On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 12:18 PM, Michael Fischer <mifi601@gmail.com> wrote:
It certainly can. 1) Autopilots are always breaking. Carrying 2 or 3 spares, and using them in a 21 day Atlantic crossing is normal. 2) It is possible to steer to the wind, rather than to a compass, but the course will be all over the ocean if you are accelerating/decelerating a lot. This is the same as hand steering. 3) Steering a compass course in these conditions will be slow, which is one of the reasons solo sailors are so exhausted on races without much upwind work. 4) An autopilot with all the bells and whistles required for high speed, optimal sailing will cost a lot and uses a lot of electricity.wow - pretty impressive! I am sure a lot can be leraned from those guys' experience!
There is a lot of scope for a wind operated pilot for a fast multi. A proa has the advantage of a lot of deck space which is not affected by air flow off the sails (upwind, a wind vane mounted on the stern is going to be affected a lot by the breeze off the sail) so a long arm/large rudders/balanced rig may be a way to make it work without the force problems a water operated servo introduces. If a vane is enough for a wing, then it should also be enough for the rudders. Anyone with any suggestions, ideas, etc, please make them known.
Of course, motoring in a calm, an electric pilot is required.
rob
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