Record the evidence for each check—not just a row of reassuring ticks.
Start with the limiting question
Identify what could prevent the planned passage: overhead height, depth, bridge operation, conditions or another route-specific constraint. This checklist concentrates on organising the bridge-height and reference checks; it is not a complete voyage plan. Set aside any assumption you cannot substantiate. A form should make an unresolved item easier to see, not encourage you to tick it merely to reach the last screen.
Stage one: the boat
Record a meaningful passage label without sensitive personal information. Confirm the loaded air draft, the actual equipment configuration and a separately chosen buffer. Our converter can help turn an existing feet-and-inches measurement into decimal feet, but it does not measure the boat. Revisit the inputs if the configuration changes. The checklist records your acknowledgement; it cannot verify that physical work was carried out.
Stage two: the bridge and references
Identify the intended crossing and span from current official charting. Keep the applicable clearance reference and source at hand. Where a relevant NOAA air-gap station exists, check its location and observation time. A bridge name in a search result is only the start of identification, and the chart-derived GIS finder is not a certified navigation product. Leave any unresolved mismatch between references marked as pending.
Stage three: the remaining dependencies
Review the applicable tide, current and weather information separately. Use the USCG notices resource and the appropriate bridge information to check restrictions relevant to the actual passage. BoatWaypoint does not supply a guaranteed current opening schedule or a live weather clearance. Record that these checks need an external authoritative source, then retain a realistic waiting or alternative-plan note outside this tool where necessary.
Save a record, not an approval
The interactive checklist runs on your device. Saving is explicit; you can load or remove its local record. A printed or downloaded copy contains only the items recorded by you and its record timestamp. Even nine of nine recorded items does not mean conditions were validated by BoatWaypoint or that the passage is authorised. Before departure, revisit time-sensitive sources and unresolved items. Use the checklist as a memory aid alongside—not instead of—official navigation information and on-water judgement.
Build a private passage checklist
Keep the inputs, source references and unresolved dependencies together.
Build a private passage checklist