Self-steering

[zoidberg]

It occurs to me that everybody who goes offshore more than a few miles/beyond Line Of Sight of land should be persuaded to carry a copy of John Letcher's 'Self Steering For Sailing Craft', optimally in .pdf form - for hard copies now cost more than £50.

Certainly, everyone ought to read the foreword here, courtesy of several people ( not least the team managing the Jester Challenge )

 

[Delfini]

I find the whole idea of designing, building and relying on self steering to be a complete distraction from one of the primary joys of being offshore - sailing and steering the boat - however I believe I am in the minority - especially with cruisers.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I find the whole idea of designing, building and relying on self steering to be a complete distraction from one of the primary joys of being offshore - sailing and steering the boat - however I believe I am in the minority - especially with cruisers.

The idea of sailing offshore without an autopilot and self steering is my idea of hell.
Being tied to the helm would make my life a misery.

 

[Praxinoscope]

The real shame is that Plastimo discontinued the NAVIK, it was a superb poece of kit and suited to the smaller boat 25’ - 30’.
Had one on my lat boat and stupidly let it go as part of the inventory. We must have done over 3 k miles with it over the years, and it behaved perfectly.
Much as I enjoy helming on a long passage self steering is a no-brainer.

 

[Wansworth]

yacht Wind vane Steering……Bill Belcher. Forward by H G Hasler……good book with plans to build vanegear s that work

 

[johnalison]

I find the whole idea of designing, building and relying on self steering to be a complete distraction from one of the primary joys of being offshore - sailing and steering the boat - however I believe I am in the minority - especially with cruisers.

I have never sailed an ocean but I don't think I could contemplate doing it without self-steering. However, I understand your point of view and although I have an effective autopilot, my usual habit is to steer myself when under sail. With company this would be for watches of a few hours, or less when it is tougher, but on my own I have often helmed for ten hours or more, with the occasional break from an occasionally reluctant wife, but this is streets away from what is needed to go further offshore.

 

[Blueboatman]

Years ago now when I built mine.

But I had a few books and as I learnt more I discounted them rather shockingly except for this which , along with a visit to Peter Foerthmanns wind pilot site , I regard as the only one worth bothering with ( imho!)
And even this is pretty dated now ..
But it is all there.

Self Steering for Yachts: Amazon.co.uk: Dijkstra, G.: 9780245533969: Books

The tyranny of the helm is nice when it is only optional?

 

[capnsensible]

When Mrs S and I set off from Gibraltar on our first Atlantic circuit on our Moody 33, the previously well behaved wheel pilot wrapped its had in at Tarifa. That's about 9nm.

We were occasionally joined by others but we steered most of the rest between us. You get quite good at it and three hours sleep, lots of times, can be got used to.

However, 9 months later on our return, we bought a hydrovane.

 

[Delfini]

Im happy to be in the minority on this having just completed my 3rd trans Atlantic from UK to Canaries and then on the ARC+ via Cape Verde - every time hand steered pretty much all of the way even though we have a B&G autopilot.

Almost every other boat we spoke to in the Caribbean couldnt believe we hand steered all the way - most of them engaged their autopilot at every opportunity and read a book or fell asleep whilst on watch - crazy

 

[john_morris_uk]

Im happy to be in the minority on this having just completed my 3rd trans Atlantic from UK to Canaries and then on the ARC+ via Cape Verde - every time hand steered pretty much all of the way even though we have a B&G autopilot.

Almost every other boat we spoke to in the Caribbean couldnt believe we hand steered all the way - most of them engaged their autopilot at every opportunity and read a book or fell asleep whilst on watch - crazy

Nothing crazy about reading a book so long as you look up every now and again. Sailing is supposed to be fun. Not some sort of mental or physical stamina test.
Chapeau to those who steer across oceans. Not for me anyway unless it’s forced upon me.

 

[DownWest]

I built one after reading Faymarine website (can't find it at the mo, keeps defaluting to Raymarine) it was for a friends heavy gaff ketch. Aparently, it worked well, but only for a short time, as an inadvertant jibe had the mizzen sheet rip the head off... Wind vane to a trim tab on the rudder. He reverted an autohelm on the tab.

If single handing, no question about needing one.

 

[DownWest]

Years ago now when I built mine.

But I had a few books and as I learnt more I discounted them rather shockingly except for this which , along with a visit to Peter Foerthmanns wind pilot site , I regard as the only one worth bothering with ( imho!)
And even this is pretty dated now ..
But it is all there.

Self Steering for Yachts: Amazon.co.uk: Dijkstra, G.: 9780245533969: Books

The tyranny of the helm is nice when it is only optional?

I bought that in GIB, circa '77? Still on the shelf.

 

[srm]

most of them engaged their autopilot at every opportunity and read a book or fell asleep whilst on watch - crazy

An automatic steering device does not relieve anyone of the need to keep watch. However, I suggest that you are conflating the two things.

I would question just how effective a watch can be kept by one person on deck while hand steering, especially on a wet windy night with a sea running and blinkered by their hood. I usually run my boat on the basis of one watch keeper and windvane steering so the watchkeeper can actually watch and attend to whatever needs doing. In my early days sailing we did two passages south coast England to Shetland and a Norway cruise with two on board and only hand steering. A couple of close encounters convinced me that the person on the helm (me) can not keep an effective watch in anything other than idylic conditions.

Not a rule but interestingly no one sailing with me has taken to reading on watch. OK to go below briefly to make a hot drink etc. then back in a watch keeping location. Admittedly this has to be modified a bit when single handed.

Sailing with a full, novice, crew I came on deck at sunrise one morning, about half way to Norway. Watchkeeper was awake and looking fixedly ahead (his first time out of sight of land). I quietly commented "have you seen the tanker astern of us?" "No, what, where?" It was about two miles off, illuminated by the rising sun. This guy was new to offshore sailing, but kept a good all round lookout after that. However, an experienced crew concentrating on compass, boat's head, and sails would in all probability have failed to see it as well.

 

[Wansworth]

With practice it gets better,the first time Iwas told to steer a coaster I was winding the wheel right and left whilst the skipper contained himself with laughter,but that summer the auto pilot broke and we had to steer,in the end I wastweekingthe wheel in between ups of tea even managing to read the Guardian

 

[Daydream believer]

It occurs to me that everybody who goes offshore more than a few miles/beyond Line Of Sight of land should be persuaded to carry a copy of John Letcher's 'Self Steering For Sailing Craft', optimally in .pdf form - for hard copies now cost more than £50.

I used to recommend Fanny Hill & lady Chatterley's Lover. Bit dated now, but still a good read if one has read all the Jack Reacher books. When I was at school, to save time, my copies had all the good bits underlined. Cane if one was caught with them, so one needed to find the best bits quick.

 

[jamie N]

Self Steering by the A.Y.R.S. was the acorn from which my 'trim tab wind vane' came.
Book from 1967; boat from 1964. Works well, but does require the boat to be balanced and mine also has sheet to tiller, which in my limited time sailing with it, does increase the efficiency by working in tandem with each other.

 

[DownWest]

[QUOTE="srm, post: 8152593, member: 7705"

Sailing with a full, novice, crew I came on deck at sunrise one morning, about half way to Norway. Watchkeeper was awake and looking fixedly ahead (his first time out of sight of land). I quietly commented "have you have seen the tanker astern of us?" "No, what, where?" It was about two miles off, illuminated by the rising sun. This guy was new to offshore sailing, but kept a good all round lookout after that. However, an experienced crew concentrating on compass, boat's head, and sails would in all probability have failed to see it as well.
[/QUOTE]
Ditto from a friend on a transat. Big ship trundling up behind, didn't show on the ABS warning... He got the other crew on deck with LJ and managed to contact the ship on the VHF. They said that they had seen them and altered course. He didn't believe them as they were so close before they dodged.

 

[DownWest]

For the DIY inclined, bit of good reading and vids here: B&B Windvane Self Steering Plans (bandbyachtdesigns.com)
Very simple trim tab on an auxilary rudder (Hydrovane?) for a small boat. Could be scaled up a tad for bigger stuff.

 

[Praxinoscope]

I still have a functional iPod which has some BBC drama’s and music on it, which I find ideal listening on a night watch, I can still keep a watch, it helps me to stay awake and I can let the self steering or Autohelm do the work.

 

[mjcoon]

I used to recommend Fanny Hill & lady Chatterley's Lover. Bit dated now, but still a good read if one has read all the Jack Reacher books. When I was at school, to save time, my copies had all the good bits underlined. Cane if one was caught with them, so one needed to find the best bits quick.

Is that for the novice S&M pupils?