winch2
Active member
You mean people actually reef on boat speed.? Had no idea that was even a thing. But yes wind, not hull.
Autopilot trying to kill me?
- Thread starter sailboatliving
- Start date
vic008
Active member
Do the Vendee boats use the same autopilots as we do?
dunedin
Well-known member
No, massively more sophisticated, with many more sensors and AI developed capabilities.
BUT the learnings from the race systems gradually feed down into the bread and butter systems. Hence why modern cruising yacht autopilots are much more effective than ones from 10-20 years ago.
jbweston
Well-known member
I'm a little concerned about that. I understand the sentiment, but the problem is you are already painted into a corner and if the wind speed rises further . . . you get the picture.
'Too windy to reef' is a sure sign that things are getting out of hand. 'Reefed as a precaution, but it turned out not to be necessary' may make a skipper sound like a wimp, but that's the sort of wimp I want to be.
Laminar Flow
Well-known member
64 posts in, I too am of the opinion that the boat in question was overpressed. Once the rudder stalls out, no AP in the world will bring the boat back on course, especially when the AP has gone to full lock.
However, some boats are clearly much better downwind than others. We can (and have) carry full sail, see avatar, in 30 kts, on a deep reach and in a pronounced, quartering and occasionally breaking, following sea. This under autopilot, though it never has to correct more than 2.5 degr. rudder angle and at speeds between 7kt and 8kts. The boat tracks like a train.
We could do this with our old AP, a slow and slow witted CPT and now again, with our upgraded Raymarine 150, which is a lot more sophisticated. We have yet to encounter conditions in which the AP could not cope.
I always try to carry as much sail as possible - speed improves ship movement, cuts down considerably on rolling and makes passages more pleasant, especially downhill.
Last year we circumnavigated the UK anticlockwise from our home port in Brittany, via DK, Sweden, Norway and Shetland in less than elegant conditions. We made 5 overnight passages between 200 and 450 NM, always under AP and all without issue.
A long keel in itself is not a cure, in case you were thinking. I've done several ocean passages on a couple; they rolled like pigs downwind and required considerable effort at the helm to keep on course.
An AP that can't keep course in all conditions is not really useful, as when the proverbial hits the fan, it may be the time when you need it most. If the AP can't be relied upon or will not safely steer the boat, then there is something wrong with either the AP or the boat.
While APs have improved a lot over the last years, a common problem is that occasionally ones are installed that are essentially too small or unsuitable for a particular vessel.
However, some boats are clearly much better downwind than others. We can (and have) carry full sail, see avatar, in 30 kts, on a deep reach and in a pronounced, quartering and occasionally breaking, following sea. This under autopilot, though it never has to correct more than 2.5 degr. rudder angle and at speeds between 7kt and 8kts. The boat tracks like a train.
We could do this with our old AP, a slow and slow witted CPT and now again, with our upgraded Raymarine 150, which is a lot more sophisticated. We have yet to encounter conditions in which the AP could not cope.
I always try to carry as much sail as possible - speed improves ship movement, cuts down considerably on rolling and makes passages more pleasant, especially downhill.
Last year we circumnavigated the UK anticlockwise from our home port in Brittany, via DK, Sweden, Norway and Shetland in less than elegant conditions. We made 5 overnight passages between 200 and 450 NM, always under AP and all without issue.
A long keel in itself is not a cure, in case you were thinking. I've done several ocean passages on a couple; they rolled like pigs downwind and required considerable effort at the helm to keep on course.
An AP that can't keep course in all conditions is not really useful, as when the proverbial hits the fan, it may be the time when you need it most. If the AP can't be relied upon or will not safely steer the boat, then there is something wrong with either the AP or the boat.
While APs have improved a lot over the last years, a common problem is that occasionally ones are installed that are essentially too small or unsuitable for a particular vessel.
Refueler
Well-known member
Its always easier to let a reef OUT than it is to take one IN ....
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Mentally I suspect not. One might tend to say " lets leave it as is, we are doing OK"
Refueler
Well-known member
Done that many a time .... when just out there for a cruise or no fuss sail ...
Supertramp
Well-known member
Oh for the days when it was all ropes, knots, canvas and stars.......
michael_w
Well-known member
And roller reefing. 'Oh bother the naughty thing has gone and jammed'.
Laminar Flow
Well-known member
Hand steering across an ocean or just across the North Sea, for that matter, might dampen such nostalgia a wee bit. Ask someone who's done it.
Supertramp
Well-known member
It's how I started (not oceans) and I was being ironic - I sometimes think the fun and spirit of sailing can get lost behind all the technology which is now considered normal. And the time spent working on the sailing bits is replaced by wiring, software and manuals.
I am guilty too - I depend on my autopilot, have a furling main and use electric charts etc.
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