Steve,
Since I plan to sail a lot this summer, (finally retired), I've given log formats
a bit of thought too. The log page format I prefer is a ruled page with only
4 headings....date (small col), time (small col), events (wide col), and
initials (small col). This way, the date stands alone, with as many "times"
as warrented. The initials of course are those of who made the log entry,
since crew practicing navigation may be aboard.
Example: (hope the spaces hold up)
6/21/04 | 0800 | Departed Bellingham for Sucia Island via Hale Passage,
| | 5-day forecast: blah blah
| | Initial course 200M, winds xxx, sea state yyy
| | Skipper: (name), Crew: (name(s) and address w/ emergency
| | contact numbers....just in case. | NB |
| 0900 | GPS fix dd.mm.xxN dd.mm.xxW, | MB |
| 1200 | Saw orca pod off port bow vicinity Pt Migley Lummi Island
| 1735 | Moored Echo Bay Sucia Island. Wind backed to WNW
| | 10 - 12 kts, Temp 72 with light overcast. Checked stuff box,
| | no apparent leaks.
6/22/04 | | Moored Echo Bay, winds steady WNW
6/23/04 | | Moored Echo Bay, Clear sky, Temps 55 night, 85 day.
6/24/04 | 0625 | Departed Echo Bay for Roche Harbor ETA 1100,
| | via President Channel then Spieden Channel, Initial course 220M
| 0810 | Handheld compass fix blah blah New course 230M
This format allows as much or as little detail as you like, and is compact.
I keep a cheap spiral notebook in the cockpit, and jot notes as I go. I
also update the chart several times per day, usually when I take a fix.
Later, at anchor or docked, I bring the log up to date. I also update a
trip journal with personal "stuff" I want to remember...how the crabbing was,
boats/ships seen, the deadhead I almost ran into, etc. The journal is the
basis for periodic trip reports to friends and family.
Do you think maintenance events should go in this log? Or in a separate
maintenance/equipment/systems log?
Norm B

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 10:09:42 -0700, "Steve" wrote:

I have been thumbing through all the different 'Yacht' log books at the
major marine supply places.

They all seem to be trying to fit all needs, for all people, for all types
of boats, for all types of cruising..

I know it is an attempt to appeal to the broadest market.

In the past I have recieved a mediocre logs as launch/christening gifts.
Used them for a guest register and tried to utilize the log pages briefly,
only to give up and revert to the ole standard "record" book.. That
eventually begins to resemble a journal since I seldom put many details in
my log entries.. My excuse: I'm single handing, the log is on the chart
table because I have an open cockpit, course and speed vary every tack, etc.

My typical log entry might be: " Time/date, Underway from xxxxx, enroute to
zzzzz, light wind NNE, motor and main. Various courses and speed. .....
"Time, wind NE 8 knts, secured motor, unfurled #2 jib and staysail. Course
~ 270, on broad reach, spd 5-6 knts.".... "Time, cleared Pt. yyyy, altered
course to 360, close hauled, spd 4-5knts".... " Time, arrive zzzzz,
anchored 300 yards off, in 25 ft, stbd Bruce anchor with ~100ft of chain,
set well in sand/silt bottom"....

In other words, I only enter basic info, for the record, of significant
events.

That is about all the detail I might enter as a voyage progress.. I might
make a single weather observation early on and if I have a crew I would make
those comments at the beginning of that passage entry.

My point. I want a log page that is mostly dedicated to routine simple
entries without wasting half the page with blank spaces for weather
observations and engine readings. I think I might design my own log page,
with your suggestions, print and bind it into my ultimate log book..

How about some suggestions of what you all consider a simple and effecient
log page??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Steve wrote:

My point. I want a log page that is mostly dedicated to routine
simple entries without wasting half the page with blank spaces for
weather observations and engine readings. I think I might design
my own log page, with your suggestions, print and bind it into my
ultimate log book..

How about some suggestions of what you all consider a simple and
effecient log page??

Here is an old post I wrote on this subject:. Hope this helps.
"PeteAlbright" wrote ...

I am interrested in what others are doing for log keeping.
Do you keep a formal log for your boat?
Do you keep a separate engine/maintenance log?
Do you use custom boat logs, or just plain ledger bound books?

: Pete Albright
: s/v Nancy Ross
: Tampa, FL

In addition to the good ideas suggested by others, (separate maintenance and
machinery logs), you may find something helpful in an earlier Kerry Deare
post (below). It's a little wordy, but you get the idea.

Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat (remove 'BOAT')
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com


Frederick Stonehouse wrote: ...looking to develop my own logbooks, one
for cruising and other for maintenance. Can anyone offer any suggestions
for topic and layout?

Thanks for this question. It's an opportunity to re-evaluate what we've
been doing lately in this area, always a good thing.

As you know there are a number of pre-printed logs available. However they
often do not meet everyone's preferences, so for a number of years we have
been using standard "Record" books for the ship's log. By "record book" I
mean a hardbound volume with lined and numbered pages and no text. We have
refined the process a bit over the years as follows.

The first five books (1980 to 1997) were 8.5" x 14" in size and
approximately 500 pages (depending upon supplier). This sounds large, but
we have been underway 365 days a year for some time now, and the pages get
used (more about book size later). The idea behind the record book was that
it should contain not only the deck log (course, speed, nav info,
operational data, etc.) but also serve as a cruise journal. From the
beginning, all on board were encouraged (sometimes partially forced) to make
entries about the cruise, the weather, the food, the captain, opinions,
likes and dislikes, etc. The only restrictions were (1) that my god
daughter would eventually be reading what they wrote and they should let the
style of their entries reflect that fact, and (2) that they had to use a
black ink pen. The entries provided some good fireside reading later.

As time passed, I got tired of writing "course" and "speed" and "lat" and
"lon" so I had a rubber stamp made at a stationery store. I'm not going to
try to duplicate it here, but it's about 2" square and has printed lines for

Course/Speed, Lat/Lon, TD1/TD2, Barometer/Engine Hours, and a few other
items. I just stamp the left side of the page I'm working on (in colored
ink for higher visibility) and make entries. In inshore waters and
waterways, entries are made quite often, depending on conditions. When
offshore, entries are normally made once an hour. On passage this often
slips to every 2 hours (or more, quite honestly). Whatever you like, I
guess. After a passage the highly visible nav and piloting data make it
easy to re-construct the cruise and evaluate noon-to-noon, average speeds,
etc. I sometimes plot the passage on a sailing or general chart afterwards
for an overview.

There is a separate loose-leaf book with pre-printed pages for
astronavigation. These are forms I developed and printed myself, but there
are many others available. What usually happens is that the scratch math is
done in the log book, and appropriate entries are transferred to the
celestial form. Plotting is done, of course, on regular plotting sheets. I
won't kid you on this one, though. We still carry 2 sextants and all the
associated gear, but with 3 GPS units on board the sextant doesn't get much
of a workout these days. That's a separate subject, and I'm sure that in
true newsgroup style it will be covered elsewhere.

You mentioned a maintenance log. When I started with this system I put all
maintenance and repair data directly into the log book. However after a
while this proved inconvenient, since it was a pain to find and check the
last oil change, turnbuckle inspection, etc. To remedy this, I started a
separate machinery log, also in a record book, but a much smaller record
book. The machinery log is about 17 or 18 years old by now, and has
recorded work on 2 diesel engines. It still serves the purpose.

About book size. The original large log books are quite heavy, and when
they go flying across the cabin (always at the wrong instant) they tend to
get banged up, ripped, and in fact bang up things a little themselves. All
5 have been repaired along the spine with West epoxy at least once. After
the first 5, I switched to an 8.5" x 11" 300 page model. Easier to handle
and stow. Still quite expensive, by the way.

Well, those are the 3 separate log books we've been keeping. A few years
ago we started with a computer-based system that has pretty much changed
everything. We've been using a PC-based nav/piloting/record
keeping/charting system called The Capn. I discussed it in an earlier
posting to this newsgroup and it's off the topic of your inquiry, so I won't
linger on it. But it's keeps pretty good records, alerts me to the next oil
change, etc., and does just about anything else I ask. I'm a single handed
sailor, and the help is well appreciated.

Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----



--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries. I'd suggest logging
what info you can .... true, mag, var, dev, compass, courses steered,
courses made good, and any azimuths (land or celestial ) which you can
or may be able to take.
This makes for good historical data, especially on repeat trips over the
same ground.

otn

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 23:08:53 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries.

Mine ARE compass entries, corrected to true. Variation is either 10 or
11 degrees W on Lake Ontario...it's hard to screw up if you have even
half a clue about reading a chart.

I'd suggest logging
what info you can .... true, mag, var, dev, compass, courses steered,
courses made good, and any azimuths (land or celestial ) which you can
or may be able to take.

I do this when necessary on a scratch pad next to the compass or (when
raining) on a "magic pad" from a dollar store (the grey plastic
covered rewritable things from Way Back...perfect for wet weather!)

I transfer any "summation" to the log, but in Lake Ontario, it's 95%
coastal pilotage and there's only a few places with shoals, rocks and
big chunks of iron under the boat...Deviation and variation are known
and compensated for on the fly. In blue water or unfamilar waters, I
would make further notes.

This makes for good historical data, especially on repeat trips over the
same ground.

True. I have little pieces of tape at 45 degrees fore and aft to where
I stand for the tiller. That and a stopwatch and the knotmeter give me
a way to tell how far offshore I am. If I pass close by a buoy, using
the same method, I can judge my speedo and current, if any. As I don't
tend to sail more than five-10 miles offshore, I use the GPS
primarily to confirm visual pilotage (is that the landmark on the beam
that I think it is?) and to confirm COG readings for set and drift
(not a big deal here, usually) and ETA to destination.

My wife uses the ETA function to remind me when sailing is over and
motoring must begin G.

I log that in "Comments".

R.

On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 02:24:47 -0400, in message

rhys wrote:

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 23:08:53 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries.

Mine ARE compass entries, corrected to true. Variation is either 10 or
11 degrees W on Lake Ontario...it's hard to screw up if you have even
half a clue about reading a chart.

Quite so.... if you stay in the neighbourhood of Toronto, but it's up
to 13 degrees by the time you get to the other end of the lake ;-)

I transfer any "summation" to the log, but in Lake Ontario, it's 95%
coastal pilotage and there's only a few places with shoals, rocks and
big chunks of iron under the boat...

and most of them are more down towards Kingston. I find that very
little routine nav information finds its way into my log. I always
have a reasonable idea of where I am from following GPS, chart, and
visual cues. That has previously served as an entirely adequate
starting basis for dead reckoning on the locally rare occasions when
the visibility drops to near zero and there was no GPS. Unseaman-like,
perhaps...... but reality in relatively familiar waters.

My log winds up being a combination of local knowledge gleaned and
journal of events that works well in a record book with a wide margin
for noting dates, times and readings beside the narrative. I switched
to that from a fixed format columnar log about 3 years ago.

Ryk

On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 02:24:47 -0400, in message

rhys wrote:

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 23:08:53 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries.

Mine ARE compass entries, corrected to true. Variation is either 10 or
11 degrees W on Lake Ontario...it's hard to screw up if you have even
half a clue about reading a chart.

Quite so.... if you stay in the neighbourhood of Toronto, but it's up
to 13 degrees by the time you get to the other end of the lake ;-)

I transfer any "summation" to the log, but in Lake Ontario, it's 95%
coastal pilotage and there's only a few places with shoals, rocks and
big chunks of iron under the boat...

and most of them are more down towards Kingston. I find that very
little routine nav information finds its way into my log. I always
have a reasonable idea of where I am from following GPS, chart, and
visual cues. That has previously served as an entirely adequate
starting basis for dead reckoning on the locally rare occasions when
the visibility drops to near zero and there was no GPS. Unseaman-like,
perhaps...... but reality in relatively familiar waters.

My log winds up being a combination of local knowledge gleaned and
journal of events that works well in a record book with a wide margin
for noting dates, times and readings beside the narrative. I switched
to that from a fixed format columnar log about 3 years ago.

Ryk

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 23:08:53 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries.

Mine ARE compass entries, corrected to true. Variation is either 10 or
11 degrees W on Lake Ontario...it's hard to screw up if you have even
half a clue about reading a chart.

I'd suggest logging
what info you can .... true, mag, var, dev, compass, courses steered,
courses made good, and any azimuths (land or celestial ) which you can
or may be able to take.

I do this when necessary on a scratch pad next to the compass or (when
raining) on a "magic pad" from a dollar store (the grey plastic
covered rewritable things from Way Back...perfect for wet weather!)

I transfer any "summation" to the log, but in Lake Ontario, it's 95%
coastal pilotage and there's only a few places with shoals, rocks and
big chunks of iron under the boat...Deviation and variation are known
and compensated for on the fly. In blue water or unfamilar waters, I
would make further notes.

This makes for good historical data, especially on repeat trips over the
same ground.

True. I have little pieces of tape at 45 degrees fore and aft to where
I stand for the tiller. That and a stopwatch and the knotmeter give me
a way to tell how far offshore I am. If I pass close by a buoy, using
the same method, I can judge my speedo and current, if any. As I don't
tend to sail more than five-10 miles offshore, I use the GPS
primarily to confirm visual pilotage (is that the landmark on the beam
that I think it is?) and to confirm COG readings for set and drift
(not a big deal here, usually) and ETA to destination.

My wife uses the ETA function to remind me when sailing is over and
motoring must begin G.

I log that in "Comments".

R.

I'm not seeing too much emphasis on compass entries. I'd suggest logging
what info you can .... true, mag, var, dev, compass, courses steered,
courses made good, and any azimuths (land or celestial ) which you can
or may be able to take.
This makes for good historical data, especially on repeat trips over the
same ground.

otn

Steve wrote:

My point. I want a log page that is mostly dedicated to routine
simple entries without wasting half the page with blank spaces for
weather observations and engine readings. I think I might design
my own log page, with your suggestions, print and bind it into my
ultimate log book..

How about some suggestions of what you all consider a simple and
effecient log page??

Here is an old post I wrote on this subject:. Hope this helps.
"PeteAlbright" wrote ...

I am interrested in what others are doing for log keeping.
Do you keep a formal log for your boat?
Do you keep a separate engine/maintenance log?
Do you use custom boat logs, or just plain ledger bound books?

: Pete Albright
: s/v Nancy Ross
: Tampa, FL

In addition to the good ideas suggested by others, (separate maintenance and
machinery logs), you may find something helpful in an earlier Kerry Deare
post (below). It's a little wordy, but you get the idea.

Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat (remove 'BOAT')
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com


Frederick Stonehouse wrote: ...looking to develop my own logbooks, one
for cruising and other for maintenance. Can anyone offer any suggestions
for topic and layout?

Thanks for this question. It's an opportunity to re-evaluate what we've
been doing lately in this area, always a good thing.

As you know there are a number of pre-printed logs available. However they
often do not meet everyone's preferences, so for a number of years we have
been using standard "Record" books for the ship's log. By "record book" I
mean a hardbound volume with lined and numbered pages and no text. We have
refined the process a bit over the years as follows.

The first five books (1980 to 1997) were 8.5" x 14" in size and
approximately 500 pages (depending upon supplier). This sounds large, but
we have been underway 365 days a year for some time now, and the pages get
used (more about book size later). The idea behind the record book was that
it should contain not only the deck log (course, speed, nav info,
operational data, etc.) but also serve as a cruise journal. From the
beginning, all on board were encouraged (sometimes partially forced) to make
entries about the cruise, the weather, the food, the captain, opinions,
likes and dislikes, etc. The only restrictions were (1) that my god
daughter would eventually be reading what they wrote and they should let the
style of their entries reflect that fact, and (2) that they had to use a
black ink pen. The entries provided some good fireside reading later.

As time passed, I got tired of writing "course" and "speed" and "lat" and
"lon" so I had a rubber stamp made at a stationery store. I'm not going to
try to duplicate it here, but it's about 2" square and has printed lines for

Course/Speed, Lat/Lon, TD1/TD2, Barometer/Engine Hours, and a few other
items. I just stamp the left side of the page I'm working on (in colored
ink for higher visibility) and make entries. In inshore waters and
waterways, entries are made quite often, depending on conditions. When
offshore, entries are normally made once an hour. On passage this often
slips to every 2 hours (or more, quite honestly). Whatever you like, I
guess. After a passage the highly visible nav and piloting data make it
easy to re-construct the cruise and evaluate noon-to-noon, average speeds,
etc. I sometimes plot the passage on a sailing or general chart afterwards
for an overview.

There is a separate loose-leaf book with pre-printed pages for
astronavigation. These are forms I developed and printed myself, but there
are many others available. What usually happens is that the scratch math is
done in the log book, and appropriate entries are transferred to the
celestial form. Plotting is done, of course, on regular plotting sheets. I
won't kid you on this one, though. We still carry 2 sextants and all the
associated gear, but with 3 GPS units on board the sextant doesn't get much
of a workout these days. That's a separate subject, and I'm sure that in
true newsgroup style it will be covered elsewhere.

You mentioned a maintenance log. When I started with this system I put all
maintenance and repair data directly into the log book. However after a
while this proved inconvenient, since it was a pain to find and check the
last oil change, turnbuckle inspection, etc. To remedy this, I started a
separate machinery log, also in a record book, but a much smaller record
book. The machinery log is about 17 or 18 years old by now, and has
recorded work on 2 diesel engines. It still serves the purpose.

About book size. The original large log books are quite heavy, and when
they go flying across the cabin (always at the wrong instant) they tend to
get banged up, ripped, and in fact bang up things a little themselves. All
5 have been repaired along the spine with West epoxy at least once. After
the first 5, I switched to an 8.5" x 11" 300 page model. Easier to handle
and stow. Still quite expensive, by the way.

Well, those are the 3 separate log books we've been keeping. A few years
ago we started with a computer-based system that has pretty much changed
everything. We've been using a PC-based nav/piloting/record
keeping/charting system called The Capn. I discussed it in an earlier
posting to this newsgroup and it's off the topic of your inquiry, so I won't
linger on it. But it's keeps pretty good records, alerts me to the next oil
change, etc., and does just about anything else I ask. I'm a single handed
sailor, and the help is well appreciated.

Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----



--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/

I just made up a two page format in Word and had it bound down at Kinko's.

--


Keith
__
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I have been thumbing through all the different 'Yacht' log books at the
major marine supply places.

They all seem to be trying to fit all needs, for all people, for all types
of boats, for all types of cruising..

I know it is an attempt to appeal to the broadest market.

In the past I have recieved a mediocre logs as launch/christening gifts.
Used them for a guest register and tried to utilize the log pages briefly,
only to give up and revert to the ole standard "record" book.. That
eventually begins to resemble a journal since I seldom put many details in
my log entries.. My excuse: I'm single handing, the log is on the chart
table because I have an open cockpit, course and speed vary every tack,
etc.

My typical log entry might be: " Time/date, Underway from xxxxx, enroute
to
zzzzz, light wind NNE, motor and main. Various courses and speed. .....
"Time, wind NE 8 knts, secured motor, unfurled #2 jib and staysail.
Course
~ 270, on broad reach, spd 5-6 knts.".... "Time, cleared Pt. yyyy, altered
course to 360, close hauled, spd 4-5knts".... " Time, arrive zzzzz,
anchored 300 yards off, in 25 ft, stbd Bruce anchor with ~100ft of chain,
set well in sand/silt bottom"....

In other words, I only enter basic info, for the record, of significant
events.

That is about all the detail I might enter as a voyage progress.. I might
make a single weather observation early on and if I have a crew I would
make
those comments at the beginning of that passage entry.

My point. I want a log page that is mostly dedicated to routine simple
entries without wasting half the page with blank spaces for weather
observations and engine readings. I think I might design my own log page,
with your suggestions, print and bind it into my ultimate log book..

How about some suggestions of what you all consider a simple and effecient
log page??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions