SkipperLog is an iPhone and Apple Watch app that helps you record important events during your sailing trip and track your route. It runs on iOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.1 or higher and supports light and dark mode.
On first start, SkipperLog will ask you for permission to access your location. It will later ask if you want to allow it to access your location in the background. You should allow that so the app can record your route even if the iPhone is locked.
Tracks and logs are stored locally in a folder which is accessible via Finder or iTunes, and backed up to an iCloud Drive folder named SkipperLog if Internet is available. If your boat has no motor or no sails you can select that in Settings.
Boat
When you start the app, SkipperLog will show you the current speed and course over ground, and the distance covered today. You can set the boat state to
- Docked (marina, port, buoy)
- Anchored (optional depth and chain)
- Motoring
- Sailing (optional wind speed and direction)
Whenever you change the boat state, SkipperLog will add an entry to the log with a timestamp, .e.g. Motor off, Sails up.
When docked, SkipperLog will try to automatically find the name of your current location. Tap Docked again to manually enter or correct the location name.
Tap Anchored again to enter depth and chain length.
Tap Sailing again to enter current wind speed and direction.
Tap Motoring again to switch it off (boat drifting).
Custom Actions
Tap Note... to enter a free text note. The More... button lets you access more actions that can be quickly add to the log, e.g. current wind speed, wave height or reefs. You can add your own predefined texts with the menu at the top left. Select "with input" to add a free text input field (text input is not available on the Apple Watch). To change the order of actions, tap and hold, then drag the items up or down. Swipe left to delete an entry.
Log
The log is organized in days, and events are added with the current time stamp. You can of course manually change or extend the log at any time. New automatic entries are always added at the end.
Tracks
Tap on the current distance to access the track view.
The app will automatically record a daily track when you're not docked or anchored. Tracks are recorded as gpx files per date and can be directly imported e.g. in a Google Map. Select tracks for different days from the dropdown menu at the top. Sailing parts of the track are marked in green, motoring in blue.
Warning! Tracks are shown on an Apple map, do not use it for navigation.
Statistics
SkipperLog will calculate statistics for the current day and the whole trip (last 14 days). Statistics include total distance, distance/time sailing/motoring, maximum and average speed.
Unit Converter
SkipperLog contains a handy unit converter (via the menu in the lower right of the main screen) that lets you quickly convert various speed or length units. Use the buttons at the right to copy the converted values to the clipboard.
Watch App
SkipperLog comes with an extensive Watch app that lets you add log entries very quickly from your wrist. You can change the boat state (docked, anchored, sailing, motoring), enter anchor depth and chain length, wind speed and direction, and any of the custom actions you configured in the iPhone app. Just like in the iPhone app, tap on the anchor or sail button to enter further data.
Swipe left to see the current speed and course over ground.
Swipe right to get access to your custom actions.
The watch app has special input screens for anchor depth/chain, wind speed/direction, and wave height. Use either the +/- buttons or the digital crown to change the values.
Tip: Add the SkipperLog complication to your default watch face to easily access the app.
Feedback
Do you have a feature suggestion? Is something not working as expected? Please let us know.
Version History
- 1.2
- quick insert of time, date or position in log
- statistics also for previous days - 1.1
- different route colors for sailing and motoring - 1.0
- first public version