From a Plan to a Complete Cruise Briefing

1
Tell Us Your Plan
Choose a local outing, an out-and-back trip, or a point-to-point cruise. Set your departure time and let GoNoGo WX use your boat’s cruise speed to build the timing.
2
See Every Leg
Review the conditions expected along each stretch at the hour you are expected to be there.
3
Explore Your Options
Compare departure times, review arrival conditions, and ask the Virtual First Mate what changes under another plan.

An Actual GoNoGo WX Cruise Plan

The plan below was created through the same GoNoGo WX cruise-planning system subscribers use. It brings the route, timing, conditions, water movement, route awareness, and selected boat limits together in one view.

Real GoNoGo WX cruise plan · curated example

This example was generated by GoNoGo WX for Vista, an example boat, and is rebuilt from current conditions through the day. It is illustrative of the product experience and should not be used for a current boating decision.

DEPARTURE BRIEFING

Eastport Yacht Club → St. Michaels, MD · Thursday, August 27, 2026 · Departure: 09:00 EDT

Vista, an example boat · 21 ft · 22 kt cruise

NO-GO

Severe storms forecast, past your limits. Wind is 13 kt. 22 nm from Eastport Yacht Club to St. Michaels, MD, about 75 minutes underway in 3 legs. Expect wind 13-15 kt and seas to 2.0 ft. It is the Eastport Yacht Club → Bloody Point leg, 09:00-09:32 EDT, that decides it. Thunderstorms are a hard stop, not a judgment call. This becomes a GO when the storm risk clears your window. Re-check a few hours before you plan to leave, and consider shifting the departure rather than the route.

Past the limits you set for Vista.

Why

Lightning Severe storms forecast (Eastport Yacht Club → Bloody Point, 09:00-09:32 EDT)
Wind 13 kt, your limit is 12 kt (caution to 18) (Eastport Yacht Club → Bloody Point, 09:00-09:32 EDT)
Wind 15 kt (gusts 20 kt), your limit is 12 kt (caution to 18) (Bloody Point → St. Michaels, MD, 09:32-10:15 EDT)

What to expect

Wind: 13 to 15 kt, gusts 20 kt from S
Seas: 1 to 2 ft
Rain: showers in the forecast
Storms: named in the forecast for this window

What would change it

Thunderstorms are a hard stop, not a judgment call. This becomes a GO when the storm risk clears your window. Re-check a few hours before you plan to leave, and consider shifting the departure rather than the route.

Built from the latest NOAA marine forecast issued this morning.

More Than Departure Conditions

A favorable departure does not guarantee favorable conditions throughout a cruise.

GoNoGo WX uses the boat’s cruise speed and planned departure to estimate when the boat will reach each leg. Conditions are then evaluated for that expected time and place.

That means the cruise plan can identify:

The most favorable part of the trip
The most demanding leg
Conditions expected at arrival
When conditions are expected to change
How tide or current aligns with the schedule
Whether another departure time changes the plan

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Conditions for Every Leg

Your boat’s cruise speed determines the expected timing of the cruise. Change the speed or departure time, and the ETAs and leg assessments change with it. The same wind can affect different legs differently, so GoNoGo WX evaluates whether wind and seas are ahead, behind, or across the planned course and describes the expected effect on each one.

Eastport Yacht Club → Bloody Point
09:00-09:32 EDT
NO-GO
S 13 kt, seas 1.0 ft
Noticeable head sea
Regular spray over the bow
Some pounding in the sets
Ebb with you at about 0.5 kt through this stretch, running S.
This should be the smoothest section of the trip.
9.4 nm · heading 155° · 22.6 kt over ground
Bloody Point → Eastern Bay
09:32-09:54 EDT
CAUTION
S 15 kt, gusts to 20 kt, seas 2.0 ft
Severe beam sea
Violent roll
Heavy spray
Genuinely rough
Ebb against you at about 0.4 kt through this stretch, running SW.
This is the roughest portion of the run.
7.9 nm · heading 74° · 21.6 kt over ground
Eastern Bay → St. Michaels, MD
09:54-10:15 EDT
CAUTION
S 15 kt, gusts to 20 kt, seas 1.0 ft
Noticeable head sea
Regular spray over the bow
Some pounding in the sets
Ebb against you at about 0.3 kt through this stretch, running NNE.
Conditions should ease off through this stretch.
5.1 nm · heading 176° · 21.7 kt over ground

The most demanding stretch

Bloody Point to Eastern Bay, 09:32-09:54 EDT: S 15 kt, gusts to 20 kt, seas 2.0 ft. This is the roughest water on the run.

Compare Departure Times

A different departure can change more than the arrival time. Where the planner finds a timing gate worth moving for, it says what the move buys and what it costs.

On this run, on this day, the planner found no timing gate worth moving the departure for. That is a real answer rather than a missing one: the comparison appears when a stream, a bar or a bridge actually rewards leaving at a different hour.

The forecast mentions isolated showers and thunderstorms later in the day. This arrival lands before the part of the afternoon they usually build in.

Route Awareness Where It Matters

GoNoGo WX connects relevant route information to the cruise plan. Only information relevant to the route appears in the plan, so what is below is what this run actually returned.

Opening bridges

Vermilion River, LA (33 CFR 117.509)

Shall open on signal; except that, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the draw shall open on signal if at least four hours notice is given. (b) The draws of the following bridges shall open on signal; except that, from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Cut for length. 33 CFR 117.509 has the rule in full.

Spa Creek, MD (33 CFR 117.571)

Maryland: (a) From May 1 to October 31, Monday through Friday, except Federal and State holidays: (1) The draw shall remain closed from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., except the draw shall open at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Cut for length. 33 CFR 117.571 has the rule in full.

Opening schedules are 33 CFR 117, the Coast Guard's Drawbridge Operation Regulations, as published on 2026-08-19. They are the rule a bridge tender is bound by, and they are not a promise about today: a bridge can be out for repair, held for a passing train, or under a temporary deviation the Coast Guard has issued since. Call the tender on VHF 09 or 13 before you commit to an opening.

Federal channels along the route

Back Creek is a Federal navigation project maintained to 8 ft. Last surveyed March 22, 2022.

Saint Michaels is a Federal navigation project maintained to 6 ft. Last surveyed February 7, 2024.

Annapolis Harbor is a Federal navigation project maintained to 15 ft. Last surveyed February 23, 2024.

You draw 2 ft and the shallowest of these is kept to 6 ft, so the project depth is not what decides this run for you.

Local hazards on this run

Crab Pots

Pots are dense through Eastern Bay and the mouth of the Choptank.

Shoaling

Shoal water extends south and east of Thomas Point Light: stay outside the marks.

Commercial Traffic

Commercial traffic converges on the Baltimore channel; keep out of the shipping lane.

Naval Academy launches, water taxis and a crowded mooring field share this harbor; on a race afternoon the sailing fleet has right of way and no engine.

Everything funnels through the two ship spans here, commercial traffic included: pick your span early and hold it rather than crossing under a bridge to change your mind.

Where you could get in

Hillsmere Shores Marina, 1.5 nm off the track

North Pond, 1.5 nm off the track

This is one run on one day, so it shows what this route meets. Locks, inlet crossings, tidal gates and reported aid-to-navigation discrepancies appear on the routes that have them. The complete route-awareness list is in the feature guide →

Ask before you go

Ask the Virtual First Mate

Once the plan is built, use the Virtual First Mate to explore it in plain English. Ask questions such as:

Would leaving earlier improve the trip?
What changes if we leave two hours later?
Which leg looks most demanding?
When will we reach the inlet?
Can we be back before dark?
Is another day better?
Where can we get in if plans change?

The Virtual First Mate works from the same plan, conditions, timing, and route information shown in GoNoGo WX. It can recalculate the relevant parts of the cruise when the plan changes and explain what changed.

See What You Can Ask the Virtual First Mate

Choose the Trip That Fits Your Day

Around here

Plan time on local waters without requiring a separate destination.

Out and back

Plan the outbound trip and the return on their own timing and conditions.

Going somewhere

Plan a cruise from one location to another with leg-by-leg assessments and arrival conditions.

Longer passages

Build a multi-leg plan that follows the timing and conditions expected throughout the journey.

Part of the Complete GoNoGo WX Experience

Every subscription includes:

Personalized daily email briefings
GO / CAUTION / NO-GO assessments with explanations
Local, out-and-back, and point-to-point trip planning
Leg-by-leg cruise conditions
Cruise-speed-based ETAs and arrival windows
Departure-time comparisons
Tides and currents connected to route timing
Route and hazard awareness
Virtual First Mate guidance
Shareable float plans
Mobile, tablet, and desktop access

Explore Every Feature

Built to Support the Captain

GoNoGo WX is boating planning and decision-support software. It brings conditions, route information, timing, and the limits selected by the captain into one personalized cruise plan.

It does not replace charts, navigation equipment, official information, seamanship, or the captain’s judgment.

The decision always remains with the captain.

Additional questions are answered in the frequently asked questions →, and source information is available on the data sources page →.

Plan Your Next Cruise.

Set your boat. Choose your limits. Enter your plan. See what is expected along the way.

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Every feature included. No credit card required. Your first personalized briefing is sent when setup is complete.

View a Sample Briefing

The plan above runs Eastport Yacht Club to St. Michaels, MD and is rebuilt from live conditions through the day, so it is a real plan rather than a live feed.

See What’s Waiting Ahead.