Your Best Crewmember?

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Gary Wyngarden

Gary Wyngarden

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Mar 4, 2004
347
Hunter 37.5 Orcas Island, WA
It's sometimes been said that your autopilot is your best crewmember. For the most part it steers a straighter course than the Captain or other crew. The only thing it eats is amps. And other than an occasional beep, beep, beep (I'm off course and can't seem to do anything about it), it doesn't talk back. And of course the autopilot must have a name. Maybe the best one I've heard is Cheeky (short for Cheeky Little Bastard). Is your autopilot your best crewmember? Is it a he or a she? What is his/her name? Do you have conversations with your autopilot? Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
 
Gary Wyngarden

Gary Wyngarden

.
Mar 4, 2004
347
Hunter 37.5 Orcas Island, WA
It's sometimes been said that your autopilot is your best crewmember. For the most part it steers a straighter course than the Captain or other crew. The only thing it eats is amps. And other than an occasional beep, beep, beep (I'm off course and can't seem to do anything about it), it doesn't talk back. And of course the autopilot must have a name. Maybe the best one I've heard is Cheeky (short for Cheeky Little Bastard). Is your autopilot your best crewmember? Is it a he or a she? What is his/her name? Do you have conversations with your autopilot? Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
 
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Warren Milberg

I actually don't have an autopilot

on my H28.5, but I did have one on my previous boat and hardly ever used it. I really have no need for an autopilot for where and how I sail these days. If I were to sail offshore, I would certainly install one. But sailing in the Chesapeake doesn't require one, IMHO. I would also say that using an autopilot here could tend to be dangerous as other boats and obstacles can come out of nowhere. The closest I ever came to a collision is with another boat that was on autopilot and the captain was "distracted" by his bikini-clad crew.... For my kind of sailing (daysails and longer daylight cruises with legs no more than 6-8 hours each), my favorite crewmember(s) for solo sailing are self-tailing winches and a reliable headsail furler.
 
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Warren Milberg

I actually don't have an autopilot

on my H28.5, but I did have one on my previous boat and hardly ever used it. I really have no need for an autopilot for where and how I sail these days. If I were to sail offshore, I would certainly install one. But sailing in the Chesapeake doesn't require one, IMHO. I would also say that using an autopilot here could tend to be dangerous as other boats and obstacles can come out of nowhere. The closest I ever came to a collision is with another boat that was on autopilot and the captain was "distracted" by his bikini-clad crew.... For my kind of sailing (daysails and longer daylight cruises with legs no more than 6-8 hours each), my favorite crewmember(s) for solo sailing are self-tailing winches and a reliable headsail furler.
 
higgs

higgs

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Aug 24, 2005
3,736
Nassau 34 Olcott, NY
RoboSpud

The name goes back to pre AP days when, on a cruise, we found a goofy looking little rubber squeeze toy we named Spud. We lashed Spud to the tiller on my Paceship Eastwind and there he stood through thick and thin until the sun rotted him away. It was then that I bought a tiller pilot and it was as if Spud had been mechanically reincarnated. RoboSpud is indeed a valuable member of the crew. I now consider an AP to be a necessary piece of equipment for cruising.
 
higgs

higgs

.
Aug 24, 2005
3,736
Nassau 34 Olcott, NY
RoboSpud

The name goes back to pre AP days when, on a cruise, we found a goofy looking little rubber squeeze toy we named Spud. We lashed Spud to the tiller on my Paceship Eastwind and there he stood through thick and thin until the sun rotted him away. It was then that I bought a tiller pilot and it was as if Spud had been mechanically reincarnated. RoboSpud is indeed a valuable member of the crew. I now consider an AP to be a necessary piece of equipment for cruising.
 
Paul Akers

Paul Akers

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Dec 3, 2003
2,101
Hunter Legend 37 Portsmouth, RI
Just had mine repaired.

Because I feel it is so important, I scrapped a trip to Block Island last summer because it was broken and had 20 miles of hand-steering to reach the destination. They really relieve a good deal of fatigue. After I had already hand-steered 10 miles, I was passing Newport harbor, so I called a mooring service for a mooring and there was one available. So I took it and stayed in Newport instead. I never call it he or she and IT doesn't have a name, because it is an IT!
 
Paul Akers

Paul Akers

.
Dec 3, 2003
2,101
Hunter Legend 37 Portsmouth, RI
Just had mine repaired.

Because I feel it is so important, I scrapped a trip to Block Island last summer because it was broken and had 20 miles of hand-steering to reach the destination. They really relieve a good deal of fatigue. After I had already hand-steered 10 miles, I was passing Newport harbor, so I called a mooring service for a mooring and there was one available. So I took it and stayed in Newport instead. I never call it he or she and IT doesn't have a name, because it is an IT!
 
J

jackson2191

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Mar 31, 2006
23
- - San Francisco
We love Joe

My AP is a him. He does good work, except when he doesn't. Like when I'm on the foredeck rigging the spinny with following seas. Chris................
 
J

jackson2191

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Mar 31, 2006
23
- - San Francisco
We love Joe

My AP is a him. He does good work, except when he doesn't. Like when I'm on the foredeck rigging the spinny with following seas. Chris................
 
T

Ted Weitz

Otto

We have an Otto also. Our prior boat did not have one, but I find Otto exceedingly useful, especially when single handing or when the crew is lazy or sleeping down below.
 
T

Ted Weitz

Otto

We have an Otto also. Our prior boat did not have one, but I find Otto exceedingly useful, especially when single handing or when the crew is lazy or sleeping down below.
 
Fred Ficarra

Fred Ficarra

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Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Ponch.

As in Ponchous Pilot. It's a biblical thing that I recall from being forced to study as a child. I forget, but wasn't he some bad guy that had Christ killed? I thought it was a fitting name for THE most dangerous component on our boat. Yep, dangerous because using it leads to complacency and poor watch-keeping.
 
Fred Ficarra

Fred Ficarra

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Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Ponch.

As in Ponchous Pilot. It's a biblical thing that I recall from being forced to study as a child. I forget, but wasn't he some bad guy that had Christ killed? I thought it was a fitting name for THE most dangerous component on our boat. Yep, dangerous because using it leads to complacency and poor watch-keeping.
 
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