Do you keep a cruising log?

LaRea

Just curious - how many of you keep a cruising log?  What information do you record?

I make an entry in mine every time we leave the dock.  I think it's a solid safety practice because it forces me to actively think about the boat before getting underway.  Also, it can be interesting to look back at the great times we've had!

My log entries include:

Date/time

Ports of departure and destination

Weather

Engine hours at start/finish

Fuel at start/finish

Passenger list

Comments and quotable quotes from the day!

I use a spiral-bound log book that I bought at West Marine.  It has blanks for most of the things I want to record -- not all of them, but most.   Most pre-printed log books include sections for maintenance records, but I prefer not to combine them.  

Black_Diamond

I log my 'big' trips. I keep my maintenance log separate too.

TikiHut2

I humbly admit my neglect in keeping a log. I've tried but rarely/never follow through. I know it would be a great addition to the boat but I'm easily distracted when I get on the water.

Like a water loving Labrador when he gets to the lake, my mind just goes into a whole different mode that doesn't include anything similar to my usual day-to-day reports and analysis. Labrador brain = stick-swim-stick-swim. Mikes brain on TikiHut = Ice-beverages-fuel, repeat until the last second before loading on trailer.  Everything else is a peaceful blur.

TonyWalker

Interesting topic

My log entries for the Salt Shaker include:.

Date/time

Ports of departure

Engine hours at start

Fuel at start/finish

Passenger list

I make an attempt to record my time on plane vs my time at trawler speed.

I just use a 5 x 7 mini legal pad.  And when I get all of the old ones gathered up,, I will number them.  I might just create a form that has all my standard info lines preprinted, in a book form.  One more of my good intentions still on the list.

Tony

LaRea

I'm with you Tony -- always wanted to do a custom logbook. For example, I have to cross out "lat/lon" and write in that the port fuel tank is 5/8 full (or 41/64, or the best fraction my brain can derive at that moment).  I'd rather have a little picture of my fuel gauge so I can just draw the position of the needle.

That would save me 5/8 of a second, which I could use for ... well, nothing because I'm sitting there waiting for the engines to warm up. But a picture of a fuel gauge would just be better.

dropout

I don't, but my father did. It was pretty cool to find the log book almost 40 years later and see that my first boat ride as a one year old was logged in it.

Dream_Inn

I'm with RY on a maintenance log.  I use it because I'm particular about that kind of stuff.

Otherwise, I'd be the chocolate lab!  Tiki, you can be the yellow one! :P

Michael T

The yellow ones are not as well behaved. MT

Bruce

If we had somewhere to go I probably would, but being stuck right in the middle of the country, we usually just run in circles around the lake, so it seems pointless. I do keep a "beer log " though, don't want to run out in the middle of the lake!

LaRea

Ditto the stick-swim-stick-swim mentality!  For me, it always feels just a bit unnatural and disruptive to stop what I'm doing and fill out my cruise log.  However, I force myself to do it because I know it helps me focus on safety and situational awareness.

I once worked with a SEAL commander whose opinions I deeply respect.  He always said that when I'm in a hurry to get underway, whether because of schedule or enthusiasm or whatever, that's exactly the time I should slow down -- not speed up.  The cruise log helps me do that.

I will say this much -- since I started keeping a cruise log, I have never run out of gas on the water!

jaubry

There' an app for that! If you're into it, Mercruiser has a Ship' log app. It can be used privately or as a social media app as well. It captures the local weather data, speeds, times, engine data and much more. At the same time, this is data you an manually enter for those with DTS. It provides space for notes on the day or the maintenance conducted. There are pre loaded checklists that the recommend and then you can add your own fields for regular maintenance and so on... Seems to Makes it easer to be consistent. I have used this app this winter to track my "winter" projects and will use it this summer. Here is the link. https://shipslog.mercurymarine.com

LaRea

Interesting. I will take a look.  Maybe I could use it as a maintenance log, although I doubt I'd ever share any of it on social media.  Thanks Jaubry. 

LaRea

Well, I actually got around to making a custom cruise log this year.  It has spaces for all the info I like to record, and the background is a nice photo of a sunset in my favorite anchorage.  I had it printed and spiral-bound with clear plastic covers.  The PDF attached to this message shows the first couple pages so you can see what I mean.

I'm really happy with how it came out.  I've used a lot of off-the-shelf logbooks over the years.  They were all too big and bulky, and I never found one with the features I wanted.  Now I finally have one that's just right.  

Dream_Inn

Nice looking log!  I've never got into the log thing, but probably should.

Stodge

I have an Excel spreadsheet with trips and another tab for gas purchases.

I refer to my GPS tracks, which was much easier with my Garmin.  The Lowrance does not make a new track when powered on.  Very frustrating "feature".

MarkB

It's easy to clear your old track before you head out. Just make it a part of your launch procedure.

Stodge

I don't want it cleared, I want a new one each time I power up the GPS.  It's a manual process.  I was spoiled with that being automatic on my last GPS.  I guess if I wasn't too lazy I could figure out how to parse the track file into little files.  It's likely just an XML file.

seguir

I also log contact information; name, phone number, lodging cost, near by marina, and restaurants visited.  My wife and I give each place a star rating for future reference.  

LaRea

Yeah, restaurant ratings are definitely good info!  We do refer back to that kind of stuff as well as the mechanical details.  

Having said that, for me, the real value for me isn't what I write.  It's more of a process thing -- a systematic tool for getting my head in the game before we leave the dock.  When I record the fuel levels, I force myself to pause and think: do I have enough fuel for this trip?  When I record the air temp and wind speed, I force myself to think: how could weather affect me on this trip?  

But I'll say this, we end up with some really funny comments and memories written in that log book!