Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 09-01-2021, 04:56   #1
S/V rubber ducky
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
Do You Count

Do you count the number of days you sail, the miles, days at anchor etc.? I read lots of post with "I did "X" number of ........".

I don't count. Yes I write down engine hours and dates etc in the maintenance log. I have a sail log with dates and where we went etc but no miles in it. I could if pressed go through that log for underway days, but I don't have a running total. Counting etc just doesn't matter to me to know.
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 05:03   #2
Moderator
 
tkeithlu's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Carrabelle, Florida
Boat: Fiberglas shattering 44' steel trawler
Posts: 6,083
Re: Do You Count

I use an adjoining pages log - the left side is the deck log, with locations and times and the like, while the right side is the engineering log, with engine hours, maintenance, and squawks. Yes, days are separated, and I did note days with 8 hours underway until I realized that I'd be non compus mentis before I reached enough to qualify for a license.
__________________
Never let anything mechanical know that you are in a hurry.
tkeithlu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 06:05   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: On a sphere in a planetary system
Boat: 1977 Bristol 29.9 Hull #17
Posts: 730
Re: Do You Count

Our chart plotter logs our miles, so I don’t actively think about it for a record keeping need. As to the number of days under sail or motor, that gets recorded in our blog.

Fair winds,
Pegu Club is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 06:38   #4
Senior Cruiser
 
boatman61's Avatar

Community Sponsor
Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PORTUGAL
Posts: 30,561
Images: 2
pirate Re: Do You Count

Never.. I look at where I am headed for and the minimum possible safe distance and set off knowing full well the distance travelled will invariably be greater than that due to winds, tides and currents.. keeping a record is pointless to my mind as no one's going to read it including me..
If I do the same trip again my memory serves well enough for any important stuff but milage is not one of them.
__________________

It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
boatman61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 06:52   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,002
Re: Do You Count

We use a spreadsheet. While it's main intent is for planning the future, once populated, it has all the historical info in it and not hard to query it for various info if we are curious.

We use the historical aspect most often when we are trying to remember when we were somewhere.
valhalla360 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 07:31   #6
Registered User
 
sailingabe41ds's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Channel Islands, CA
Boat: Jeanneau 41 DS
Posts: 559
Re: Do You Count

I second boatman61. For the last 30 years the only record I keep is the hours/date of the last maintenance on the engine so I know when it is due for the next maintenance. No logs....no trip millage...no sail v motor. I am never going to get any commercial license nor use the boat as a business.

Abe
sailingabe41ds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 07:36   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Rochester, NY
Boat: Chris Craft 381 Catalina
Posts: 6,190
Re: Do You Count

My chartplotter logs distance and time spent moving. I don't necessarily pay attention for the season overall, but I do on trips. And I keep track of the engine hour meters. As far as accounting for days away from home, I know how long our trips are and beyond that, it's just down to how well I remember when we stayed out overnight.
rslifkin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 07:58   #8
Registered User
 
grantmc's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: home town Wellington, NZ and Savusavu Fiji
Boat: Reinke S10 & Raven 26
Posts: 1,228
Send a message via Skype™ to grantmc
Re: Do You Count

I keep track of miles and hours sailed. This is because these totals are important to our national maritime authorities to gain and maintain various qualifications here in New Zealand. It's form filling for the sake of form filling so the officialdom at such establishments achieve something in their day I guess.

As an aside said bumbledoms have a rule that hours per day can't exceed 8 (and yet the miles still count). Said officials don't seem to understand or accept sailing single handed.
__________________
Grant Mc
The cure for everything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. Yeah right, I wish.
grantmc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 08:16   #9
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: Jan 2019
Boat: Beneteau 432, C&C Landfall 42, Roberts Offshore 38
Posts: 6,253
Re: Do You Count

I used to keep a written log....after filling several....I stopped...the engine has it's own hour meter, so no need to record run time......I typically change oil every 100 hours...so when the hour meter arrives at the next hundred mark...I know it's time, not only to change oil, but also for regular maintenance....works fine.

The chart plotter records everything else, but it can get so cluttered up with " tracks" I clear the system every once in a while.

In the good old days, a log book recorded much of everything, now it's all video...video's are stored on a computer, which, I guess, is a log book of sorts...video's can also be emailed to people to see what you've been up too...
MicHughV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 09:27   #10
Registered User
 
Panope's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington State
Boat: Colvin, Saugeen Witch (Aluminum), 34'
Posts: 2,269
Re: Do You Count

I burned out on keeping a logbook back in my flying days.

Other than engine maintenance, I log nothing.

Steve
Panope is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 09:30   #11
Moderator
 
Jammer's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Minnesota
Boat: Tartan 3800
Posts: 4,759
Re: Do You Count

I keep a log because it's fun to look back on and, occasionally useful for remembering when we did something or who we had with us.


Besides, the day may come where I need to document sea time for a license.
__________________
The best part of an adventure is the people you meet.
Jammer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 09:59   #12
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,310
Re: Do You Count

I don't count the days on the boat, I count the days until I can get back onto the boat.
Montanan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 10:14   #13
Senior Cruiser

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Rock Hall, MD
Boat: Mariner 39
Posts: 681
Re: Do You Count

Charter companies want my sailing resume as evidence of experience, so I keep track for the sake of that.
JoeRobertJr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 10:20   #14
Registered User
 
Discovery 15797's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Boat: Catalina Morgan 45
Posts: 596
Re: Do You Count

Almost all of my logging is in electronic form and stored in the cloud.

For those pursuing/retaining licenses documented time underway is important (although I think a lot of people lie). In the US it is also important to document offshore vs. coastal/inland time underway (all USCG 6 pac licenses are not equal).

In most cases, recording distance may be for self-gratification. But, it's also used by some to weed through prospective crew (assuming that person not fabricating numbers and is willing to provide references), and it could also be beneficial when submitting boat resumes to some insurance companies (esp. if you are planning an offshore voyage) to document some level of experience (and be able to back it up if asked for proof), and some charter companies like to see this also.

Like MicHughV I gave up on paper logs long ago. I find them to be nothing more than a collection of mostly obsolete and useless data scribbled on parchment that takes up space and collects dust.

But, for long multi-day passages I let Iridium Go and PredictWind to the tracking and I reset the chart plotter distance traveled every 24 hours and I log (electronically) the distance and journal notes. This helps me better understand average distance/day for that voyage and more accurately predict a time of arrival at port (some ports require a 48 hour notice prior to arrival). For me the most important part of the logging is the daily journal/blog entries posted on PredictWind for family and friends to vicariously enjoy.

For daysails I use the customizable MobiDB database app (saves to cloud when connected to internet, syncs to all devices, and is useable when not connected to internet). I created 1 table (log book) to simply record date, time underway, distance, engine hours, and a journal entry (guests, events, anchoring spots, random thoughts, etc.). This is mostly for personal gratification.

I have other tables in the database for maintenance logging, another for expenses, etc. This provides an easily transferable, searchable record of items that may provide benefit should the boat ever transfer to a new owner.
__________________
-----------------------------------------------
Quests Of Discovery
Discovery 15797 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2021, 10:37   #15
Registered User
 
Orion Jim's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Noank, Ct. USA
Boat: Cape Dory 31
Posts: 3,161
Images: 8
Re: Do You Count

When I travel any distance greater than 20 NM I keep a log both for my own interest and because it is a contemporaneous document which can be very helpful should any unfortunate incident occur. When I’m making a run offshore I keep a very detailed log and update my position at least four time daily on my passage chart. It is especially helpful when crossing the Gulf Stream since eddies run contrary to the expected flow.
Orion Jim is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Do you count your sea miles? How? LifePart2 General Sailing Forum 39 17-10-2013 08:37
Viewer Count Blue Stocking Flotsam & Sailing Miscellany 10 03-03-2011 04:25
Count Down to Castoff jSnyder Meets & Greets 7 26-11-2010 20:41
GLL Invalid Field Count Error Eclipse145 OpenCPN 2 31-05-2010 20:30

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 00:20.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.