Yacht Safety Under Autopilot Control

[Don Alexander]

Hi Bob,Great to have access to an expert.I use my autopilot (6000) for just about everything as I mostly sail single handed, and very good it is too. My last two autohelm pilots had a nuisance feature which the earlier ones did not suffer from.When lowering my mainsail I engage the pilot and motor slowly into wind . During this time I am on the coachroof and often the boat drifts off course by 10 degrees or more. Sometimes I hear the pilot bleep but mostly I do not.As the sail is being stowed the reduction in windage then means the boat responds to the hard over rudder and turns in a 360 degrees circle. It scares the hell out of me and all the nearby skippers. Also the sail blows everywhere just when I am trying to contain it.It would be much safer if the pilot attempted to resume the original course rather than leaving the rudder hard over.As an electronics engineer I can appreciate the problems of trying to drive a DC motor which is unable to turn, but this is NOT the case as the motor is turned off BEFORE the rudder end stop is reached. Why could the controller not make a try to correct the course once every 10 seconds or so as the previous (20 years ago) models did? I felt better able to trust them.Regards.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Are you in AUTO or WIND VANE?

Don,I use my ST7000 to do the same function as you - to control the boat while I drop the mainsail. However, I have not experienced the circle problem as you have.I use the wind vane steering as opposed to the auto setting so that the boat will be steered into the wind to ease the sail dropping. Of course, I assure that the area is clear of other boats on that wind heading.Rich

 

[Bill Boudreau]

What?

You should switch the pilot to STANDBY. Head into the wind and then engage the autopilot into AUTO. This will prevent it from trying to compensate for any necessary lee helm. Also, make sure that the boat has enough headway for the pilot to keep it on course. If the pilot typically holds a good heading, then it should do the same when you are trying to take down the sail.

 

[Don Alexander]

Pilot safety - Reply

My thanks to Bill and Rich for your advice. I do exactly as you both suggest but the speed necessary under motor to ensure proper course steering is much too high to be bashing into waves whilst I am dancing on the coachroof stowing the mainsail.Anyway I still do not see why the pilot needs to forget the course as soon as the boat gets more than 10 degrees off course - especially when its predecessors did not.Thanks again,Don