Why do I need a log ?

[pugwash]

Before departure I write any tidal data I need plus weather forecast and passage plan in a spiral-bound notebook left open, and add to it as I go along. I obtain regular positions by Yeoman chart plotter on paper charts, check them by bearings and transits,and pencil in timings and speeds, etc. I keep engine hours in a separate notebook.

Apart from reasons of nostalgia and having a place to stick my photos, why do I need to keep a ship's log in the form of neatly arranged columns? Isn't it now old hat?

 

[Mirelle]

But that is a log!

Generations of us yotties have done just that - the fad for ruled columns, big ship style, only lasted a couple of decades.

 

[Vara]

You don't need an "off the peg" logbook, as in effect you are already keeping one which is customised to your requirements.
As long as you and your crew understand the system you are using and you are backing up information to paper then there should be no problems.
Pro forma logbooks come into their own in big ships where a total stranger may be required to run the ship and can put his/her finger on the required information without decoding strange systems and idiosyncrasies.
However if you ever get into an insurance hassle or heaven forbid a prosecution for maritime wrongdoing an accurately kept Log can be a potent tool.

 

[penultimate]

Totally agree. This is another reason to be thankful for the unregulated nature of our pastime. An American friend was appalled to see that my log was a loose leaf folder. Apparently that is illegal in the USA; and I suppose would also be less valuable if ever I did get involved in any legal issue in the UK.

 

[T_S]

Well.....there are a few changes on the horizon sailing in uk waters too!

I think it has something to do with SOLAS, but everyone soon will have to have logs and written evidence of thier passage plan on board!

 

[l'escargot]

[ QUOTE ]
Well.....there are a few changes on the horizon sailing in uk waters too!

I think it has something to do with SOLAS, but everyone soon will have to have logs and written evidence of thier passage plan on board!

[/ QUOTE ]

This one has been done to death - basically, does not apply to small boats and does not say that any passage plan has to be written down.

 

[T_S]

Well....Mark I would suspect it has been pushed about here quite a lot in the past mate, but there is no smoke without fire!

I am currently on a YM theory..... my course tutor feels very strongly that this will be a requirement soon!

But then again people SHOULD ALWAYS! plan a passage and keep a log and failing to do so is just plain stupidity!

Regards......Dave

 

[Stevie_T]

It may well be the thin end of the wedge but currently there is no legal requirement to write down a passage plan. Though it is legal to have a passage plan, even if its in your head.
I agree however that we should all have a passage plan written down etc, however, if you are sailing from (say) Hamble to Cowes on a fine Sunny day with settled weather, something you have done every week for the last 30 years then to have it in your head is more than adequate.
Equally in this situation a log is hardly necessary but to log your departure from Hamble and an occasional position on the chart is a good idea.
Of course if you have an accident then you may not have much of a leg to stand on.

 

[T_S]

This the problem caused by the electronic age.....Lazyness!

But on a more serious note......a 7 hour passage with waypoints entered into the trusty GPS, an hourly log of position and bearing should be adequate if an emergency should arise.

 

[Stevie_T]

Yes I think the point is you need the information required to run up an EP if your GPS fails , so Time, Position and Compass Heading marked on the chart at hourly intervals or changes of course is a good minimum, if you are not close to hazards. ie on an offshore passage.

 

[cruisingsam]

how do you plan a passage for ".... just thought we'd go out for an hour or two and then back" ...????

 

[T_S]

[ QUOTE ]
how do you plan a passage for ".... just thought we'd go out for an hour or two and then back" ...????

[/ QUOTE ]

If you sail a regular area...then you will have waypoints and hazards already in your GPS!

If you don't...............and I'm not on board who gives a toss anyway, your boat!

 

[cruisingsam]

sailing out of Dun Laoghaire then the hazards are in my mind as in my regular sailing partners, anyone else who comes out gets an education of the landmarks etc and gets told if all else fails sail west!

 

[T_S]

Ok....no WPT's as you all know your waters well! I take it your crew know how to call the CG and give known positions too then?

 

[cruisingsam]

of course they do, just lift the little red cover and press the button. DSC alarm sent. And yes I know you should back it up with a voice message etc etc as per the SRC but it is less than 10mile across the bay across the TSS but we live with it. And as i said just sail west.... you will hit ground. would sooner see my friends walk away and Rascal in bits than the other way round

 

[ShipsWoofy]

a little unnecessary don't ya fink

what did cruisingsam do wrong here?

 

[cruisingsam]

Thanx!

 

[Stevie_T]

And if your GPS fails?? and the fog comes down?
May sound unlikely, but gps does fail and it does get foggy.

The point is if you know your area very well, then you have a passage plan already in your head. There is no law to say you need otherwise, but its still a passage plan.

If you know the area well then you probably know your position at all times within a few hundred yards, which is adequate if you are not near hazards, so if the above scenario did happen then you could instantly put a mark on the chart and start working out a course to steer to a safe position etc.

However, if an accident happened and you were up in court in front of the coroner, and the prosecution asked you if you had a passage plan and you answered Yes. He would probably ask you to prove it.

If you had a few notes on a peice of paper or a few marks on the chart then I think you would have a much better chance.

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't say that we should all write down a passage plan, even for unfamiliar passages.

Only in the case of particularly complex/offshore journeys, the closest I get is a list of waypoints (and alternative route waypoints eg. entrance to a safe harbour if things go pear-shaped) and a list of times that tide will change direction at different strategic points along the way. Generally, I'm not interested in my legal position, whether I should be doing a passage plan, because my primary concern is that things shouldn't go wrong. If things nevertheless do go wrong, then my legal position is at the bottom of my list of priorities (even though I worked many years as a solicitor).

My logbook consists of an automatic print out every 15 or 30 mins on paper Navtex of position course and speed taken from the GPS, which automatically happens whenever the instruments are switched on. If instruments fail, there's always a recent paper trail to refer to. On longer passages, position is marked on the chart every hour on the hour taken from GPS, and cross-checked against common sense (approximate direction and distance run compared to log and compass).

 

[Guest]

A log is a good thing to have for a) to reconstruct actions etc. in event of incident - but unfortunately most like big ships do not write down as they do it - but later when going off watch or handing over. If you write each bit as you do it - then I applaud your actions .. b) a book to look back over to get an idea of passage times / expectations if you do the trip again etc.

A log has been expanded upon by various here as a passage plan - which it most certainly is not, a legal tool - which again it is not on a yacht anyway and I would hazard a guess to be questionable in a court of law - particularly if its the typical over the counter chandlers sort !!

I have in the past looked back through my old log - a school exercise book .... bound pages etc. It made interesting reading .....

Now I use a Chief Officers Deck Log book - as available in all Chart agents for commercial ships ..... having got used to them on merchant ships .... OK - some columns and entries are not relevant to yachts - but pages are bound, course columns and noon data are specifically listed ....

When selling the boat - it may be a good selling point ... here look at the history of what we did and how good she was ...

Finally - most PC based nav programs will create a position log for you and you set the time intervals for entries .... so that chore can be handed over to the magic box .... that allied with a pencil mark on a chart should just about satisfy most ...


Log-book .... debatable.

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