Planning & Enroute Guides

Sailing Directions, both "Planning" and "Enroute" guides, are published by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) under the authority of the Department of Defense. These are best thought of as Coast Pilots for non-U.S. waters.

"Sailing Directions (Planning Guides)"

Planning Guides are intended to assist mariners in planning ocean passages within a particular ocean basin. Each of the (5) Planning Guides typically represent one of the world’s ocean basins or continents with the Atlantic Ocean being split between (2) volumes.

The Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia.
The North Atlantic Ocean and Adjacent Seas.
The South Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean.
The Arctic Ocean.
Antarctica.

Sailing Directions - Planning

Additionally they provide information on individual countries whose borders are adjacent to that ocean basin. Information about electronic navigation systems, recommended routes, traffic separation schemes, pilotage requirements, vessel traffic services (VTS), buoyage systems, prohibited areas, weather, currency, government, holidays, industries, languages, territorial waters, restricted areas, time zones, US Embassies and other pertinent subjects and dangers.

Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) Pub. #120

Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia

This guide is used in conjunction with Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pub. #’s 125, 126, 127, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 163, and 164.
Sailing Directions Pacific Ocean & S.E. Asia (2018) - Download.
(Updated!) Corrected to 21 March 2020.

Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) Pub. #140

The North Atlantic Ocean and Adjacent Seas

This guide is used in conjunction with Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pub. #’s 131, 132, 141, 142, 143, 145, 146, 147, 148, 191, 192, 193, 194, and 195.
Sailing Directions N. Atlantic Ocean, Baltic, North & Mediterranean Seas (2019) - Download.

Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) Pub. #160

South Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean

This guide is used in conjunction with Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pub. #’s 124, 123, 171, 172, 173, 174, and 175.
Sailing Directions S. Atlantic & Indian Oceans (2019) - Download.

Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) Pub. #180

Arctic Ocean

This guide is used in conjunction with Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pub. #’s 181, 182, and 183.
Sailing Directions Arctic Ocean (2017) - Download.

Sailing Directions (Planning Guide & Enroute) Pub. #200

Antarctica

Sailing Directions Antarctica (2017) - Download.

"Sailing Directions (Enroute Guides)"

Enroute Guides are currently published in (37) volumes and provide detailed coastal and port approach information covering non-U.S. harbors, coasts, and adjacent waters and which supplements the largest scale chart produced by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for that area.

Each Enroute publication is divided into geographic areas called sectors. Each sector includes detailed information about the coastal winds, currents, ice, dangers, geographic features and ports, channel descriptions, anchorages, facilities, and a graphic key to the nautical charts available for the sector. Basically, Sailing Directions (Enroute) provide important information for the navigator which cannot be conveniently shown on a chart.