Ship's Log

[billyjoechu]

Is it a legal requirement to fill the ship's log in ink or will pencil do?

[MarkJ]

Its not a legal requirement to have a log at all so cryon is great.

Commercial vessels may have a requirement.

We just had a loooooooong discussion about this and it would make interesting reading. The thread was called something like "What do you put in your Log"

[billyjoechu]

Thank you, but I'm the construction superintendent on board a commercial dive ship in one of the Oxy oil field off the cost of Qatar. The captain is writing his log in pencil. I’m not happy about it. Admiralty law requires he keeps a log but can he write in it in pencil?

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by billyjoechu

Thank you, but I'm the construction superintendent on board a commercial dive ship in one of the Oxy oil field off the cost of Qatar. The captain is writing his log in pencil. I’m not happy about it. Admiralty law requires he keeps a log but can he write in it in pencil?

Deck and Engine room logs should be written in pen. Also, erasures must be a single line, and initialled. Depending on the flag of the vessel, they may also be required to keep what is known as an Official Log Book. Usually open for 2 years, (normally same period as the Crew Articles, and this OLB is then returned to the Flag Sate administration

[billyjoechu]

Thanks Nigel, So all logs are in ink?

[nigel1]

Some boats/ships keep a rough log, which I think can be kept in pencil, and the information is then later transferred to the proper log. It is good practice to keep the rough logs, i.e. do not bin them

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by billyjoechu

Thank you, but I'm the construction superintendent on board a commercial dive ship in one of the Oxy oil field off the cost of Qatar. The captain is writing his log in pencil. I’m not happy about it. Admiralty law requires he keeps a log but can he write in it in pencil?

OK, ok. It would of been nice to know you meant in a high risk commercial work!

Yes! Absolutely in pen!! I think the only ones who use pencil work at BP!

[Wotname]

Surely you mean HB

[capt_douglas]

Blue or black non-erasable ink pens. Other colors are discouraged; as are crayons, pencils, or blood.

[J Ventura]

Not only written in ink but hard bound ( as in not a spiral book or loose sheets ) . I don't know if it's a legal requirement to keep one on a private cruising vessel , but I'm sure it's good seamanship

[Reality Check]

I've been looking for a while... 2 hours on a very slow ISP to find a place I can download some GPS data during watches. I know I've seen tons of them provided here and on other sites but the search just isn't working well for me today.

Anyone with a good form willing to share? I can print some copies for the cockpit when I get to GF's house in a day or two. I do not have a printer on da boat or I would just do one in WORD and use that.

Though my Ships log book had them, but I don't make much use of it and when I looked at it a couple of days ago it had none.

[rebel heart]

I find the best logs are the ones that actually get written in. I use one of these with the matching pen:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B000YIGKO8

It can sit in the cockpit, get wet/beat up, and it stays alive. I write formulas and common chart symbols on the plastic cover in permanent ink. I put the "official" stuff in there like "0730 leaving from x,y on z course", but I also put in random notes like "1230 visual on m/v whatever at 230 true".

As someone else said it's not in anyway required to keep a logbook but it is good seamanship and gets you in the habit of converting from relative to true, taking fixes, writing down coordinates broadcast on the radio, etc.

You can also include "danger bearings" for non-navigating watch standers, where you can leave them instructions while you're sleeping that they should never see lighthouse xyz >= 135 degrees, because that means you're off course, etc.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Only people (professional) who use pencil, do so, so that they can hide info if necessary.

[sarafina]

Rebel Heart has the ticket. Those notebooks are perfect. waterproof and sturdy.

[ardoin]

Pencil is forever.... Ink can be bleached, but the graphite in pencil gets into the fiber and stays for ever. But the average guy may not see the erasure... a forensic investigator will see the layers of writing in pencil but won't see the ink that is bleached.

Most official documents are to be done in "black" ink.