One of the great frustrations of sailing is not knowing if anyone will follow up if you fail to appear at your destination port within a reasonable period of time. The United States Coast Guard and many other maritime safety organizations recommend you file a "float plan." This is a statement of your intended departure and destination. The idea is that if you don't show up someone will start looking for you.
I have always thought it unfortunate that the Coast Guard will not accept float plan filings. After all, they are the men and women who would (if you are in US waters) come and look for you. A few years ago I discovered an online solution to this problem - a web site that permits you to file a float plan and then will notify your contact list if you don't close the plan on time. As sometimes happens I lost the link but did just find it again. It is http://www.usfloatplan.com It only takes a minute or two to set it up and it might save you life.
Cruising my 1995 Catalina 42 MK II sailboat with my cat XO, the good, the bad, and the ugly of the open ocean world cruising life.
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A great online float plan solution is http://floatplanregistry.com. This site is free, and allows automatic notification of your contacts if you don't check-in as planned.
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