How to Document Time on the Water

[Hindsightgenius]

Hi all,

So I plan to buy a sailboat in a few years time and I have read that having "time on the water" is going to be important for insurance (among other things of course).

I have joined some sailing trips using Find a Crew and plan to do more, also helped a friend with a 800 mile passage, but I was wondering, how should I document this in a way that "counts" for insurance?

Thanks!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, genius.

Many insurers offer discounts for good driving records [and claims history], and for anyone who has completed boater education classes.
To document your experience, reate and maintain [self certify] a sailing log/resume, including any professional sailing instruction or certifications (ASA courses), list or table of the number of days, sizes of vessel, and level of instruction such as basic introduction, skippering training, bareboat charter, off-shore training, and a listing of all sailing and boating experiences.
If sailing on an other’s boat, you could get the captain/owner to co-sign your log.

Licensure is only slightly more onerous:
Most license applicants self-certify their days of sea time spent aboard their own boat. Proof of ownership of the boat that you’re claiming days of sea time on must accompany your application.
If your time was spent on friends’ or family members’ boats, then you must provide a sea service form [1], signed by the owner of the boat you intend to claim time on.
For an OUPV [6 pac] near coastal license, 360 days of sea time are required, 90 of which must have occurred in the last 3 years. Ninety of the 360 days must be on the ocean or near coastal waters, or the license will be limited to inland waters only.

[1] Small Vessel Sea Service Form CG-719S
➥ https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/N...ms/CG_719S.pdf

See also:
Documentation of Sailing Experience ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ce-187122.html

[Uricanejack]

There is no requirement to record seatime. Unless you want to pursue some kind of certificate. if you want to.

An option is to by a personal Seatime Log Book.
Like the RYA log book or CYA Log book.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Hindsightgenius

Hi all,

So I plan to buy a sailboat in a few years time and I have read that having "time on the water" is going to be important for insurance (among other things of course).

I have joined some sailing trips using Find a Crew and plan to do more, also helped a friend with a 800 mile passage, but I was wondering, how should I document this in a way that "counts" for insurance?

Thanks!

Since you're going about this in a responsible way, get a decent spiral bound notebook. Write down what you did, the distances or lat/lon coordinates involved, hours and duties on watch, and get the skipper to sign it. Soon, you'll have pages of documentation, in the event you need it. You can post date it, if you have the data and connections.

As a sort of post script, you can actually start a journal in one of those empty books, that will become your ship's log, when you actually get your boat. It is a legal document, so be attentive about what you put in it. We have had Customs & Immigration want to check our daily positions from our deck log.

Ann

PS. I am recommending ink and paper, because with electronics, the blue screen of death can lose you all your data. Pretty easy to keep a book legible.

[ChrisJHC]

In addition to Ann’s list, recommend you keep track of night hours.
The RYA will want that for their more advanced certificates.

[i-Zapp]

...just getting started in the topic, so please excuse my naivity... I am interested in the USCG OUPV "6 pack" certificate, and wondering about how to "back calculate" and document hours I've spent since 16 years old (40 years ago!).

i've not formally logged any time for any of these:
* owned and operated a 20' bowrider on Lake Erie for a period of about 10 years
* replaced it with a 23' bowrider for about 6 years (accumulated about 300 hours on the engine clock)
* replaced with 34' sailboat for last 6 years (several 100 mile trips, plus lots of daysailing and racing)
* captained three week-long charters in Carib / Med (100+ miles each) for family/friends

I'm sure that I've spent the 360 hour requisite on the above, but the question becomes how do i properly, effectively document it? Feasible???

[Uricanejack]

The charters are easy to verify, just get conformation from charter company, eg a receipt write it down. On the form from the link posted above.
Include name of vessel, official no, (if you can, you may have to ask charter co)where when.
That should give you 21 Days.
Only 344 to go.
If you have kept any kind of log book from your 34ft sailboat, which will confirm some time. For lower level certificate USCG may accept a statement from you as the owner.
Not sure at all about the small trail boat you will have to ask.
Start keeping a more formal record now.

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by i-Zapp

...just getting started in the topic, so please excuse my naivity... I am interested in the USCG OUPV "6 pack" certificate, and wondering about how to "back calculate" and document hours I've spent since 16 years old (40 years ago!).

i've not formally logged any time for any of these:
* owned and operated a 20' bowrider on Lake Erie for a period of about 10 years
* replaced it with a 23' bowrider for about 6 years (accumulated about 300 hours on the engine clock)
* replaced with 34' sailboat for last 6 years (several 100 mile trips, plus lots of daysailing and racing)
* captained three week-long charters in Carib / Med (100+ miles each) for family/friends

I'm sure that I've spent the 360 hour requisite on the above, but the question becomes how do i properly, effectively document it? Feasible???

What satisfies the doc requirements? USCG should be able answer that. May be as simple as you make a list.

I probably have 100 hours in a dinghy at night with no lights. Aside from a few witnesses I have no proof.

[GordMay]

How do I prove my time on the water to meet the US Coast Guard requirements?

Most recreational boaters do not maintain log books, so the Sea Service forms* which are included in the USCG application package must be filled in using the honor system. This form consists of twelve boxes, one for each month of the year. Starting with the most recent year, you fill in the number of days you can best recall being on the water and then go backward in time to the age of 16 years old, or until the sea time requirements [360 days for OUPV] have been met.

This time is then supported by proof of ownership of the vessel, if you are claiming time on your own boat.
If you claim time on someone else's boat, then they must sign your sea service form.

Proof of ownership may include such documents as: registration papers, documentation papers, insurance papers, or bills of sale. Pictures are not considered acceptable. To claim your time the vessels should be greater than sixteen (16) feet in length.

Captains' License Information [USCG] ➥ https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php...s-license-info

* SMALL VESSEL SEA SERVICE FORM ➥ https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/N...ms/CG_719S.pdf

[i-Zapp]

Originally Posted by i-Zapp

i've not formally logged any time for any of these:
* owned and operated a 20' bowrider on Lake Erie for a period of about 10 years
* replaced it with a 23' bowrider for about 6 years (accumulated about 300 hours on the engine clock)
* replaced with 34' sailboat for last 6 years (several 100 mile trips, plus lots of daysailing and racing)
* captained three week-long charters in Carib / Med (100+ miles each) for family/friends

typo on my part - it's 360 DAYS not "hours". not quite the cushion i thought i had, but if i loosely calculate that i've owned and operated my own boat for a period of 20 years, and at a minimum use my boat twice a week, and enjoy a brief 3 month boating season each year, then that works out to... 20 x 2 x 4 x 3 = 480 days

i suppose i'll approach the USCG with that math and if it seems reasonable to them then continue with the certification process.