, Weather delay, or Anchored safely to insert quick text.
5. Choose Post Update.

You can attach one JPG, PNG, or WebP image up to 5 MB. Quick tags insert text; they do not publish until you choose Post Update.

Expected result: The update appears in the stream for people with access to the shared page.

Your own non-system posts have Delete. Select it and confirm Delete this post? to remove a post. There is no post-edit control.

Reactions and comments

Followers can select Like, Love, Boat, or Wave. They can enter a comment of up to 500 characters and choose Comment or press Enter.

The first interaction requests a display name and optional email. A password may be requested for interaction when applicable. Do not treat that interaction prompt as a guarantee that someone holding the shared link cannot read the page.

After the trip

Successful completion can change the shared page to Trip Completed Safely, with limited completion information. It does not preserve the full active map, posts, and operational controls.

Cancelled or expired trips are not automatically shown as safely completed. If access or a PDF is unavailable, check the trip’s status and your account access. For ongoing uncertainty, contact support.

Active Cruise is the captain’s operational view of the current active, route-backed trip. Open the active route on your Dashboard and select Open Active Cruise.

Check the trip name and route before making an update. Active Cruise reports the current trip state and provides check-in, timing, and route-leg controls. It requires operational access for that trip. A draft plan, a completed trip, or a plan without the required active route does not provide the same operational view.

Understand the overview

The main overview separates the planned schedule from reported progress:

• Scheduled Departure is the planned departure time. It does not establish that you have left.
• Current Leg identifies the current part of the route.
• Distance Complete and Leg Progress are estimates based on recorded underway activity and planning assumptions.
• Next Stop and ETA refer to the current leg.
• Final Arrival in the route summary is the estimate for the entire route.

Use the summary’s Final Arrival when checking the overall arrival estimate. Do not confuse it with the current leg’s ETA.

A progress percentage reaching 100% does not complete the leg or close the Float Plan. You must explicitly record leg completion and, after all legs are complete, close the plan.

Read the map

Map Overview displays available route geometry and reported position information. Select Open Full Map for a larger view, then close the map window to return to the controls.

The route line is your planned route. A reported position is a location captured with a check-in. These are different kinds of information.

FPW is not continuous live vessel tracking. Read the position’s timestamp before treating it as current. If no position is available, the map can still show the planned route.

Inspect an individual leg

In Route Timeline, select a leg to expand its details. Keyboard users can focus a leg and press Enter or Space.

The expanded information can include departure, ETA or arrival, distance, progress, and available lock details. Selected Leg Data shows estimates such as remaining distance, time, and fuel.

Selecting a timeline leg only changes what you are inspecting. It does not start that leg, complete another leg, or change your operational position in the route.

Adjust pace

The Set Active-Trip Pace slider provides:

• Relaxed
• Efficient Speed
• Max Speed

Changing the slider saves the selection immediately and refreshes the trip projection. There is no separate Save button. Wait for the success or error message before making another adjustment.

Pace, applied weather factors, and delays influence estimates. They do not prove the vessel’s actual speed, position, or arrival.

A check-in reports your current status to FPW. Open Active Cruise, find Check-In & Route Control, and choose the status that matches the trip.

The four visible check-in choices are On Track, Delayed, Changed Plan, and Secure Night.

Submit a check-in

1. Confirm that Active Cruise shows the correct trip.
2. If useful, select + Add optional note and enter up to 500 characters.
3. Select the appropriate status.
4. Read and accept any confirmation.
5. Wait for the result, then check Last Check-In and Next Expected Check-In.

The optional note accompanies the status check-in and appears in the trip’s voyage stream. Use a private captain note instead when the information should remain private.

The optional check-in note does not attach to Complete Current Leg / Arrived, Start Next Leg, or Close Float Plan.

Choose the appropriate status

On Track records that the trip is underway or continuing normally. Before the first actual departure, selecting it starts the operational trip. Use it when you actually leave, not as a test before departure.

After a Delayed or Secure Night pause, On Track resumes the same underway leg. If the previous leg has already been completed, use Start Next Leg instead.

Delayed reports a delay and pauses projected underway progress. Monitoring remains active. This differs from entering a number of delay minutes.

Changed Plan reports that the plan has changed. It does not edit the route, schedule, or distributed Float Plan. The confirmation directs you to update and resend the plan if the route or schedule changed.

Secure Night records an overnight pause. It requires confirmation and is available after the cruise has started. It moves the next expected check-in to the next Daily Start checkpoint.

Before actual departure, some statuses are unavailable. FPW may ask you to provide a new departure time or update and resend the plan instead.

Understand location capture

When submitting a routine Active Cruise check-in, your browser may request access to your location. If available, FPW can include that location with the report.

A location permission denial, timeout, or unavailable GPS does not prevent the status check-in from being submitted. Read the final check-in result separately from the GPS message.

A successful GPS capture alone is not a successful check-in. Likewise, a check-in without GPS can still update the trip and monitoring state.

If FPW says the check-in was submitted but the view could not refresh, refresh the page. Do not immediately repeat the check-in.

Read Float Plan Monitor

Open Float Plan Monitor from FPW navigation. The page is headed Monitoring Console and provides a read-only view of the active monitored trip.

Use it to inspect:

• Current trip and monitoring status.
• Next Check-In and Last Status.
• The last reported location, its accuracy, and captured/received timestamps.
• Alert Readiness, including expected check-in and grace timing.
• Monitoring Audit and GPS Capture History.

Make operational updates in Active Cruise; the Monitor is for inspection.

Interpret monitoring states

Active means monitoring is active for the current checkpoint. Late means the expected check-in has passed. Missed means the grace period has passed. Escalated means the missed check-in has progressed to the contact-notification stage.

FPW evaluates these conditions and attempts the applicable notices. The status alone does not prove that an email reached its recipient.

A successful check-in resolves an outstanding missed or escalated monitoring condition and recalculates the next checkpoint. Always read the resulting Next Expected Check-In.

FPW staff are not continuously watching your trip. Your shore contact remains responsible for the agreed response. In an emergency, use official emergency channels rather than relying on an FPW status update.

Which notices might be sent

Reminders can be suppressed once the trip has actually started or finished; they are not sent indefinitely as catch-up reminders. Current timing defaults use a 60-minute grace period and an escalation interval of 120 minutes after Missed is recorded. Use the displayed Next Expected Check-In and monitoring information for your trip rather than calculating a guaranteed email-delivery time.

Notification processing and recipient delivery can take time or fail. If a contact needs to know promptly, communicate directly using your agreed method.

FPW has separate controls for reporting a delay, adjusting estimates, pausing overnight, and moving between route legs. Use the control that matches what actually happened.

Report a delay

Select Delayed when an underway trip is delayed. Add an optional check-in note if you want to explain the situation.

This pauses projected underway progress while monitoring remains active. When you resume the same leg, select On Track.

A Delayed check-in does not enter a specific number of minutes into Current Delay.

Add or clear delay minutes

Use Add Delay Time when you need to add a known number of minutes to the timing estimate.

1. Find the timing controls in Active Cruise.
2. Enter a positive whole number of minutes.
3. Select Add Delay Time.
4. Wait for confirmation and review the refreshed estimates.

Repeated additions accumulate in Current Delay.

Select Clear Delay to reset the manually entered delay total. This does not resume a Delayed leg, clear an overnight pause, complete a leg, or replace a check-in.

After changing delay minutes, check the arrival estimates and the displayed Next Expected Check-In separately.

Set Daily Start Time

Daily Start Time is a local trip-time setting used for overnight resume planning and next-day monitoring. Its default is 08:00.

1. Enter the intended time.
2. Select Save Daily Start Time.
3. Wait for confirmation.
4. Review the displayed overnight and next-check-in timing.

Saving Daily Start Time does not itself start the vessel moving or record a morning check-in.

Secure the vessel for the night

When you stop overnight during an underway trip:

1. Check the current Daily Start Time.
2. Add an optional status note if appropriate.
3. Select Secure Night.
4. Confirm that the vessel is secure.
5. Review Secure for Night and Next Expected Check-In.

FPW pauses projected progress and sets the overnight monitoring checkpoint using the trip’s timezone. Overnight suppression ends at the stated checkpoint; it is not an indefinite suspension of monitoring.

The next morning, select On Track when you resume the same leg. Simply reaching Daily Start Time does not resume the leg.

Complete a leg and start the next one

At the actual end of the current leg:

1. Select Complete Current Leg / Arrived.
2. Confirm that the current leg is complete.
3. Review the updated route state.
4. When ready to leave on the following leg, select Start Next Leg.

Between these actions, the trip can show Awaiting Next Leg. Progress remains paused until you explicitly start the next leg.

Start Next Leg is unavailable while another leg is underway, before the previous leg is completed, or when no pending leg remains.

If the current leg is paused and its completion control is unavailable, review the displayed reason. On Track resumes an existing paused leg; it does not substitute for completing it.

Keep the clocks separate

Your planned departure, actual departure, current-leg ETA, final-route arrival estimate, Daily Start Time, and next expected check-in answer different questions.

Changes to route estimates do not automatically establish a new check-in deadline. Use Next Expected Check-In as the operational reference and review it after each successful check-in or timing change.

Save a private captain note

Use Quick Notes in Active Cruise for information you want to retain about the trip.

1. Enter text in Add captain note.
2. Optionally select a preset such as All good, Underway, Weather delay, Anchored, Docking, Fuel, Mechanical, or Marina call.
3. Leave the sharing checkbox unchecked for a private note.
4. Select Save Note.
5. Wait for Private captain note saved.

The note field allows up to 1,200 characters. Saved notes show whether they are PRIVATE or POSTED and include a timestamp.

The current panel does not provide an edit or delete control for saved captain notes. Review the text before saving.

Post a note to the trip page

To share a captain note, select:

Also post this note to the Trip status page voyage stream.

The action changes to Save & Post. After success, FPW reports that the note was saved and posted to the Trip status page.

A posted note is different from a private note. Posting does not send a status check-in, change the monitoring deadline, or send an email to everyone associated with the trip.

Reach a contact

The Shore Contact panel provides Call, Text, and Email links when the corresponding contact information is available.

These links open the relevant phone, messaging, or email application on your device. They do not themselves confirm that a call connected or a message was sent.

Crew & Passengers shows the captain/operator, passenger information, and notification-contact count. These panels are reference views. Use the appropriate FPW editing workflow to change the underlying contact or passenger information.

Successful completion and cancellation are different outcomes.

Complete the trip safely

Finishing the final route leg does not close the Float Plan automatically.

1. At the actual end of the final leg, select Complete Current Leg / Arrived.
2. Confirm the leg’s completion.
3. Review the route and ensure every leg is complete.
4. Select Close Float Plan.
5. Confirm that the Float Plan can be closed.
6. Wait for the result.

Close Float Plan becomes available only after all route legs have been completed. If it is unavailable, review the reason and the route’s remaining leg states.

After successful closure, monitoring for that trip closes and the trip becomes eligible for its completed record.

Passing the planned return time does not close the trip. Neither does an ETA reaching the present time or a progress estimate reaching 100%.

Understand safe-arrival notices

After successful closure, FPW attempts safe-arrival notifications to the captain and applicable trip notification contacts.

The captain’s notice includes a link to the Completed Trip record. Where available for a route-backed trip, the shore-contact notice can include the completed Follow page.

Closing the trip and sending its notices are separate results. An email problem does not undo the closure, and closure does not guarantee that every recipient received an email.

Cancel an active trip

If the active trip should end without successful completion:

1. Return to the Dashboard.
2. Find the active route/Float Plan group.
3. Select Cancel.
4. Read the confirmation explaining that this ends the active trip without requiring every leg to be complete.
5. Confirm only when cancellation is intended.
6. Wait for the cancellation result.

Cancellation closes monitoring for that active group. It does not represent safe arrival and does not use the successful-completion notification path.

Do not use Cancel as a substitute for the final-leg and Close Float Plan workflow after completing the trip.

The captain’s safe-arrival email provides the verified entry to the owner’s Completed Trip page. Sign in to the owning FPW account when required.

The current Dashboard does not provide a verified Completed Trips or Trip History tab. Do not confuse a saved route with the completed operational trip record.

Read the record

The page includes:

• Trip Identity: trip, vessel, departure, and destination information.
• Timing: planned departure, actual departure, planned return, and actual completion.
• Route Summary: available route details and counts.
• Completion Summary: completion and monitoring information.
• Shore Contact: available association information.
• Data Sources: explanation of the information available to this view.

Planned and actual times remain separate. The record does not claim that the trip ended merely because the planned return time passed.

The displayed vessel name comes from the current associated vessel profile. Historical shore-contact details are limited because FPW does not present mutable contact information as a historical snapshot.

Understand the read-only boundary

This page is a completed record. It does not provide controls to edit, reopen, delete, or reuse the completed trip.

Use Back to Dashboard to return to normal planning. A new voyage should follow the normal planning workflow rather than attempting to reopen this record.

If the page says the completed trip was not found, confirm that you are signed in to the owning account and that the trip was successfully closed. A cancelled, active, or draft trip is not the same completed record.

Open My Account from the account menu, or use Dashboard Settings.

Update your profile

The Profile section shows your email, Last Login, and Last Update. Email is read-only here.

1. Enter or update First Name and Last Name. Keep at least one name populated.
2. Enter Mobile Phone if wanted. When supplied, it must be a valid US phone number.
3. Choose Save Profile.
4. Wait for Profile saved.

Your account name identifies you as the Float Plan sender. It is separate from saved operator records and from a vessel’s onboard phone.

Use Refresh to reload the displayed profile. Save edits before refreshing or leaving.

Set your home port

The Home Port section contains:

1. Enter or update the home-port information.
2. Check the latitude and longitude if supplied.
3. Use a valid US phone number or leave Phone blank.
4. Choose Save Home Port.
5. Wait for Home port saved.

Home-port information helps FPW choose useful starting locations for maps, weather, and applicable planning fields. Continue to check each trip’s locations and schedule rather than relying on defaults.

Change your password

1. Enter Current Password.
2. Enter New Password, using at least eight characters.
3. Repeat it in Confirm New Password.
4. Choose Change Password.
5. Wait for Password changed.

If FPW reports Current password is incorrect, check the current password and try again. The confirmation must match the new password.

If you cannot sign in, choose Forgot your password? on the sign-in page and request a reset link. The request screen uses a generic message; it does not confirm account existence or email delivery.

Reset links last 60 minutes. A new request replaces the previous link, and a successfully used link cannot be used again. After resetting, sign in with the new password.

Check membership and credits

Open Membership & Billing to review the access information shown for your account. Where available, this includes Planning tools, Basic sending, Premium Send Credits, and Exact active trip.

Available purchase choices can include Buy One Trip, Monthly Membership, and Annual Membership. If a button says Buy One Trip Unavailable, that purchase cannot currently be started.

Follow the displayed checkout result. Confirming your Premium Send Credit... or Confirming Premium access... means confirmation is still pending. Refresh/check Account if instructed. A purchase does not automatically send a Float Plan.

Use Manage Billing when it is available to open the hosted billing portal. Review the options and confirmations presented there.

Redeem a code

1. Find the promotional-code section.
2. Enter your code.
3. Choose Redeem Code.
4. Follow the displayed result or checkout instructions.
5. Check the updated membership/access information.

Codes can be unrecognized, inactive, expired, already used, or at their redemption limit. The displayed message explains the result. Do not assume that entering a code alone grants access.

Use Logout from the account menu when you finish on a shared device.

Open Help from Dashboard to use the Help Center, or choose Open the complete member manual there to return to this guide.

In the web manual, use Search this manual to filter chapters by a topic or phrase. Choose Clear to restore all chapters. The contents links jump to individual chapters. Your browser's Find command can locate a word within the visible text.

Use Print / Save as PDF to open the browser's print dialog. The print view includes the whole manual, even if a search was active. Choose your printer or the browser's PDF destination.

Guided help

Dashboard Tour / Show Me Around introduces the workspace. The Route Generator's Guided Tour walks through naming a route, creating or selecting it, setting the start, adding legs and loading the timeline. Follow any Waiting prompt by completing the required action, then continue.

Use the instructions for the current Dashboard route workflow in this manual if an older help paragraph describes a different Basic flow.

Phone and tablet use

The website uses the same boating workflow on smaller screens. Open the mobile navigation menu, scroll through stacked forms, and expand a timeline or manifest summary when needed. Map clicks become taps; you can drag a waypoint marker.

Long tables and some maps have their own horizontal or vertical scrolling area. Review all required fields before saving. On a small screen, scroll back to an error message if an action does not complete.

Phone Call/Text links may open installed apps. A desktop browser may not have an appropriate handler.

If a session expires, sign in again before continuing. Check whether your earlier action was recorded before repeating a send or check-in. Unsaved form edits may need to be entered again.

For support, use the site's Contact Support link and describe the screen, action, time and exact message. Do not include a password or a private Follow Link in a general support description.

The examples below explain which actions fit a situation. Use your own verified locations, equipment, conditions and timing. A practice click on On Track for a real active trip records departure; it is not a harmless preview.

First simple day trip

Prepare one vessel, an operator, a shore contact and two waypoints. Build and save the route, then open its Float Plan. Complete all six Wizard steps and save before reviewing the PDF. Choose Basic for PDF-only sharing or Premium when you need the eligible route-backed operational features.

For an activated Premium trip, use On Track when departing, complete the leg when actually arrived, and Close Float Plan after completion. Sending and departure are separate steps.

Solo boater

Save yourself as the operator and select that record in Basics. Leave passengers unselected if no one else is aboard. Select a shore contact, verify the timing and safety information, and agree how you will communicate. Your account sender name does not replace the operator selection.

Passengers and crew

Save the people you regularly take aboard. For this particular outing, select only those aboard in Passengers, Crew & Contacts. Review the count, operator and saved PDF before sending. A saved name is not automatically part of the trip.

Reuse saved locations

Open My Routes, choose an existing route or create a named route, set its start and add the intended waypoint endpoints. Load, inspect the route and Save Route. Reusing locations does not mean today's schedule, weather or fuel assumptions are unchanged.

Correct an unrealistic distance

If the initial distance looks like a direct line across land or misses the waterway, open the leg's Edit Route map. Draw the intended path, inspect Computed NM, and Save Overrides. Review the revised time and fuel totals, then save the route. A search pin alone does not change the path.

Compare time and fuel choices

Verify the planner's speeds in knots and the boat's gallons-per-hour values. Compare pace, weather factor, idle time and reserve. Review travel hours, fuel and cost together. The linked Fuel Calculator is useful for a separate comparison, but its result is not saved back into your route.

Plan for locks and bridges

Review the relevant library records and current operating information. Expand any mapped lock details in the Cruise Timeline. If the route says No canonical lock mapping for waypoint leg, do not interpret a zero count as proof that there are no locks. Check clearance, schedules and communications separately; FPW is not automatically comparing bridge clearance with your boat.

A lock wait makes you late

While underway, Delayed reports a pause in progress. Add Delay Time adds whole minutes to the ETA adjustment; it does not submit a check-in. Read Next Expected Check-In and continue to meet monitoring expectations. Use On Track when the same leg resumes. Contact people ashore directly if the change affects their expectations.

Secure overnight in the middle of a leg

Review Daily Start Time, then choose Secure Night and confirm. Check the displayed overnight state and next expected check-in. The next morning, use On Track to resume the same leg when you actually get underway. Passing Daily Start does not resume the leg automatically.

Stop between legs

When you really reach a leg's endpoint, choose Complete Current Leg / Arrived and confirm. Check that the trip is awaiting the next leg. Choose Start Next Leg when you leave on the pending leg. Selecting another row in the timeline does not start it.

Multi-day route

During planning, set realistic Underway Hrs / Day and inspect each day rollup. During the trip, use explicit check-ins, actual leg completion and the appropriate overnight workflow. Review the displayed next checkpoint and accumulated manual delay. A day boundary in an estimate does not automatically change the operational leg.

Keep family ashore informed

Send the Float Plan PDF and separately use Share Follow Link → Send by Text Message / Copy Link for the active trip when available. Ask your contact to confirm access. Post a text/photo update from the Follow page, or deliberately publish a captain note. Explain that estimated progress and a green status are not live proof of location or safety.

Finish the trip

Complete the final leg, then choose Close Float Plan and confirm. Confirm the trip is closed rather than merely showing an ETA or 100% estimate. Safe-arrival notification is attempted after closure. The captain's safe-arrival email provides the completed-record link; tell your contact directly if you need immediate confirmation.

Cancel instead of completing

If the active trip is being abandoned, use Dashboard Cancel and read its confirmation. This ends the active route/Float Plan group without requiring every leg to be completed. It does not mean the voyage completed safely. Communicate the change directly to your contacts.

Purchase a credit and return to a Draft

Buy One Trip if that option is available. Wait for Account to confirm the credit; a checkout return can still show a pending confirmation. Reopen the intended plan from Dashboard and review it before choosing Premium Send. Buying a credit does not send. If a send already completed, use Show Original Premium Send Result instead of trying to send it again.

Location is unavailable, or the display does not refresh

A web check-in can succeed without GPS. Read its result and the last check-in time. If the action was accepted but the panel failed to refresh, refresh the page rather than repeating the check-in. A location marker and a status report answer different questions.

Weather changes

In the planner, refresh or look up the point-based weather suggestion, review it, then choose Apply Suggested if appropriate. Underway, choose the current leg's Start or End and Check Conditions; Apply Weather to Route is a separate action. A lookup alone does not change your route assumptions.

Maintain saved boating information

Edit the relevant vessel, operator, person, contact or waypoint, then save it. Reopen the affected editable plan to review its selections and PDF before sending. If deletion is blocked, read the plan-reference message instead of repeatedly pressing Delete. Do not assume a later profile edit rewrites a completed-trip record.

Common problems

Trip states

Monitoring states

Trip progress and monitoring status are separate. A vessel can be delayed while monitoring remains active, or a trip can require a check-in even when its route estimates look reasonable. Read both the trip state and Next Expected Check-In when deciding what to do next.

Setup, planning, sending and account questions

A welcome email may follow account creation. Password-reset requests use a generic message and do not confirm delivery. Profile and password changes show an on-screen result; do not wait for an unpromised email confirmation. Hosted billing receipts depend on the billing service; review its confirmation and your Account access.

If a plan says Closed, Cancelled, or Expired, do not assume it can be reopened or edited as an active trip. Use the available read-only information and the normal new-trip workflow.