Quick setup.
Watchdog plans fair daily watches. Set up once, then it takes a few minutes a month.
Captain: set up your vessel (15 minutes)
- Sign up with the email address Delve approved. Use your vessel's business email.
- Set up the vessel. Enter its name and the time zone the rota runs on. Choose Deck/Interior, Engineering if deck and interior share one watch list, or Deck, Interior, Engineering if they stand separate watches. Set how many people stand watch each day in each list.
- Add your crew in the Crew tab. First names are enough. Do not enter health details or reasons for leave.
- Block out dates when the vessel is underway or on trip (Movements). Nobody is planned on those days.
- Auto-plan the month from the Calendar, then check it. Change any day by hand. Your changes are kept when you plan again.
- Invite your team from the Team tab. Watchdog gives you a link to send yourself. It works once, for that email only, for 7 days.
- Print the calendar on A4 or A3 for the crew mess.
Heads of department: day to day
- Someone leaves the boat or goes on leave: switch them to off board in the Crew tab. Their upcoming watches are cleared. When they return, Watchdog offers credit so they don't come back owing a run of weekends.
- A swap: tap the day in the Calendar and pick who stands it.
- A gap: if a day is short, fill it by hand or ask an admin to Auto-plan.
- Someone else edited at the same time: Watchdog asks you to refresh. Nothing is overwritten without you knowing.
Who can do what
| Role | Typically | Can change |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation admin | Whoever set up the vessel, or the management company | Everything, on every vessel in the organisation |
| Vessel admin | Captain, chief officer. As many as you like | Everything on this vessel: crew, lists, dates, points, team |
| Head of department | Bosun, chief stew, chief engineer | Their own list: crew on or off board, and watches |
How fairness works
Every watch earns points: weekdays 1, Fridays 1.25, weekends 2 (admins can change these in Settings, from a date onwards). Weekday and weekend watches are counted separately. Auto-plan gives the next watch to whoever has the fewest points in their list, and avoids back-to-back days where it can. Points belong to the person, so combining or changing lists never resets anyone.
Combining lists later
In Settings, under Departments, use Combine two lists. Crew, past watches and heads of department move across. Then Auto-plan the combined list. To split, add a list and move people to it from their crew card.
Need help?
Email jeb@delvemarine.com with the vessel name and a screenshot.