Share your cruising story in the 2026 Log Competition

Ever thought about entering the CA Log Competition? 2026 could be your year.

For more than a century, the CA Log Competition has celebrated the art of recording life afloat - capturing the places visited, challenges overcome, people met and memorable moments that make cruising special.

Share your story

The 2026 competition brings together nine categories, recognising the many different ways CA members cruise and record their adventures. Whether your year afloat involved an ambitious extended voyage, a series of weekend escapes, cruising with family, exploring in a smaller boat or simply capturing the experience through photographs or film, there’s a category for you.

2026 also brings a new perspective to the judging process.

Meet the judge: Camilla Herrmann

Camilla Herrmann knows the Log Competition particularly well. For the past 11 years, as editor of Cruising magazine, she has worked with the winning entries before they appeared in Cruising. In 2026, however, she will be experiencing the competition from a very different perspective - reading all the entries and choosing the overall winner of the Hanson Cup.

“This year, now that I have retired as editor of Cruising, for the first time I’ll get to read all the logs and decide which one is the best,” says Camilla. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what CA members have been up to during the year.

“For many years I kept a blog of our adventures on our own Westerly Storm - in fact I only stopped in spring 2026 when I sold the boat. Initially, perhaps like many others, I wrote the blog mainly for my mum, who was my most avid reader. I was always surprised, and rather pleased, when I found that anyone else had read it! But in recent years probably the keenest reader has been me. It’s wonderful to revisit our many adventures, but also it’s a tremendously useful piece of reference material. In summer 2026 I sailed to the Baltic as crew on someone else’s boat, and on multiple occasions I was able to look back 15 years to our previous trip to Denmark, and provide useful nuggets of information. If you don’t currently record your adventures, please consider it. Perhaps the person who will be most grateful is your future self.”

Which Log category is for you?

The Hanson Cup is awarded for the best overall log, but there is no direct entry. Instead, as judge, Camilla will select the winner from entries across the other categories.

There are awards for cruises of both more and less than 30 consecutive days, while the Generations at Sea Trophy celebrates family adventures with at least one child under 16 on board. The Dugon Cup recognises the particular pleasures of simple, low-key cruising in boats up to 34ft.

And if you have never entered the Log Competition before, the New Horizons Trophy is exclusively for CA members entering for the first time.

• Hanson Cup: Log of the Year: awarded at the judge’s discretion
• Lacey Trophy: Extended Cruise Log: the best log covering an extended cruise of >30 consecutive days.
• Love Cup: Short Cruise Log: for those weekend getaways or month-long adventures of <30 consecutive days
• Dugon Cup: Small Boat Cruise Log: honours the most compelling account of simple, low-key cruising on boats ≤34’ LOA.
• PBO Award: Photographic Log: a voyage shared through a sequence of technically excellent and artistic images, supported by minimal text.
• Hammett Trophy: Crewing Service Log: best log from a trip arranged through the CA Crewing Service, submitted by a skipper or crew.
• The osCA: Video Log: for the best short film celebrating a cruising adventure.
• New Horizons Trophy: Debut Log: exclusively for first-time entrants. If you are a member who has never entered before, this is for you.
• Generations at Sea Trophy: Family Cruising Log: celebrates adventures that inspire young sailors. At least one child under 16 must be on board.

Members can read the full Log Category descriptions here.

Except for the photography and video-specific awards, entries can be submitted in any digital format. Blogs and social media accounts are welcome too - entrants will simply need to provide a representative selection of posts in your entry.

More than a record

A great log does not have to be an epic voyage. It could be the story of discovering a new anchorage, overcoming an unexpected challenge, introducing someone to sailing, exploring familiar waters in a different way, or simply enjoying time afloat with friends and family.

Top image: Boyd Holmes won the log of the year and was awarded the Hanson Cup in 2025.