The logbook: for your future self

You have one, don't you?

Without one, where would you keep track of:

• Places you have been, how you got there, and things to watch out for
• Wildlife you have seen
• Guests you've had aboard
• Maintenance you've done
• Critical notes to yourself
• In some cases, what is found in the logbook can be the basis of legal action or defense.

In fact, ours is a journal, a diary - a record of the travels of Eolian and those in her.  It is a little ritual that I enjoy: writing in the log after having set the anchor, or in the morning recording what we prepared for dinner and how we spent the evening the nite before.

During this time of year, when the log comes out in order to record the off-season maintenance, I find myself browsing, reliving past trips we have made (tho I must confess that sometimes this gets in the way of *doing* the maintenance).

But most of all, I enjoy handing the log to a guest and asking them to sign it after a trip.  It can be a real joy to read what they have written.

Some day (in the far and distant future), when we have become Eolian's Previous Owners, all we will have of her is the logbook.  I try to keep this in mind when I write in it; I am writing for my future self to enjoy.

The logbook: for your future self