Autopilot steering

[Stu Jackson]

Well said, moons

1. Go where its empty out there2. Rest up3. Practice4. Don't overdo it5. Come back safely6. Enjoy yourself7. Don't overthink it8. If the wind comes up when you're asleep, what's so different than when you're awake, other than the five seconds it'll take you to get up

 

[sailaway78]

DO YOU SLEEP LIGHT

If you are a very, very light sleeper, it makes it much better when single handing. It takes a stick of dynamite to wake me up at home, but when on the boat, the slightest change will bring me instantly wide awake. I agree with moon sailor that it should be taken in increments though. You don't start around the world, without sailing a few much shorter voyages. There are several short trips for us gulf coast guys. Mobile to Pensacola is roughly 24 hours, as would be Pensacola to Pt. Saint Joe. Appalachicola to Clearwater is 24 to 30 hours, so this is a good start in getting experience for longer hauls. Sleep deprivation causes one to not think as clearly, and very possible to make a big mistake if things get out of hand. Just like the boat, you should have yourself prepared also, and know what you are capable of, before you set out on a long voyage. I can do 24 hours, but that is right at the limits, and I would hate to have to stake my life, or the lives of others, on my judgment at that point.

 

[MoonSailer]

A Great Four Day trip

When my wife and I were at Dog River near Mobile we made a great four day trip.Day 1 Dog river down the bay to the ICW and motor to Ingram's Bayou.Day 2 Ingram's Bayou to Fort McCree we were fortunate and got to sail most of the way.Day 3 Out the pass at first light and head west to Mobile Bay entrance. Got into Navy cove and the anchor down just as it was getting dark... A long but enjoyable day. With the forcast we expected to make the trip quickly. The wind however took it's time coming up so we got in late.Day 4 The best sailing of the trip a great broad reach up the bay to Dog River. The only down side was we got into our slip mid afternoon. But this was a mixed blessing as we had a 4.5 hour drive home. My wife was nervous and would only let me nap in the cockpit. She said that she was fine when looking towards the shore but felt vulnerable when she looked out at the sea. In the bay she would let me nap down below.

 

[David11054]

TillerPilot for motoring

I haven't single-handed over night yet, and have no plans to do so.When motoring through light air on our '77 h27, the prop walk exerts a constant pull to port, so holding the course with the tiller is both tiring and boring. At the same time, plenty of power is being generated to drive the autopilot. So we use the AP on most motoring legs (20% to 40% of our sailing time.) I also use it to join the Admiral sitting forward, or to work on sail trim if she doesn't feel like helming, or I am single handing.I love helming the boat under sail, so seldom use the AP while sailing.Our tiller pilot looks the same as yours, Chuck R. and I would encourage you - ours works great through hundreds of hours of use.If I were to single hand through 24 hours, I would capnap in the cockpit, using an alarm to wake me for lookout duties.DavidLady Lillie

 

[ITMaster]

The Addition of the Autohelm

Was the single greatest addition to our boat thus far. Although it hurt the pocket book, the features that we found on the ST8002 Raymarine now were well worth the crunch on the wallet. This A-Helm if you are not familar with it is pretty slick. In addition to a simple power steering mode that holds the rudder in what ever position you desire, it has the magnetic headding like all or most do, it has a course tracking mode that provides cross track error compensation, it will hold a wind headding and last but not least is the auto tack feature. I have not used the auto tack feature yet, but when I do, I am sure that it will impress the living daylight out of me. I really like the ability to hold a wind direction, especially if running downwind. I've never had an accidental jibe with it and it is so nice to set the sails up wing and wing and just roll along. The fluxgate is mounted in the top of the bilge forward of the mast. I have it tied in with a C-80 plotter and the rest of the Raymarine instruments. My next addition will be the AIS receiver followed by the radar. Like I said earlier, the addition of this really added a new dimension of pleasure and enjoyment to the sailing of this boat. I always felt like I was a slave to the wheel before I got the autohelm. I had single handed the vessel for 18 hours once and felt mentally, physically and emotionally drained when I was done. My nerves were frayed and I was a wreck for several days recovering from the exhaustion that I got from that. Now, it is a piece of cake.