Sea miles log app: choosing one that proves your miles

A sea miles log app should record each trip with boat, date, distance, your role, night hours and tidal waters, get the skipper's confirmation, and export something an examiner can read. An app gathers the evidence, but the licensing body decides whether it is enough, and in most countries the final proof is a signed record or form. What follows is what the bodies ask for, how to compare apps, and how to rebuild miles you never logged.

What examiners actually ask for

UK, RYA Yachtmaster (as of November 2026). The figures below are from the RYA's certificate pages. All of it must be documented sea time in the last 10 years.

The RYA says at least half the qualifying sea time should be in tidal waters, and that sail time counts for a sail exam and power time for a power exam. Reduced figures exist for some candidates who hold other certificates, so read the page for your case. The full requirements are in the RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and Logbook (G158). Ocean candidates must also supply a written account of the passage with copies of relevant log pages.

US, Coast Guard credentials (as of November 2026). The requirements are in federal regulations, and the National Maritime Center handles applications. For a near-coastal OUPV ("six-pack"), 46 CFR 11.467 requires a total of 12 months of experience in operating vessels, with at least three months on ocean or near-coastal waters. Check the National Maritime Center for any recency rule that applies to your application. Sea service is normally evidenced on Form CG-719S, the small vessel sea service form. Under 46 CFR 10.232, evidence must include vessel name and number, gross tonnage, propulsion, your position, dates and routes, and a boat owner may attest to their own service with proof of ownership. A "day" normally means eight hours, and on vessels under 100 GRT the Coast Guard may accept less, but never less than four hours.

Australia and New Zealand. Recreational and commercial certificates run through different bodies, including Australian Sailing, AMSA and Yachting New Zealand. Ask the body that issues the certificate which record it accepts, and whether sea service must be on its own form.

None of the pages above say that an app is sufficient, and none say it is forbidden. Treat an app as your evidence file, and check with the awarding body before you rely on any printout. For the general approach, read how to prove your sea miles, and for choosing the qualification, see the licence finder.

What a sea miles log app must do

If the app gives you only a season total, it won't help. Examiners look at trips, and a single number proves nothing.

Apps worth looking at

Availability and features change, so check the App Store or Play Store before deciding. As of November 2026:

• Logbook (logbook-app.com, called Logbuch in German-speaking countries): iOS and Android, background GPS tracking, reads NMEA values, season and mileage statistics, syncs between iOS and Android, exports PDF, GPX, KML and CSV. Its maker says it is currently not listed in the App Store in EU countries, which matters for readers in Ireland.
• Nebo: iOS and Android, detects the start and end of a trip by phone GPS or the Nebo Link hardware, gives a report after each trip, family can follow.
• Logbook Suite (2K Yachting): iOS, ship management, maintenance intervals, crew management, NMEA-based entries in its Pro version.
• ld-log: Android, GPS tracking, PDF in the layout of a paper logbook.
• Manta: iPhone and iPad, covered below.

If you use Android, need CSV, or want a page-by-page PDF that looks like a paper log, one of the others will suit you better than Manta. Compare them in more detail in which logbook app.

Reconstructing past miles

Most applicants find gaps. Work through them in this order.

1. Collect what exists. Old paper logs, charter invoices, marina receipts, crew lists, plotter tracks, photos with dates.
2. Export tracks from your plotter as GPX and import them, so that distance and date come from data.
3. Build a table of trips with date, boat, skipper, area, distance and your role.
4. Mark each row as logged or reconstructed, and be honest about it.
5. Contact old skippers now for a confirmation. People move, boats get sold.
6. Stop at what you can support. Rounded guesses undermine everything else in the claim.

Common reasons for a claim being rejected

Awarding bodies differ, so treat this as a practical list from what the requirements imply.

• Miles outside the time window, such as the RYA's last 10 years.
• Too few tidal miles for an RYA certificate, or sail time claimed for a power exam.
• Skipper time claimed but no evidence that you were in charge.
• Passages that don't reach the qualifying length, or overnight passages claimed from a single evening sail.
• For a US claim, missing vessel numbers, tonnage or routes, or days with fewer hours than the regulation allows.
• A total with no trip list behind it, or a track alone with no signature.

Mileage certificates in Manta

Manta records each trip with boat, date, hours, distance, night hours and tidal waters. A mileage certificate (Pro) turns the trips into a PDF with your details and role, one certificate per skipper. The skipper signs on the device with a finger or Apple Pencil, or you print it for a signature by hand. The certificate is locked after signing. Whether a signature drawn on a device is accepted is up to the examiners, so ask first; if in doubt, print and sign. Progress towards a licence goal is free, and old tracks come in by GPX import, which splits long recordings into trips and spots duplicates. Manta has no CSV export. German readers will find the rules for SKS and SSS in Seemeilennachweis.