Getting Started with KnotWise

Modified on Tue, 28 Jul at 11:09 PM

KnotWise is a ship's logbook for bluewater sailors. It runs as a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, as a native app on iPad, and in the browser at log.knotwise.app. This article covers the first hour after signing up.

1. Create your account

Sign up at log.knotwise.app with your email address. You will receive a one-time code — there is no password, and no credit card. Entering the code activates the account and starts a 30-day trial with the full Share plan. When it ends, the account moves to the Free plan by itself; nothing is charged and you do not have to do anything.

2. Walk through the setup

On the first launch KnotWise asks a handful of questions rather than dropping you into an empty app: the name and type of your vessel, its home port, and who is skipper. You can skip any of them and add the details later under Settings.

None of this is decoration — the home port and the vessel details end up on the crew list, the customs form and every PDF export, which is why the app asks early.

3. Try it with sample data

KnotWise offers to fill the app with a complete sample voyage so you can look at every screen with realistic content. A banner then sits at the top; one click on «Start with my own data» clears the sample and leaves you with an empty logbook.

Loading sample data is optional and you are asked before it happens. If you already have entries of your own, make a backup first — Settings → Data Backup.

4. Your first passage and log entry

A passage is one leg of a voyage and holds the entries between two ports; the log entry is the record of one moment. Create the passage first, then the entry — see What is a passage, and how do I create one? and How to create a log entry.

5. Add your crew

Open Crew in the sidebar and add the people on board with their roles. You can then mark who was on watch for each entry, and the crew list PDF is ready when a port authority asks. Details: Managing your crew.

Before you leave the dock

Two things are worth doing while you still have a connection: download the offline map (The map view) and sign in on every device you intend to take along — the sign-in code arrives by email, and offshore it is too late.

Last updated: 28 July 2026