How Do You Log Your Travels?

[bluemapia]

Hi Randy,

If you're looking to map your journey, keep a photo log of your positions, or would consider helping to build up our creative commons licensed cruising database - We've built up a new web & social mapping website for boaters. We don't run a blogging platform, however we do have maps you can easily embed into any one of the above blogging platforms.

I hope you don't mind us out-right plugging our own site, but we are just a bunch of sailors who built it up ourselves, with great hopes that others like us might find it useful. Whatever you choose, good luck and happy cruising!

Cheers!

http://www.bluemapia.com
Web & Mobile Social Mapping for Boaters

[svbillabong]

We've been Sailing for 5 years and have over 25,000 photos, 30,000 miles of GPS tracks and Blogs, Websites, Videos so we understand the need and importance of easy to use blogging even without internet (95% of our Blog posts were emailed).

A good sailing blog combines a story, with photos and maps to help highlight each entry (all tied together). Like all good things on a boat, BlurbBits has multiple purposes (and it's free). BlurbBits are designed to easily add photos and/or maps into a blog post. Doing this also defines the posts location so we can build an interactive blog navigation map which remains persistant while the user navigates your blogs. We can even extract different views so people can quickly find out where you are, and see where you've been.

BlurbBits can also be combined with existing websites to build the ultimate sailing map for blog/sites/videos.

Check out the BlurbBits basics or if you are familiar with Blogger, the getting started overview and our Blogger geoblogging process.

We've even have some tips on remote editing of photos (without internet).

Please contact us with questions

[Tempest245]

I'm a paper guy...for now

I keep two logs....a maintenance log; everything I've done on the boat. repairs, part numbers, costs, filter changes, oil changes etc with dates engine hours...etc.

For cruising and sailing..I use an International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press...International Log book by..C. Dale Nouse.. it has an engine/ weather checklist as well as pilotage and notes.

I really enjoy seeing what people have done with their websites/ blogs/ photos etc.
Maybe next season!

[MarkJ]

We don't blog. We have our own website.

It's really quite easy and fun doing it yourself on your own website. And your visitors don't have ads running over your pages. You know whats on your site is going to stay there (unless you stuff it up or don't pay!)

Its a good thing to learn if you have a bit of time and a good internet connection. You get total control on how you want things to look, and you can have as many pages as you want. Hidden ones too so family can be updated etc.


Mark

[Tempest245]

Mark,

Great Site! you guys are having way too much fun! It's 10 degrees F. here...your pictures warmed me up.

BTW, I'm reading "Fatal Storm" the Sydney/Hobart race...

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

BTW, I'm reading "Fatal Storm" the Sydney/Hobart race...

You want to read that and then go sailing?

Dat crackers man! You'll freak yourself right out!

On a serious note: One of the people on Sword of Orion (1 lost life) was recently in a small light trimaran racing from the Gold Coast (where we are now) and turned turtle after pitchpoling near Tweed Heads (about 30 miles south of here) none else in his race noticed though he was comeing second and the rest must have passed him.

Their EPIRB and Grab Bag was inside the upturned boat and they couldnt get to it!

But don't you think after being on a boat where lives were lost you would know not to go to sea in a small light tri? And not properly prepared?

So that books worth nothing unless the lessons are learned


10 degrees in Farienhights... that's nice and warm isn't it?????


Mark

[Tempest245]

Did they make it out of the tri ???

Funny you should mention the S O I'm on that chapter!

Speaking of setting out in flimsy boats, I just finished A Voyage for Madman last week. Also some interesting tales from the Tasman in that story.

I try to take lessons from all these accounts.

And when I fly, I want the pilot who can land in water!!

Fair Winds.

[svbillabong]

For those of you who keep paper logs, you can easily map your logs by building an electronic log book in a Notepad text file (like this). Then you can use the BlurbBits Mapr to Load the Scratchpad data (cut & paste your text), adjust the positions and set your zoom levels to highlight the correct area (zoom=8 middle of the ocean zoom=12 or 15 for anchorages with good maps). If you don't know your location, leave it blank, you can find it using the mapr search features. You'll need to upload the file into a Google Spreadsheet in order to map it in the BlurbsViewr.

Later, if you want, you can add photos and links to other pages, like wikipedia, photo albums, your website or combine it with your Blogs (like this). Check out the BlurbBits Mapr docs for more details. It sure beats entering position after position into dialog boxes.