When you open Canal Cruiser Log for the first time you will see the Log screen with a prompt to add your first boat. Tap Add a boat (or go to the Boats tab) to get started.
Adding your first boat
Go to the Boats tab (bottom navigation bar).
Tap the + button.
Enter your boat name (e.g., "Kingfisher").
Enter your CRT licence number exactly as it appears on your licence (e.g., "12345678").
Tap Add Boat. Your boat is saved and set as the active boat automatically.
You can add as many boats as you like — useful if you own or crew multiple vessels.
Selecting an active boat
The active boat is the one all new log entries are recorded against. You can change it at any time:
On the Boats tab, tap any boat card to make it active. A terracotta border and tick indicate the current active boat.
On the Log tab, use the boat dropdown at the top of the screen to switch quickly without leaving the logging view.
2. Logging Your Position
The Log tab is your main recording screen.
Step by step
Get GPS position — Tap the Get Position button. The app will request location permission on first use. Once permission is granted, your current latitude, longitude, and GPS accuracy are displayed.
The GPS status indicator (coloured dot, top-right of the position card) shows signal quality:
Green — good accuracy (≤20 m)
Amber — fair accuracy (≤100 m)
Grey — no reading yet
Attach a photo (optional) — Tap Add Photo to attach an image. Choose Take Photo to use your camera, or Choose from Library to pick an existing image. Tap the photo to change or remove it.
Add a note (optional) — Type a short description in the Notes field (up to 300 characters). Useful for recording mooring details, conditions, or points of interest.
Log it — Tap Log Position. The entry is saved immediately.
After logging
The CRT waterway identification runs automatically in the background. Within a few seconds, the app looks up which canal or waterway you are on and saves it to the entry.
If you have the 14-day reminder enabled, a notification is scheduled for 14 days from now.
If you have the location warning enabled and the app detects you are still in the same CRT location as your last entry, an alert will appear to let you know.
3. Understanding the Map
Maps appear on the Log screen (showing your current or just-captured position), in the History list (thumbnail previews), and on the Log detail screen (full interactive map).
Zoom / pan — pinch to zoom, drag to pan on the detail screen.
Position marker — a red pin marks the exact recorded coordinates.
Map style — Liberty style from OpenFreeMap. An internet connection is required to load map tiles; previously loaded areas may be cached.
Zoom level — the app uses street-level zoom (level 13–14) by default, which shows canal paths, locks, and nearby landmarks clearly.
4. Canal & River Trust Waterway Identification
After each log entry is saved, Canal Cruiser Log automatically contacts the Canal & River Trust's public waterway database to identify which waterway you are on.
What it shows
Each log entry can display:
Functional Location Code — the CRT's internal reference for the waterway section (e.g., "RC001")
Waterway Name — the human-readable name (e.g., "Regent's Canal")
How it works
The app sends your GPS coordinates to the CRT's ArcGIS FeatureServer (a publicly accessible service). If your position falls within a known CRT waterway, the name and code are saved to the log entry. The lookup widens its search radius automatically if no waterway is found at first, to account for slight GPS offsets.
If the location is not identified
You may see "Identifying location…" briefly after logging.
If the lookup fails (e.g., no internet, or you are on a private waterway or marina not in the CRT database), the entry will show no location with a Fetch button.
Tap Fetch on the log detail screen to retry the lookup at any time.
On startup, the app automatically retries the lookup for any entries that do not have a waterway name yet.
5. Viewing Your History
The History tab shows all your past log entries for the active boat, newest first.
Browsing entries
Each entry in the list shows:
A map thumbnail of the recorded position
The attached photo (if any)
The date and time of the log
The GPS coordinates
The waterway name (if identified)
Your notes (if any)
Tap any entry to open the full Log Detail screen, which shows the complete interactive map, all metadata, and a larger version of the attached photo.
Filtering by date
Use the filter chips at the top of the History screen to narrow the list:
Filter
Shows
All
Every entry for the active boat
Today
Entries logged today
This Week
Entries from the past 7 days
This Month
Entries from the current calendar month
Custom
A date range you specify
Tap Custom then select a start and end date from the date pickers.
Deleting an entry
Open the log detail screen (tap any entry) and tap the delete icon (top-right). Confirm when prompted. This action cannot be undone.
Editing notes
To edit (or add) the notes on a saved entry:
Open the entry from the History tab.
In the Notes section at the bottom of the detail card, tap the pencil icon.
Edit the text in the field that appears. Notes are limited to 300 characters.
Tap Save to keep your changes, or Cancel to discard them.
If the entry has no notes yet, the section shows "Add notes…" as a placeholder — tap the pencil icon to add them.
6. Exporting a PDF
You can export all currently visible log entries (respecting the active date filter) as a PDF.
How to export
On the History tab, apply any date filters you want.
Tap the Export PDF button (share icon, top-right of the History screen).
Wait a moment while the app generates the PDF — map images are rendered for each entry, which can take a few seconds.
The system share sheet appears. Choose to save to Files, share by email, AirDrop it to your Mac, or send it any other way.
What the PDF contains
Boat name and CRT licence number
Date range covered and total number of entries
A table with one row per log entry, each containing:
Date and time
GPS coordinates (6 decimal places)
An embedded map image
CRT waterway code and name
Attached photo (if any)
Notes (if any)
File name
The PDF is saved with the format: [Boat Name] [Start Date] - [End Date].pdf
Example: Kingfisher 01 Jan 2026 - 30 Apr 2026.pdf
7. Backup & Restore
Canal Cruiser Log stores all data locally on your device. To avoid losing your data when you change phones, you can export a backup file and import it on your new device.
Exporting a backup
Go to the Settings tab.
Under Backup & Restore, tap Export Backup.
The app creates a single .json file containing all your boats, all log entries, and any attached photos.
The system share sheet appears. Choose where to save the file:
iPhone — save to iCloud Drive via the Files app so it syncs across your devices.
Android — save to Google Drive, or any other location you have access to.
You can also share it by email or AirDrop it to your Mac.
What the backup contains
All boats (name and CRT licence number)
All log entries for every boat (coordinates, date/time, CRT waterway, notes)
All attached photos (embedded in the file)
Importing a backup
Locate your backup file (e.g., in iCloud Drive or Google Drive).
Go to the Settings tab in the app.
Under Backup & Restore, tap Import Backup.
Pick the .json backup file from the file picker.
Confirm the warning — importing replaces all existing data.
The app restores all boats and logs. Your first boat is set as active automatically.
Important: Importing a backup permanently deletes all data currently in the app and replaces it with the contents of the backup file. Export a fresh backup before importing if you want to preserve your current data.
File name
Backup files are named: canal-navigator-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.json
Example: canal-navigator-backup-2026-05-04.json
Tap any boat on the Boats tab, or use the dropdown at the top of the Log screen. History and log entries are shown per boat — switching boats changes which history you see.
Deleting a boat
On the Boats tab, tap the delete icon on a boat card. A confirmation alert will appear warning you that all log entries for that boat will also be permanently deleted. This cannot be undone. Tap Delete to confirm.
9. Settings
Access settings via the Settings tab.
14-Day Location Reminder
When enabled, Canal Cruiser Log schedules a notification for 14 days after each new log entry you make in a new CRT location. The notification reminds you to move your boat — useful for liveaboards managing CRT continuous cruising requirements.
The first time you enable this, you will be asked to grant notification permission.
Disabling the setting cancels any pending reminder for the active boat.
A new reminder is scheduled each time you log a position in a new waterway location.
Location Warning
When enabled, Canal Cruiser Log shows an alert after you log a position if your boat appears to be in the same CRT location as the previous entry. This is a heads-up, not a block — you can still save the entry.
10. Troubleshooting
GPS won't get a fix
Make sure you are outdoors or near a window. GPS does not work well indoors.
Check that location permission is granted for Canal Cruiser Log in your device Settings → Privacy → Location Services.
If accuracy is very poor (amber or no dot), wait a moment and try again — GPS sometimes needs 10–30 seconds to obtain a good fix.
The app uses high-accuracy GPS mode; this may use more battery than low-accuracy mode.
CRT location is not identified
The CRT ArcGIS service requires an internet connection. Check you have mobile data or Wi-Fi.
If you are moored in a marina, private cut, or dry dock, the CRT database may not cover that location.
Tap Fetch on the log detail screen to retry at any time.
Entries without a location are retried automatically the next time you open the app.
Notifications are not arriving
Go to Settings → Notifications (device Settings app) and confirm Canal Cruiser Log has permission to send notifications.
The 14-day reminder is a one-shot notification scheduled 14 days in the future. It will only arrive if the app has not been force-quit and the phone is on.
Disable and re-enable the 14-day location reminder toggle in the app to cancel and reschedule the notification for the active boat.
PDF export is slow
The PDF renderer generates a map image for every log entry included in the export. Large date ranges (hundreds of entries) will take longer to process — this is normal.
Try exporting a shorter date range if you need a quick result.
The app shows "No boat selected"
Go to the Boats tab and tap a boat to set it as active, or add a new boat.
11. Privacy
All your data — GPS positions, photos, notes, and boat details — is stored locally on your device. King Paramount Canal Adventures does not operate servers and cannot access your data.
The app communicates with two external services:
Canal & River Trust ArcGIS — your GPS coordinates are sent to identify your waterway. See the CRT Privacy Policy.
OpenFreeMap — map tiles are fetched when you view a map screen.