Do You Keep a Log ?

[avanti2001]

Hi Sailor!

Just wondering who keeps a log? I keep a detailed log of all my adventures. I have even developed software to help me track every trip I make. The software is freely downloadable from SailTail.com.

In 2001, when I bought my first yacht, I wanted to keep a detailed log of my adventures. When writing the first stories, I thought: "Why am I writing down where we sailed when I have a GPS standing by, recording the whole trip?". So I started out to make a small program that could read the GPS track from my GPS and show it on a scanned map (Google maps was not around in 2001!). Later, when I bought a digital camera, I expanded the program to add the photos to the track. A photo contains a "date taken" and the GPS track consists of date/time and position, so I looked for the "date taken" in the GPS track and chose the closest point.

This is, in essence, still the functionality of the SailTail application I made today. It shows a tour of your sailing trip and allows you to share it on the internet (for your friends and family to follow) or to keep your trips private on your computer. Once you have uploaded your trip, you can put it on your own site or blog with one line of code.

You might be interested to try it out. It is great to read about past sailing trips, especially if they are first timers (Maiden trip, first tima at sea, etc.).

I would be interested if you keep a log and if you find SailTail useful!

Kind regards,

Anton

[boatman61]

Hi Anton...
I for one don't keep a log anymore... I used to but... I guess as I got older I got lazyer and.. also... as I don't blog or intend to be published it seems rather pointless... lotsa little scribbles on my charts tho'....lol

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by boatman61

as I don't blog

and the world thanks you.



LOL


Just jokin!


I keep a log so I know what day it is.

Last night some folks came on board for Sundowners and invited me to their boat Saturday night for a BBQ.

Fine! I said.

Can you tell me how many suns I have to count till then?



Mark

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Can you tell me how many suns I have to count till then? Mark

All right for some, suppose you don't wear a watch either, because actually the time of day at any one point doesn't matter

Pete

[Still working in George Orwells 1984]

[banyandah]

Not meaning to slap anyone's wrists, but we are masters of ships and required to keep a log. That aside, after forty years afloat and nearly two hundred thousand sea miles, my bookshelf of logbooks is memory lane. We started out with store bought books, costly so we've evolved round to hardback A4 lined notebooks available at any newsagent. These we line into columns for log reading (accumulated miles), course run, wind speed and direction, baro, sea temp, and notes which includes little diagrams for sail settings, and sketches of headlands, wildlife, etc.

[Capt.Don]

A log is helpful if you plan on documenting USCG OUPV/Captain/Mate sea time.

[Strygaldwir]

Always when under weigh. Really helped once when I lost all power aboard. Just continued on course, broke out the paper charts. Also nice to see where I have been and what maintenance I have performed. VERY handy.

[banyandah]

Originally Posted by dmclennan

A log is helpful if you plan on documenting USCG OUPV/Captain/Mate sea time.

That's true too. I used my logs to qualify for my masters ticket.Although recreational, we are professionals. Sailing is a business, and some of today's sailors get into strife because they are too relaxed about something that can be quite dangerous.

[Healer52]

Originally Posted by banyandah

Not meaning to slap anyone's wrists, but we are masters of ships and required to keep a log. That aside, after forty years afloat and nearly two hundred thousand sea miles, my bookshelf of logbooks is memory lane. We started out with store bought books, costly so we've evolved round to hardback A4 lined notebooks available at any newsagent. These we line into columns for log reading (accumulated miles), course run, wind speed and direction, baro, sea temp, and notes which includes little diagrams for sail settings, and sketches of headlands, wildlife, etc.

OK, just where are we required to keep logs? Not trying to be argumentative, but I haven't seen any requirements. It's a good practice, and might save a lot of trouble, but 'required'?

[banyandah]

to Lisa, Rick and Angel the Salty Dog, in Montana. You are right. Not required for you, Required of me when I act as master. But I may have overstated as it depends on the national body of jurisdiction. I was surprised not to see it in COLREGS. I'll look for it in the Aussie regs. But, either way, makes good sense. And so does my point that running a ship should be approached professionally.
My sister lives in Montana....

[JiffyLube]

I only maintain a maintenance log.

[svBeBe]

We maintain a regular ship's log -- date & time, position, course, wind & sea state, baro, and comments -- the normal stuff. Of course, Maxsea also tracks a log. But we use the handwritten log book for documentation for our USCG requirements.

The gendarme boarded our boat in the Marquesas and requested to see our log to confirm date and time of our arrival. We had used an agent for clearance and the paperwork had not yet been returned to us. The log book satisfied the gendarme. Any plain composition book will suffice.

Judy
S/V BeBe
Amel SM2 #387

[Simes]

Not required here in the UK or on any "Small Craft" under the Red Ensign as long as passengers are not carried, ie not commercial vessels.
However I echo the thoughts of some other re spondees, the keeping of a log is good practice.
We keep a log when ever the vessels is "Underway".

Simes

[banyandah]

This is a page of our log from our passage across the Great Australian Bight

[Factor]

I keep one (two in fact - one is a day log if I am just doing local sailing and the other is a running log for when we are doing longer passages runs etc.

Its sort of fun to look back on.

But there is no lawful requirement to keep one under Qld legislation.