During a live muster session the iPad isn't just counting heads — it's building a timeline of the whole event. Quick actions you tap, free-text notes you type, and every VoIP call you place all get captured as timestamped entries. When the session is finished, that timeline is the core of your drill debrief and the audit trail an ISM inspector will look for. This article covers how to log events on the iPad and how to review them afterwards.
The Log Event button
While a muster session is active, the bottom action bar on the iPad shows three buttons: Re-Muster, + Log Event, and Complete. Tap the middle one to open the Log Event sheet — a panel that slides up from the bottom of the screen with two ways to record what's happening:
- Quick actions at the top — one-tap buttons for the events your vessel logs most often
- Custom note at the bottom — a free-text box for anything that doesn't fit a preset
You can use either, both, or switch between them during a session depending on what's happening.
Quick actions
Quick actions are pre-configured one-tap shortcuts. The default set is:
- All Mustered
- Coast guard notified
- Anchor deployed
- All hands on deck
- Emergency position confirmed
Your admin can customise this list — up to six buttons, each with any label — under Muster Sessions > Settings > Quick Actions. Use it to match the checklist your vessel actually works through: "Watertight doors closed", "Engine room ventilation shut", "Guests accounted for", "Radio silence ordered", whatever applies.
Tap any quick action and it's logged instantly with the current timestamp. The button briefly shows "Logged ✓" and the sheet closes. If you need to log another, tap Log Event again.
Custom notes
Below the quick actions is a free-text box for notes that don't fit a preset. Type anything up to 280 characters — "Engine room reports CO2 standing by", "fwd bilge ok", "Deckhand A assisting Chief Officer on bridge wing". Tap Save note and it's logged with a timestamp, then the sheet closes.
The character counter warns as you approach the limit. You can use Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to submit without reaching for the button if you're on an iPad with a keyboard. Notes don't need to be polished — the point is to capture the moment while it's fresh. You can clean up wording later if needed.
VoIP calls log automatically
You don't need to tap Log Event for calls — any VoIP call you place from the Fire, DPA or Medical buttons during the session is logged automatically. Two entries are created:
- Call started — when the call connects, with the contact type (DPA, Fire, Medical) and the phone number dialled
- Call ended — when the call disconnects, with the duration
This happens for every call without any extra action. Combined with the audio recording (both sides of the call are captured to the session audio file), you get a complete record of the conversation: when it happened, who was called, how long it lasted, and what was said.
The Session Log drawer
Once you've logged at least one event, a Session Log pill appears in the sticky top bar with a count badge. Tap it to open a drawer from the right side of the screen listing every event in the session so far — newest first. Each event is rendered as a card:
- Red left border — a call was started. Shows the contact type and phone number.
- Slate left border — a call ended. Shows the duration.
- Teal left border — a quick action was tapped. Shows the label.
- Amber left border — a free-text note. The full text renders in an amber quote block underneath, preserving line breaks.
Each card has the timestamp aligned to the right of the type label. The drawer is scrollable so you can review the full timeline at any point during the session without exiting Muster Control. Close it via the × button, tap outside the drawer, or press Escape on an iPad keyboard.
When the session ends
Tap Complete in the action bar to end the session. The iPad asks for confirmation, then:
- Stops and uploads the audio recording
- Submits the entire event log to the server
- Locks the session so no more events can be added or edited
- Clears the local event state so the iPad is ready for the next session
The locked event log is what appears in the admin panel's Muster Sessions page. It's tamper-proof by design — you can't edit or delete events after the session completes, because the audit trail needs to stand up to inspection. If you made a mistake, you can add a clarifying note from the admin session detail page, but the original stays.
Offline session logging
Events logged during an offline session are queued locally on the iPad. When the iPad reconnects, the queued events are sent to the server as part of the muster completion sync. You don't lose any notes, calls, or quick actions, even if the whole session ran without connectivity.
VoIP calls obviously can't be placed offline (they need a network to connect), but if the iPad drops connectivity mid-call, the call record that's already been started logs correctly when it ends, and syncs when connectivity returns.
Reviewing events afterwards
In the admin panel, open Muster Sessions in the sidebar and click a session row to see its detail panel. The Events section lists every event in chronological order — same data the iPad showed, now displayed alongside the audio player, the roster outcome, and session metadata. Notes appear inline with their full text, call records show the duration and contact, and quick actions show the label you tapped. It's exactly the timeline needed for a drill debrief or an audit response.
Common pitfalls
- Over-logging during a real incident — a flood of notes in the first two minutes is often not useful. Prioritise the critical events (decisions made, commands issued, status changes) and let the audio recording capture the chatter.
- Under-logging during a drill — the opposite. If you log nothing, your post-drill review has nothing to chew on. Aim for a note every significant moment: alarm acknowledged, first head count complete, remediation ordered, stand-down called.
- Quick actions that don't match reality — if your admin's configured quick action says "All Mustered" but you've still got three people missing, don't tap it. Use a custom note describing actual state instead. The log is only useful if it's true.
- Logging events outside the session — there's no way to add events after Complete. If you think of something important in the debrief, add it as a comment/note on the admin session detail page instead of trying to re-open the session.
What's next
The session log works hand-in-hand with the audio recording — text for the key moments, audio for the complete picture. See Audio recording during musters for the audio side, and Reviewing past muster sessions for the admin playback and export flow.