Yachts Log - Legal Requirement

[Dann]

Last summer whilst in Brittany a neighbouring UK yacht was boarded by French authorities who, amongst other documents, requested to view the ship's log. This made me wonder what are the legal requirements for keeping a log on board a yacht, what information should it include and whether ink is required or will pencil do etc.
Any ideas ?

 

[Guest]

Ships' logs are a legal requirement for commercial vessels and for yachts over 24 metres, for which certain commercial criteria apply.

I have occasionally been asked for my log by French officials. As I keep one meticulously this has been no problem. Except. . . . .

Royal Naval regulations laid down that the deck log had to be kept in pencil. I do not know why. When I went cruising in a yacht I followed the same practice. And the French Port authorities in Marseille objected. So I had to read them the riot act and they went away shaking their heads and wondering about the mad English.

I suppose the fact is that the Royal Navy's rules were laid down before the biro appeared, and pen and ink was likely to run when it got wet. That's what I told the frogs, anyway. And can you imagine the Navy keeping that up to date. I had one ccaptain who used a quill. We were always having to shoot seagulls for him.

William Cooper

 

[Buck]

Is'nt it illegal to shoot seagulls?

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[tomg]

I also was boarded by French customs last year almost exactly twelve miles off Cherbourg. They asked to see all documents, licences, VAT certificates, and then the ships log. They spent a long time on the log (I also use pencil) and wrote down a rudimentary historical plan of where I had been, how much fuel I had used (I record deisel purchases) and reconciled that with the engine-hour meter. All this took about an hour. They were constantly on the radio to their shoreside comrades and when their 'office' turned up a complete blank about us, they quickly turned friendly and the senior guy (a yachtsman) chatted about my cutter rig. They had obviously been working on a tip about a yacht (not mine) and he said that if I did not have a log book or if it did not more or less 'ring true' we would have been escorted into Cherbourg for further enquiries to be made. So I reckon a log book may not be legally required for my 40ft. but it proved very helpful

 

[Mirelle]

That is a good enough answer

Yachts are used for drug smuggling; as your post shows, there is a risk of being confused with a smuggler. A properly kept log is the best answer. QED.

 

[Chris_Stannard]

And I always thought that the reason we had to keep the deck log in pencil was to keep our tongues from going blue with the ink when you licked the end trying to think of something sensible to write.

Chris Stannard

 

[Guest]

Re: killing seagulls

I would willingly kill any seagull, except that there are so many it'd make no differnece. If you ask me nicely, I'll tell you why, and it is (to me at any rate) a very good reason. Actually it is not a very nice story.

William Cooper

 

[Buck]

Re: killing seagulls

Ok Bill,

I'm sure I will regret this but go on.

Ian

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[Buck]

Re: That is a good enough answer

In light of this thread I will certainly keep a log when I purchase my first yacht in the near future, but what do I write in it?

Buck

the past is past, only the future can change.

 

[Roberto]

I would begin with

Date - #day of sailing - Time - Miles - Lat/Long - Course -Wind (speed/direct) - HW/LW - Barometer - Hygro - Themometer (+water temp if crossing a current) - Engine hours - plus some empty lines for met forecast

 

[kingfisher]

Date-time-position-wind direction-wind speed-temp-fuel-water-barometer-various.

During a crossing, I note entries every hour, on the hour. When pottering around the Oosterscheld, just port of departure and port of arrival.

Various is used for everything, ranging from technical (14:00 log broken, 15:00 log fixed) to the more frivolous(15/4: forgot sox at home. Not my problem). Reading your own logbook helps cure the winter blues.

Launch -15d, stil 17d of work left

Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: That is a good enough answer

I must be missing something here. If I was a drug smuggler the last thing I'd do would be to record my movements in a log book.

 

[AndrewB]

Don\'t keep a log.

Gave up after we put GPS aboard. With no need to work up DR positions, why bother, unless you are budding Samuel Pepys? I just jot the GPS position on the chart every so often, in case the GPS unexpectedly packs up (which has happened twice in the last seven years, in thunderstorms).

No problems with the Froggy Douaniers yet. They've asked me for most pieces of paper, but never a log. But its just their style to turn up some obscure Eurolaw in order to rook a few extra euros out of us Brits, so perhaps I should bother next season.

 

[Buck]

Re: I would begin with

water temp? when do you get time to sail?

the past is past, only the future can change.

 

[Guest]

Re: killing seagulls

I think I'd better not. It's horrible.

William Cooper

 

[Guest]

Re: I would begin with

In tropical storms always record the swell direction. It saved us once. Struck by lightning in a steel boat and an unknown compass error. Overcast for 3 days.

48 hours after we got a compass check from a US Coastguard aircraft (he flew over us on a north heading) and the compass was still 60 dgrees out but we were on the right course.

The most unlikely things can sometime prove valuable.

What the hell else is there to do on a 4 hour watch except write up the log, scratch your behind a few times and write up the log again? You don't want to have to get up and tweak string, do you?

William Cooper

 

[Mirelle]

Used to keep one. Stopped. re-started.

Because I found myself re-reading my old ones, which recalled scenes and times to memory which I thought I had lost for ever.

 

[jimi]

Re: killing seagulls

oh go on .. you were'nt feeding them that stuff that reacts with their stomach juices & makes them explode, were you?

 

[Buck]

Re: I would begin with

Only if its worth an extra knot or two.

the past is past, only the future can change.