A Second Officer presents you with a completed passage plan for your approval before a night departure through a busy strait. What is your responsibility as Master in this process?

A. Delegate approval to the engineer on watch

B. Sign it without review — passage planning is solely the OOW's responsibility once qualified

C. Only check the plan if the weather forecast is poor

D. Review and approve (or amend) the plan, ensuring it has been appraised against charts/publications, accounts for traffic separation schemes, contingencies and abort points, and is understood by all watchkeepers before departure

A. The tidal height at the time of transit to confirm sufficient under-keel clearance

B. The yacht's fuel consumption for that leg

C. The colour of the seabed shown on the chart

D. Only the distance to the next waypoint

A. Switch the ECDIS to standby mode and navigate by GPS position alone

B. Ignore it — ECDIS alarms are frequently false and can be left running

C. Assess the situation against the planned route and charted depths, take action to maintain safe water, and inform the Master if there is any doubt

D. Acknowledge and silence the alarm immediately so it does not distract the helmsman