YOTREPS: Yacht Operational Reports

YOTREPS (Yacht Operational Reports) are comprehensive position reports compiled from daily PacSeaNet check-ins, providing detailed tracking of participating vessels as they cross oceans and explore remote destinations. These reports serve multiple purposes, from keeping families informed to creating navigational records and fostering community awareness of the cruising fleet's worldwide movements.

What Are YOTREPS?

YOTREPS are structured position reports that document essential information about each participating vessel during ocean passages and extended cruises. Each report includes:

• Vessel name and amateur radio call sign
• Date and time of position report
• Latitude and longitude (current position)
• Course and speed over ground
• Weather conditions (wind, seas, barometric pressure)
• Destination and estimated time of arrival
• Crew status and any relevant notes
• Distance traveled since last report

These reports are compiled daily by our volunteer scribes who meticulously record information from each net session, creating a comprehensive database of vessel movements across the Pacific and beyond.

Benefits of YOTREPS

Peace of Mind for Family and Friends: For loved ones ashore, YOTREPS provide regular updates on a vessel's safe progress across vast ocean distances. Family members can follow along with the voyage, understand current conditions, and have reassurance that the vessel is maintaining regular communications.

Navigational Record: YOTREPS create an official record of a vessel's route and progress, useful for logbooks, insurance documentation, and personal records. This can be valuable if disputes arise about passage timing or route.

Community Awareness: Other cruisers can track nearby vessels for potential rendezvous, coordinate timing for popular anchorages, or simply follow friends' voyages. The cruising community is strengthened by this awareness of where fellow sailors are located.

Weather Data Collection: Collectively, YOTREPS create a valuable database of observed weather conditions across remote ocean areas. This real-world data supplements forecast models and helps future cruisers plan their passages.

Safety Net: If a vessel fails to report for several consecutive days without explanation, the lack of YOTREPS can trigger welfare checks and potentially alert authorities if serious concerns arise.

How YOTREPS Are Compiled

During each daily net session on 14300 kHz, our volunteer scribes listen carefully to each vessel check-in, recording the information shared by the crew. This data is then compiled into structured reports and published for participants and their designated shore contacts.

The compilation process requires attention to detail, accurate transcription of positions and weather data, and careful verification of information. Our experienced scribes have developed efficient systems for managing dozens of vessel reports during each net session.

According to World Sailing's offshore safety guidelines, maintaining regular position reports through established communication systems is considered an important safety practice for vessels on extended offshore passages.

Accessing YOTREPS

YOTREPS are made available to participating vessels and their designated shore contacts. When you join the regular roll call, you can provide contact information for family members or shore managers who should receive your position reports.

Reports are distributed through various methods to accommodate different communication preferences and capabilities. Participants can typically access current and historical YOTREPS for the entire fleet, creating transparency and community awareness.

What to Include in Your Position Report

To ensure your YOTREPS are accurate and useful, provide clear and complete information during your daily check-in:

Position Format: Give latitude and longitude in degrees and decimal minutes (e.g., "18 degrees 42 minutes north, 155 degrees 18 minutes west"). Speak clearly and consider spelling out critical numbers phonetically if propagation is poor.

Course and Speed: Provide your course in degrees true (not magnetic) and speed in knots. If you're hove-to or drifting, indicate this clearly.

Weather Observations: Include wind direction (true, not apparent), wind speed in knots, sea state, barometric pressure with trend (rising/falling/steady), and general weather description (sunny, overcast, squalls, etc.).

Destination and ETA: State your intended destination and estimated time of arrival, or indicate how many days remain to your destination. If your plans have changed, inform net control.

Crew Status: "All well" is standard phrasing when everything is fine. If there are health concerns, equipment issues, or other matters affecting your passage, provide appropriate details.

Historical YOTREPS

Over years of operation, the PacSeaNet has compiled an extensive archive of YOTREPS documenting thousands of ocean passages. While individual voyage details are primarily for participants and their designated contacts, the collective database represents a remarkable record of small vessel voyaging across the world's oceans.

Some cruisers return to review their historical YOTREPS years later, reliving passages and remembering the details of their adventures. These reports become part of each vessel's cruising legacy.

Privacy and Information Sharing

We respect participants' privacy while maintaining the community benefits of position reporting. YOTREPS are shared with:

• Other participating vessels (community awareness)
• Designated shore contacts specified by vessel captain
• Net operations personnel (scribes, net control, administrators)

If you have specific privacy concerns or restrictions on information sharing, discuss these with net control when joining the regular roll call. We can accommodate reasonable requests while maintaining the core benefits of the YOTREPS system.

YOTREPS and Emergency Response

In the event of an emergency situation, YOTREPS provide crucial information for rescue coordination. The most recent position report, course, speed, and destination help emergency responders determine a vessel's likely location and plan search patterns effectively.

Additionally, the regular rhythm of daily reports means that an absence of check-ins can be quickly identified, potentially triggering welfare checks before a minor problem becomes a serious emergency.

Participating in YOTREPS

To have your vessel included in YOTREPS, simply check in during our daily nets and request to be added to the regular roll call. Our net control operators will add you to the list and ensure your position is recorded during each subsequent check-in.

There is no fee for this service—it's provided entirely by volunteers dedicated to supporting the cruising community. We ask only that you maintain regular check-ins while actively cruising and inform us when your plans change or you want to be removed from the active roll call.