Filling in the log - why?

[snowleopard]

interested to know why people fill in the log.

-nostalgic winter reading?
-to work up the DR?
-in case the gps packs up?
-to satisfy officious french coastguards?
-because it's traditional?
-to give the crew something to do?
-to provide an alibi for a dirty weekend?

so what do we really need to record?

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[Chris_Robb]

I normally set off on the summer cruise prommising myself that I will keep a detailed story of the cruise. first 2 days OK then I start to forget about it - then it records the date back home!

I record the start date and time - engine hours Estimated fuel in tanks etc, and the names of those on board. I plot on paper chart every hour from GPS so see no need to write anything in the log. I mark off the time of arrival on long passages and engine hours. When I fill up with fuel I record the amount and keep a rough calculation of fuel usage per hour. but thats about it.

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[BlueSkyNick]

I like to keep a log for a number of reasons

- in case of emergency, where had we come from, and where going with who on board, forecast etc.
- record of passage for navigational purposes, without reference to electronics which I hardly use, except for current position
- build up a diary of information over a season, such as distances covered over what timescales
- engine maintenance log
- always been taught that it is a sensible thing to do (father had an RN and operational engineering background)

<hr width=100% size=1>OK - Get Fell In you 'orrible lot! There's wine to be drunk!

 

[jimi]

In case electronics go down
Weather .. record barometer,wind, cloud & sea state
Significant events
Memories



<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[Superstrath]

Keeping a journal make more sense for the coastal cruiser- the layout of the logs usually sold is very wasteful on space. There's no need to record every course on a coastal passage espacially since we spend most of our time beating upwind.
A simple hard backed notebook, with time written in the margin, serves to record everything that's appropriate, destination, weather, crew, good pubs, interesting observations, currents, neccessary planning, sketch charts etc. etc. Frequent positions on a proper chart are the best record of where you've been/are, with good chartwork to determine where you're going and how.
Such a journal will provide useful information for future planning, or nostalgia trips, and can be as detailed or a basic as conditions and circumstances require.
Our bridge log on proper ships would end up with page after page of nothing - in a big A3 book - as you trundled accross, say, the Indian Ocean in a flat calm. Three positions a day if you're lucky.

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[doris]

UK Customs

I, for one, have been taken to task by C&E officials as to where I have come from etc. A vaguely serious log sorts the problem. Last year we were boarded and 'rummaged' twice in the channel and I'm sure this will increase. I know several other boats that seemed to attract even more attention than us. (Like the whole fleet on the last leg of the 2002 Triangle).
Anyway I always thought that keeping a 'proper' log was a legal requirement!

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[SteveB_Sigma33]

Not that nautical, but I use one of the cheap polaroid cameras that uses the film with sticky backs. I usually use this take pictures of the crew and get them to write down what they thought, enjoyed over the weekend etc.

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[Robih]

I cheat a bit and use a dictaphone to record passage details whilst at sea. This is mainly because, at 25kts, it's quite hard to write anything legible in a book unless it's flat calm. (Yes, I'm an imposter motorboater). We log position every 15 mins (at 25kts one's position changes rapidly (obviously) so we think 15 min log about right). We record time of recording, bearing to waypoint, distance to waypoint, speed, sea state, anything visual of note, anything mechanical of note, viz & Lat & long. Takes 10 seconds or so. When we arrive at destination we have a complete log.

Rob

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[bluejuice]

can also be used in court as legal document to help you out for insurance and other stuff, i think, eg if you rig falls off!!! on passage and in your log there is a manitence schudule filled into the log saying rig was checked every 4 hours or so it could be used to prove that you did everything to keep the rig in good nick.

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[wpsalm]

As a semi- retired professional seafarer, I,ve spent a lot of time writting up logs, faithfully recording all the trivial and tedious details. not complaining, its a legal requirment and part of the job..but I sincerly hope it never becomes a legal requirment for pleasure boats..

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[Twister_Ken]

DDCC

Funny, don't remember you doing any of that on the Double Decker Cowes Cruise

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[Chris_Robb]

Re: DDCC

Can't trust anyone these days can you! Recording of names in the log book is reserved only for those who won't welch on their skipper.

Getting bored with selling her - so might not!

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[qsiv]

One of the key assets of the ICS Nav4 is the ability to print key nav data (pos, spd, hdg) at periodic intervals. This meets all the DR requirements - the log then becomes observations - they get filled in on sunny days and when theres time on my hands. Otherwise, like others perhaps, I have series of pages with departure zzz, arrival yyy....

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[muchy_]

Yep

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[Joe_Cole]

Re: UK Customs

Surely you could use your GPS to show an over zealous customs official where you had come from? I must admit though that, if I hadn't left UK waters, I would be inclined to tell them that it's none of their business!

Joe

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[sailorman]

Y NOT JUST FOLLOW THE NEWHAVEN FERRY ?????????????????????????

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[peterb]

It can be useful. On one occasion we received a bill from an East Coast marina, who said that we had spent a night there and escaped without paying. Fortunately our log showed that we were in the Netherlands at the time, and it turned out to be another boat of the same name.

One point that came out of it, though. The marina accepted the log because it was fully bound; they would have been less willing to accept a loose-leaf logbook, where we could have replaced a couple of sheets.

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[Robin]

Our official Ships Log Book is only filled in for long passages or cross channel trips and tends to be very brief, the only guaranteed entries are start and finish times/log readings/engine hrs plus the tide times and weather. Hourly positions would be marked on the chart via Yeoman (maybe) but we do have 2 separate electronic plotters both of which (on separate battery banks) have the ability to record hourly positions or track over the ground.

Additionally though and of much more use we have a 'narrative' log book which is filled in as a record of all trips as a reminder like a diary. It doesn't have lats/longs etc but does have business cards and receipts stuck in it from all the nice restaurants we visited, pictures or postcards of where we have been, notes of harbour dues paid, which French supermarkets are open on Sundays, average speeds and so on. Very useful for future reference and planning as well as winter reminiscing.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: DDCC

<<Getting bored with selling her - so might not! >>
Well knock me down with a feather. BTW Humperdink kept a fotolog, but he can't get it out of his camera. Perhaps he should have kept a stick.

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[Gunfleet]

Peter... could this be Ramsgate by any chance? I had a bill sent to me by Ramsgate a couple of years ago out of season. My boat was in France and it was difficult to argue. I had stayed there for a number of days but they reckoned I'd stayed one more than I'd paid for.

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