What Should You Record In Your Offshore Watch Log?

Keeping an accurate log while at sea is not only good seamanship, but it is a legal requirement. Most vessels maintain a ship's log of sorts, usually something store-bought that includes the date, miles covered, crew, engine hours, departure and arrival times, maybe where you stopped for lunch or anchored for the night. But when you are sailing offshore, does all that really matter? Yes and no.

What matters most is keeping track of your position, your crew, and the weather. All of those factors which are so critical to your success and survival on an ocean passage are not typically found in a standard ship's log or logbook. Thus, we published our own, on waterproof rite-in-the-rain paper! Our logbook includes exactly what we record each hour of every single day we are on passage, whether it be coastal or offshore. It took us many iterations to get here, and this one has stuck with us for thousands of bluewater miles.

It can be tempting to add many more categories of data to record, and on a quiet watch that's fine, but keep in mind some watches are BUSY. If the wind is shifty, you are tired, the fish are smashing, or there equipment needs attention, there simply will not be time to record much more than the essentials. Which brings us back to our #1 lesson for cruisers and sailors alike: keep it simple.

Our electronics are all B&G or Simrad (both owned by Navico) and thus we've used their nomenclature and formatting for our titles. However, you should ensure you and your crew all know what you want to record and where to find it among the many electronic menus and displays you may have. 

Don't forget to provide clarification as to what means what. Day and Time, for example, can be tricky. We like to use the day we leave the dock as Passage Day 1, because even if you leave at 14:00 you'll be sailing all the rest of the day and night, so that day counts. 

For time, we'll often use the departure port time because keeping track of time zones as you sail through them is tough and not really necessary until you arrive. What matters more is that your crew are all working in the same time so no one is late for their watch or a meal.  

On exceptionally long passages, consider using UTC time, which is standard ocean sailing practice. If you and your crew are using your phones as alarm clocks, don't forget to make sure your phone isn't unknowingly changing time zones on you!