For a short handed crew, a reliable autopilot is one of the most important pieces of gear on the boat. After some initial teething problems our Simrad autopilot has steered us some 45,000 miles with no problems. Great gear!
Meet the Author
The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site
Adventure 40
A real voyaging sailboat that will be ready to take you around the world in safety and comfort for US$200,000.
Alternative Energy For Voyaging
Solar, wind and hydro generation, it’s all here—real practical advice from an experienced voyager who has walked the walk, not just talked the talk.
Anchoring Made Easy—Gear
Information you need to put together a bullet-poof anchoring system—solid gear recommendations that have been tested in the real world.
Anchoring Made Easy—Technique
There are few activities in the voyaging life that cause more anxiety and stress than anchoring, so here are the techniques you need to get anchored and stay anchored every time.
Battery Installation & Maintenance
A complete, but simple, protocol to get the very best life out of batteries—real information that works based on 25 years of live-aboard experience.
Boat Design & Selection—Ovni 435
A sailor with decades of experience as a research boat skipper in demanding conditions builds his dream voyaging boat—we can all learn a lot.
Carbon Fibre Mast
Considering buying a boat with a carbon fibre mast or replacing your existing aluminum mast with carbon? The benefits and drawbacks of carbon fibre for voyaging boat masts.
Cruising Notes—Canada's East Coast
There are literally thousands of snug harbours on the east coast of Canada—these cruising notes, collected over twenty-five years sailing this coast, will make planning your voyage easier.
Dealing With Seasickness
Seasickness is the great spoiler of offshore voyaging—tips and wisdom for fighting off the dreaded mal-de-mer and what to do once it strikes.
Engines For Cruising Boats
An analysis of what makes an ideal cruising boat engine, together with a step-by-step account of a highly successful repower.
Getting Along With Your Crew
If you can’t get along with your crew, your cruise will not be a success. Chock full of practical tips on crew management.
Getting Out There Cruising
John, Phyllis, Christopher and Colin write about what you need to do to get out cruising and have fun when you do.
Heavy Weather Tactics
The options for storm survival from heaving-to to drogue deployment with a step-by-step guide to putting together an easy to deploy and retrieve system.
How To Buy an Offshore Boat
The critical issues that you need to understand before you buy an offshore voyaging boat. Time-tested tips to help you determine what really matters.
Lessons from Losses at Sea
A look at the loss of several yachts and what we can learn from each—reading this book could save your boat…and maybe your life.
Living The Dream
Do you dream of sailing in turquoise waters? Join “Pélerin” on a voyage in the Caribbean. Colin weaves a travel tale like only he can.
Maintaining a Cruising Boat
Often what will really govern how much fun and how safe your cruise will be is how good you are at maintaining your boat.
Medical Emergencies
How to prepare for every voyaging sailor’s worst nightmare—a medical emergency at sea. Medical kits, emergency medical training, it’s all here.
Motorboats For Sailors
Most sailors have thought about transitioning to a power boat, even if only as a way to stay on the water as we age. Here are the issues and options for a sailor’s power boat.
Navigation—Knowing Where It's At
The fruits of a combined century of navigation, much of it before electronic gadgets, and then we relate that experience to modern electronic navigation.
Offshore Sailboat Design
Knowing the difference between a boat that will work inshore and one that can go to sea could save you from making a terrible and expensive boat-buying mistake.
Person Overboard Prevention
If you fall overboard from a short-handed boat, you are probably not going to be rescued. Tips and procedures that will help keep you and your loved ones on the boat.
Photography For Cruisers
Telling the story of your voyage in photographs. Techniques and gear tips that will make you a better photographer.
Sail Handling Made Easy
Setting, reefing and striking sails and doing it in challenging conditions—tips, techniques, gear, sail selection and how-to slideshows, it’s all here.
Transatlantic On "Pèlerin"
A different and much more interesting transatlantic than the classic milk run, with valuable voyage planning and execution information.
Voyaging Boats from Boréal
In the market for a boat to take you to out-of-the-way places in safety? Even if you don’t buy a Boréal, you will learn a huge amount about what makes a good expedition boat.
Watertight Integrity
There is nothing more important to an offshore boat than keeping the water out. Here are real practical tips.
Weather Reception and Analysis
Step-by-step methods to receive weather information while offshore and in remote places.
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Electronic Pilots are ok for short sails on the coast but we have used both the Wind Pilot and the Cape Horne and would recommend either of them as they dont Moan,Eat,Sleep or use electric
Hi Pete,
We really like having both a vane gear and an autopilot. See this post for more.
For tiller steared sailboat:
I have an Atomic wind vane and 2 autopilots (Simrad & Autohelm).
For some years the wind vane is in my garage. It was working properly. The secret of wind vane is to have properly balanced sails. Of course it does not work when motoring or motor assisted sailing (but it is possible to fix a mechanical problem).
It is also some extra weight(around 80 pounds ) 2 ft of the stern.
Now I rely on autopilots ( 2 on-board because I can’t repair electronics). I found that they lasted around 3000 hrs. They cost 439$ in jan 2013. The electric motor inside is about 1 in. X 1 in. and take 1 amp to run.
I never touch the tiller. With their intelligent memory system, it did navigated my boat on any point of sail with one exception. I was running in front of a depression in 30 knots with 8 ft following waves with a residual cross wave of 6 ft coming from a gale 800 miles away.
The sea was like little pyramids. Single handed, I had to steer 32 hours without sleep. Wind vane would not handle those seas either.
I will not sailed without a good working autopilot.
Never sleep, never seasick, never distracted.
It is unfair to force team mate to steer for hours.
Gerard
Hi Gerard,
Thanks for the real world experience. Very interesting that you have found tiller autopilots better for your purposes than your windvane. One thing that your experiences seems to do is substantiate the general impression I have been getting that in recent years tiller autopilots have got a lot more reliable than they used to be. A particularly interesting point when you consider that you can buy about 10 tiller autopilots for the installed cost of a good under-deck pilot!