ProSail

How to plan step by step.

A passage from Cowes to Cherbourg, created in the ProSail planning on the forecast of 8 November 2026. Eight steps, from chart to crew briefing.

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  1. 1

    Choose your passage

    Pick a departure and arrival, or a saved passage. Tap the chart to add waypoints, to round a headland or keep clear of a traffic separation scheme.

    The Course screen: Cowes Roads to Cherbourg west entrance on the chart, through Egypt Point, Hurst Narrows and the Needles Fairway, 73.9 NM.
  2. 2

    Pick your boat

    Choose your boat from the list. Its characteristics are taken from ORC certificate data for that design.

    The boat picker, listing Bavaria and Beneteau designs with their lengths.
  3. 3

    Set how hard you sail and your limits

    Relaxed, cruising or racing sets how close to the boat’s polar you sail. Then set the most wind and sea you’re happy with, and when you’d like to leave.

    The Course screen’s settings: leave this week, Beneteau First 40.7 sailed at cruising pace, and a 25 kn wind limit.
  4. 4

    ProSail sails it 50 times

    The routing engine sails your course from seven departure times through all 50 ECMWF ensemble forecasts, with tidal streams and wave heights. It takes about ten seconds.

    The working screen: sailing the course from 7 departures through 50 forecast outcomes.
  5. 5

    Compare departures

    Each departure gets an arrival window, peak wind, sea state and how many of the 50 forecasts stay inside your limits. The best fit is marked, with a short briefing alongside. Select your preferred option to route.

    Departure options: seven departures from Monday to Thursday, with Tuesday 19:00 the best fit, inside your limits in 50 of 50 forecasts.
  6. 6

    Check the route

    The expected track over the ground with your position every three hours, and the course to steer for each leg, on which tack and how fast.

    The Route screen: the expected track to Cherbourg with times along it, and the course to steer leg by leg.
  7. 7

    Export to your plotter

    Download the route as GPX for your chartplotter or plotter app, or read the waypoints off for hand entry, in true or magnetic.

    The Export screen: share or download the GPX, the crew briefing, and a waypoint read-out with bearings and courses to steer.
  8. 8

    Share the crew briefing

    Send the crew a link with the departure, arrival, wind, sea and course to steer. It opens on any phone, with no account needed.

    The crew briefing for Tuesday 19:00, with the most likely arrival, peak wind, sea, night sailing and the course to steer.

Screens from the ProSail app. Not for navigation.

Plan your own passage in your browser.

Access opens on 23 November, with passages first and races to follow.

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