The Cruiser's Daily Logbook

The Cruiser's Daily LogbookWelcome to The Cruisers Daily Logbook, a ships log for pleasure cruisers! This logbook is aimed at cruising boaters, both motor or sail, who take multi day cruises and normally tie up or anchor each night. Each day is spread over two pages. The days details on the left, and meals, water and notes on the right. There are entries for sixty days. Then there are pages for eight fuelings, six emergency radio entries (only the USCG required ones, not normal

Welcome to ÒThe CruiserÕs Daily LogbookÓ, a shipÕs log for pleasure cruisers!

This logbook is aimed at cruising boaters, both motor or sail, who take multi-day cruises and normally tie up or anchor each night.

Each day is spread over two pages. The dayÕs details on the left, and meals, water and notes on the right. There are entries for sixty days. Then there are pages for eight fuelings, six emergency radio entries (only the USCG required ones, not normal radio uses), and a miscellaneous log for pumpouts, cooking fuel, and water filling.

Every sailor has their own particular information that they wish to track. There are some very minimalist logbooks out there that are really just journals, and there are some very complex ones mostly aimed at professional mariners who must track a great deal more than pleasure boaters. Our version is more of a middle wayÉ I wanted to record many of the important bits of information to keep a record for the boat, but also wanted enough journal space to keep a record of our adventures. This two-page version works well.

Some of the items in our log give a nod to the old shipÕs logs of the 18th and 19th centuries when they did regular watch entries for weather, seas, tides, etc. While they entered hourly observations, IÕve only included four. Those old logbooks are also where I found use of the phrase ÒRecord of the Miscellaneous Events of the DayÓ title for the notes portion, the captainÕs or designeeÕs signature, and the reference to the all-important Òamount of potable waterÓ available (for those of us without a watermaker).

In addition to much of the normally expected logbook information, weÕve included battery voltage. Tracking house battery bank voltage is useful for those of us who like to anchor at night and use onboard DC battery power. Those of us without a generator, or unwilling to use one when around other boats, must monitor our battery status while on the hook. When tracked over time, you may also be able to monitor the health of your battery bank.

We wish you fair winds, calm seas, and wonderful times on your cruising adventures!