Shaft Packing

[f_cousin]

I have launched my boat a week ago. I checked all possible leaks and noticed that the shaft packing was leaking (which I understand is normal). At first, it leaked quite a lot but now it seems like it is fine. It took almost a week for the packing to swell and reduce the leakage. Is that a sign that I should change the packing? How often should a packing be changed ?
Thanks

[sailingbauble]

If you do a search on the words -- stuffing boxes -- or -- shaft logs -- you will find many pages of helpful websites on the subject.