1.Which one is the correct abbreviation for the “Position” to be used in the log book?
- Pos
- Posn
2.Do we need “.” after them?
Any abbreviations in a log book are open to interpretation by the lawyers who will be looking to blame you for the problem so it is best to waste the ink and write it long hand.
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Log books would seem to me to be merely you writing the things that will later convict you. Better to write as little as possible methinks. Most things are better and more accurately recorded elsewhere and electronically.
I was once censured by my admiral for ‘failing to keep a wheel and engine order book’ in accordance with some ancient tradition, but he admitted that my new, fangled tape recording of everything happening on the bridge was better able to reconstruct the entire incident (but not approved naval policy) … which naturally had nothing to do with record keeping. Not long after, tape recordings became compulsory and so no longer a matter for kicking me in the bum.
So they’ll kick you in the bum for paperwork/chartwork failings but actually investigate what happened by replaying the records of your (non ECDIS, but pretty good) bog standard iPhone chart plotter. They’ll hang you over discrepancies in your garbage log but check what you chucked ashore by replaying the wharf security video.
As an amusing aside, I became more flippant in my reporting from my ship to my admiral as my prospects of promotion waned with old age. Being far away at sea with not much official communication, I didn’t get any feedback and so continued with increasingly humorous and cheeky flourishes. He later admitted to me that mine were the only captain’s reports that everyone in Fleet HQ looked forward to (others were boring boilerplate about how well their ship was doing and consequently how magnificent their captains were) and he presented a bound copy of them to my wife. I got promoted too … by being noticed, it seems.
So, by all means worry about where to put the full stop or the right abbreviation, but it’s mostly window dressing.
Nowadays, my Mate as a school-trained officer dutifully goes through the logs various and sticky notes the bits I’ve missed before the inspectors march aboard. I scribble something in the allotted space and everyone’s happy. Another document, chock full of useless data is squeezed into the archives to gather dust.
I think it’s actually better and more useful to write a story/history/journal … now I know that will stir the grumpy old salts.
I don’t think it matters. I would just write it out if needed but for brevity’s sake why use it at all? Just use “at DD-MM.M N, DDD-MM.M W.”
The word “at” is redundant and can be left out at well.
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