Do you sailor's keep a log book?

[CarbonSink62]

Originally Posted by johnnyquest37

...I encourage crew/guests to make log entries and to sign the logbook at the end of a cruise...

I like this idea. Maybe I'll get a guestbook for the new boat and have people sign it at the end of the cruise. That would be fun to read years down the road.

[teddier1]

We have keep a log book for years and find that it helps jar your memory.

[ltgoshen]

I may Go a head and get the ASA book and keep a log for now and see how it goes from there. I do want to keep good maintenance on the C&C30. I like the idea of knowing were the bottom is. Whave some of the worst tidesd here in the beaufort river like 8 ft moving at 4 to 5 knots. I like having the information to look back on. Thanks for all your imput's, It helps me as a new sailor understand. Tomorow will I will leave the mooring field for a 25 mile round trip to the Port Royal sound from downtown beaufort. Ia excited. I will hook up two speakers and that battery I was talking about earler in the week. I will go by my self if I cant find some crew.
Cheers

[msmith10]

I've tried keeping detailed logs with wind speed and direction, wave heights, etc.
In the end I always abandon it because it's just too much work. A maintenance log, though, is a must. With an old boat and old motor, you're always working on it and it's easy to forget just how long it's been since you replaced this or that.
I'll probably try again this season, but I think I'll limit it to distance or time sailed. If I keep it very simple I may be able to stay with it.

[DRFerron]

Originally Posted by msmith10

If I keep it very simple I may be able to stay with it.

It might just be an exercise in frustration if it is something you have to force yourself to do. A log book is not a requirement on recreational boats. I would say keeping a maintenance log, which you say you do, is much more important as that can potentially help you sell the boat if that time comes, not to mention help you keep up with repairs and costs.

[RyanR620]

I like to keep a Captain's Log. Always to same format...start with the star date....:P


Okay. Okay. I don't have a boat yet, but I couldn't keep myself from making that joke!

In all serious-ness. I imagine I'll keep some sort of log for my boat once I purchase. It's a process I'm used to doing, between work, and diving, and flying...I can't see myself not keeping track of stuff, as I know the benefits of it.

That being said, if your on here, you're probably sailing for fun. If keeping tedious notes isn't fun to you...don't do it.

[Jim H]

Over here in the UK, it's pretty much a requirement. Even in the Solent you're dancing with major ships, and there's only more waiting in the channel. A well-kept log can/will be reviewed in court if anything untoward happens, and having a decent log book helping to represent your seamanship skills is taken seriously.

As such, we go for the true leather-bound ones, for passage details, fuel consumption, maintenance reports, weather and wildlife. I can understand the idea of going with regular binders, but it's also a tradition on our boat that the yacht logs go with the boat when it is sold, and we really enjoyed reading the leather bound log of voyages done by our boat by previous owners.

[DRFerron]

Originally Posted by Jim H

...but it's also a tradition on our boat that the yacht logs go with the boat when it is sold, and we really enjoyed reading the leather bound log of voyages done by our boat by previous owners.

In a way that's kind of a cool tradition but on the other hand, you end up selling written record of passages on your boat and will have to rely on memory.

I'm torn.

[arknoah]

I looked at a number of templates and made up my own logbook sheet with items such as the wind speed and direction, engine hours, a brief description of the sail, etc. I keep this record after each sail and often put a note of some kind in my blog. I find it helps to remind me of things I've learned on a sail, and a way to jog my memory on items I don't want to forget the next time.

So far, I'm finding using a logbook a useful exercise. Perhaps when I'm more experienced, it won't seem as important.

[bljones]

We have a logbook, instructively labelled, "Logbook." Stowed in the rack on the starboard side of the companionway:

Inside are ruled pages with columns that have headings like "date", "time" "heading" "speed," "comments" etc... and during our first season we diligently attempted to keep a proper log. Hwever, while it was easy to log time of departure and note the sumlog reading and heading outbound, once off the dock record keeping deteriorated, and nobody ever remembered to log the return time or total mileage. By the end of the season entries looked like this, "Really big winds! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!" scrawled across the page, with no regard for the lines and columns.

That informal style has pretty much carried on, unless something really critical needs to be noted.