A port of refuge is where you can divert and enter safely if the weather turns earlier than expected or a fault develops. In a good delivery plan, refuges are marked along the route before departure.
A good refuge
- Shelter direction
- Sheltered from the expected wind and sea; the same port can be a refuge in one wind and a trap in another.
- Entrance
- Can it be entered safely in bad weather, especially in an onshore wind?
- Depth
- Suited to the boat's draft, with clearance in the troughs.
- Night
- Lights and entrance marks; recognisable after dark.
- Facilities
- A berth, fuel, water and technical help if needed.
In the plan
- Mark along the route. At least one refuge per leg.
- Match to wind. Which refuge for which wind.
- Decision point. Where, and in what conditions, the decision to divert is made, set in advance.
Refuge by wind direction
A harbour is not a refuge in every wind. A bay sheltered from the north can be wide open to the south. So refuges along the route are matched to expected wind directions: which harbour in a northerly, which in a southerly. The matching is written into the passage plan before departure.
Safe entrance
Even if the harbour itself is sheltered, its entrance can be dangerous in an onshore wind: breaking seas, a shallow bar, a narrow mouth. So for each refuge, the conditions in which it can be entered safely are assessed in advance. If a night entry is planned, lights and marks are checked.
Decision points
The passage plan marks decision points along the route. At each, the forecast and the boat's state are assessed; carrying on or diverting is decided there. Once a decision point is passed, the options for diverting narrow.
Communication
When the decision to divert is made, the owner is told and, if needed, the refuge harbour. Whether the marina has space is asked by radio or phone.
Records
The decision to divert and its reason go in the log; the record shows the owner clearly why the schedule changed.
Sources
Pilot books, current charts and the marina directory are the main sources for choosing refuges.
Fuel and supplies
A refuge where fuel and water can be taken turns a forced stop into a useful one.
Out of season
Out of season, services at some small harbours may be closed; this is checked separately when choosing refuges for winter deliveries. Where a long wait is possible, a harbour where the crew can rest and resupply is preferred.
The refuge list is reviewed afresh for each delivery, since marina capacity and services may have changed since last year. It is marked on the route chart and shared with the crew before departure, so everyone knows the same plan and a decision can be acted on quickly. A refuge nobody has studied is little better than no refuge at all.
Refuge planning is part of the passage plan, not an afterthought, and features in the skipper's final checks before casting off.
For each refuge, entry conditions, depth, lights and contact details are kept on one page at the helm, ready to read at a glance when tired or in failing light.
Keep that page with the passage plan, and update it after every trip with anything learned on the way.
A good refuge list grows more valuable with every delivery made along that coast.