Hi Guys! From Nova Scotia (but I am from Newfoundland originally - loved that series!!). I sailed across the Atlantic way back in 1978. We used an Aries wind vane that work very well on all points of sail - including running wind-and-wing straight down wind. But I agree that the lovely Canadian-made "K Porn" is much prettier hanging off the stern!! I was 24 when I crossed the Atlantic. I am older now. After almost 50 years, I wonder at the life I would have had if I had kept going. But, my time has turned out pretty well. In those days there was no You-Tube or its ilk - tough to make a living while sailing full time. And, frankly, it seemed an almost aimless life. So, in the end, we sold the boat and had six kids, 10 grandkids and my own company instead. Fair trade, I'd say. But... I do wonder at times.
More power to you. I lived on my Challenger 35" Ketch, on Lake Ontario NY/Canada, with my wife and 2 boys 7 and 11 yo at the start. Each year for 20 years we moved on our Challenger, as we called her, on April 1st and moved off November 01st. We had friends all around the entire perimeter of Lake Ontario. It was a most wonderful life. Somewhat the best of both worlds, as we owned a small business in Buffalo, NY.
@@generossano2800 Hi Gene... thanks for you interesting response! Wow!! It sounds like an idyllic life. Our boat was a Golden Hind 31 that we lived aboard in BC for a year when we only had one kid. Our first daughter was a little girl, 3 years old at that time. But when we got pregnant the second time we decided to "move back east" and "settle down" so we sold the boat and moved to Toronto. We schemed every day for eight years as to how to get out of there! We moved to Halifax, NS in 1991 with five kids and had the last one here. And here is "home" for us now (after 30 years!). Maybe we should unpack those boxes now! 73, Larry
Completely agree. The Cap Horn windvane is one of the best piece of gear I ever bought. Don't forget the quality of construction and material used. Of all the stainless steel present on my boat, it is the only piece that never displayed any traces of corrosion. It is intended for longer passage. If you're doing only coastal, go for the electronic one. Another drawback of windvane, they don't work when motoring. To resume, windvane is the best crew you can have for passages, it does not consume any power, does not eat, complain nor sleep and above all, does not drink your beer or wine.
@@petergreen3381 To add to your adequate critic, it's actually both + some other meanings :-). I'd say "moving with difficulty" is probably the common denominator.
A Master's Class. i have followed since near the beginning and have seen the improvements in so many areas. When u sit down and talk to us about some part of your boat/life....yes you have become Master Teachers. Fair Winds :)
Cap Horn and a squeaky wheel pilot on my Alberg 35 which has been home for 32 years. I did find a learning curve with the vane, mostly in having to learn to sail the boat balanced. Otherwise, if I'm sailing, its driving, even in close waters. I had the opportunity to tell Yves, its creator, he had made me a passenger on my own boat even when I singlehand. Eric runs Cap Horn now and is awesome. He has more than once refused any payment for bushings and plastic parts even after 30 years service. Squeaky is for motoring. Mine doesn't nap, but has an odd aversion to heading W, where he is apt to loose data. Im old enough to sympathize with such lapses. Love your channel and only wish I'd crossed tracks with you guys when you were in Fairhaven buying Uma! I'm a naval architect and occasionally work in that shipyard.
I don't know how you two do it. Your videos make it all look so easy. The sailing, videos, posting and working together so well. Not to mention Uma and how you have educated on changes made and real feedback on how they work out. Very nice escape for me stuck on land in a job that I love but covid is making unbearable. Not to mention losing my dad to cancer and spending every weekend with my mom while she grieves almost alone during sheltering in place. Great escape. Thanks.
A tiny tip for squeaking fenders. Put 1 drop.. not 2 just 1 drop of Zalo (Dishwashing soap) on the fenders. It removes 99% of all squeaking :) Love your tour :D Thank you for sharing with us :)
Excellent summary ! We named ours Yves after you-know-who and it served us flawlessly for 6+ years of off-the-coast cruising down into Central America. The 'plastic' caps on the fittings at the bottom both fell off and the little tiny actuator arm inside the linkage (outside the stern) finally broke when we had a heavy-handed yard-guy kick the linkage out of the way inside the aft lazarette (thanks bozo !). We also used the Cap Horn with a Tillerpilot for plain compass course holding using the paddle for all the brute power and never got a separate autopilot.
I sailed a 31' Nantucket Clipper from W Wales to Las Palmas and then Antigua in 1976. I was singlehanded all the way but fortunately I had my Aries Wind vane. I just loved that thing as it had a personality and I even talked to it when the stress levels were high-(Bay of Biscay in November).The boat was free of any electronics also. I hated losing that vane when I eventually sold the boat in Guadeloupe.
I’m not a blow boater...yet... but loved your analysis and the examples you included. The fact the CH can do what you want it too... in the conditions you describe is incredible... would love to have CH give us the “why” on your channel. As a Power Boater I rely on my AP (Garmin) for all my long reaches in Florida/Bahamas.... I am alway amazed at how good the technology is compared to just 30 years ago. So a 42ft gofastfishboat with an accurate AP can save many, many gallons of 🦖 juice. Now I find out its all the same for a “Wind Jammer”!! BEST... Bill! GREAT VID!!
Sold me on the Cape Horne several episodes ago, reaffirmed it again. But I will NOT be installing one on my pick up truck! Thanks, Mike, for the heads up!
Have you two ever considered setting up a consultancy for people learning to sail, or building/modifying sailboats? I think you'd be brilliant at that. Love the technical videos, btw.
You both (three) are really sweet. Great experience to view your vids every time! Plus you teach al lot, which is very welcome. Roland from good old Germany
We installed a Hydrovane on our Island Packet a year ago and I’d say it would now rank in the top 3 most important pieces of kit on the boat. Steered us 3300 across the Atlantic earlier this year without missing a beat. Just love watching it work, like magic!
An very accurate description of the weather in Norway, in the summer time the snow in the middle is slightly less but is replaced by occasional sun on one side, light rain on the other and heavy rain or hails in the middle.
I watched all those episodes and was almost as relieved as you guys were when you got the wind vane. I am an engineer, but also a big believer that simpler is better. I would always opt for the wind vane over an electronic system as my primary autopilot, I think.
I've b even researching wind vanes for a while. Though I'm a year or so away from my refit being done, I'm settling between the Cape Horn and Hydrovane. Having that "second" rudder, it's like having an emergency rudder ready to go. I will get an electronic autopilot, as well but the wind vane will be first. I'm single handed on a 34' so hydraulic is overkill, though I'm well aware of the better efficiency, but they are super great on >40' boats, where wheel pilots don't do well. Having the boat balanced as you mentioned is the key. So I'm bringing all the lines, including all 3 reefs to the cockpit to help me better trim the sails. Fair winds.
Back in the 80s, we had both. Aries wind vane and a little motor fixed to a bulk head with a belt on a toothed wheel fixed behind the steering wheel. One used when running ,the other when beating eyc.They both worked beautifully. Just getting my 2 bobs worth in.
Wonderful explanation. I want to add some points: - wind vane: It will steer not perfectly to the course, but healthy to the boat. Nobody is interested loosing some miles on a sea passage. You will be very interested in a boat handling that is save during a sleep - and that's you may expect from it. - Sail trim: So often I see people do not enough trim or they don't care. All autopilots need a good sail trim! On charter boats I saw a lot of autopilots dying due to overload. If it does not die, it consumes a LOT of energy. With a not so good trimmed boat, the autopilot (and the rest of Nav) empties the batteries in less a day. - building in the autopilot. Some people may think Dan is always doing to big /heavy --- NO! The Autopilot produces a lot of power, easily destroying some of the base plate. - An electronic autopilot has to have a slack free operation. If there is only 1/2inch slack, your autopilot will drive like drunken!
Day 10, crossing the North Atlantic 11:28 We remember that episode will..✅ It was the FIRST video we watched of yours that RUclips put up for us, we watched a few more Then went back to Episode #1, “Don’t buy a Couch” 🛋 and watched them all from the beginning 😎👍
Excellent summary. You're conclusion of, in effect, horses for courses, the right system(s) for your particular boat is spot on. When looking at competing systems I also like the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). Every component has a failure rate so the fewer, the more reliable. Fair Winds!
I've only hand steered for 30 years. Only two times I've used an Autopilot. The first time the boat went crazy, when the phone rang and the other time We took off the light signal of a stationary seamark when the boat suddenly went off course. But they say that 3 times is a charm :-D
We had a B&G auto pilot on our Morgan 462 ketch and it was always dead on course no matter what was going on. When there are only two people it makes it a lot safer to be able to make changes.without a helmsman. I enjoy watching you guys.
I have that same autohelm drive unit you called squeaky. Mine was the same squeakiness last year, so I took it apart over this past winter. Turns out the inner ring that the belt goes around had cracked. I replaced that ring and the belt, which greatly improved performance, and is almost silent now. Also rudder response setting and rudder gain setting makes a big difference, and needs to be properly set for the boat. I also replaced the autohelm digital display which seems to have helped with tracking too.
One sign of a good sailor who knows himself (or herself) is how well you can balance the boat. In some of the stiffer boats I have sailed you can literally trim a headsle change the entire feel of the boat.
I must admit I did consider the Cape Horn, but after doing my research settled on the Hydrovane, and could not be happier. Glad the Cape Horn works so well for you guys.
Good discussion there., especially as you weren't going too far into specifics. I fitted HydroVane because I must have an off-centre installation (rudder projects a bit aft of the stern and the boarding/swim ladder on my older-style HR-38 is centrally mounted and can't really be moved) and there's no simple way to connect the cables of the servo-pendulum systems. My RayMarine Evo works great too - and it has an alarm if it switches into standby - which brings me to a significant issue. With lockdown in the UK, I couldn't do as much test sailing with the system as I wanted to and, while I noticed that the AP seemed to be keeping on a few extra degrees of port rudder, I didn't think much of it - until later. I paid a listed installer to install the system as it's a bit heavy to do single-handed and I wasn't going to buy specialist tools like a drill good enough to deal with inch thick GRP - but hindsight said he botched things a bit; the HydroVane was twisted off a few degrees so that it was fighting the main rudder and there's no means to finely adjust things as you can with your system. Also, having not used it as much as I wanted to, I opted for the AP on that first big leg - across Biscay single-handed, my third such crossing. But here it started to bite hard. In 20 knots, 4 metre quartering seas, sailing deep reach, all was fine - until the squalls stated hitting; I stopped counting at 40! But with 30 knots gusting 40, that steering bias load really started to add up and the AP kept going into stand-by (thankfully it does have that alarm). The extra load on the steering just became too much for the AP drive and I basically couldn't rest for the last 3 of the 4 days passage. In the end I worked out that I could put pressure on the wheel during squalls so that the AP wasn't bearing the full load, but I've never been so tired in my life - 4 days crossing a stormy Biscay in the wrong season, single-handed, no sleep for days and largely hand-steering a lot of the way. Fixed now, simply loosened off the control head mounting bolts and twisted the mainshaft back into the right position but that's not something I could do at sea in those conditions. Other dislike is that the rudder can't easily be pivoted out of the water like your system does but that's just how having a simple drive system goes. My HR-38 also has a high stern so I can't simply unclip the HydroVane under way because I have no easy way to put it back again later. Your picture of Sargassum makes me nervous for the same reason. But I suppose cover-19 helped set this mess up - just huge problems sailing in the UK at the moment. I needed to test sail more and I just couldn't. Next leg within the week - Portugal to the Caribbean single-handed an hopefully not needing to stop at the Canaries. HydroVane it will be, unless I find sets of conditions that system doesn't like. But I've sized my solar system so that I can drive the AP 24/7 if I must. One thing Would put on my wishlist, though, is something built into course-setting systems to factor in the shadowing on my solar panels but that's not gonna happen any time soon.
Because of you two I will definitely be more prepared when I finally get out on the water in 5 to 15 years thank you for all the information that you have shared with myself and the rest of the world!
I just want to give you a thank you for all your insite on the sailing life. I really enjoy your trials and tribulations and most of all the beautiful sailing. Blue skies...🥰
Awesome the 2 of youz! So dang informative and analytical. Sooo supportive of each other, too dang cute! 🥰 Am bingeing on you 2 and loving it! Keep us wannabe sailors on our vanes and toes! 🙄🤣🤣Thanking you tons!!!
@@SailingUma It's may work a clip here and there, both inside and out. Like showing rough Seas during a storm underway or a really bad anchorage location. Just an idea, love the videos, ideas and advice. Keep up the adventure.
That period of time with unreliable auto pilot and all the hand steering I think really honed your combined skills at sailing. Once you had that down the wind vane installed it really was a welcome luxury that you both could really appreciate - especially when it came to the Atlantic crossing.
Nice video. I have a NAVIK wind vane, from PLASTIMO in France. Well adapted for my FIRST 30 of 3.5T. It works very well, even when I hoist the mainsail and when I lower it. We navigate in Mediterranean sea and use it when we travel to Corsica, or Sardinia or Balearic Islands. The more there is wind the best it steers. As magic as moving just with the wind.
Fantastic advancement on the auto pilot, steering on the wind angle sounds sci-fi to me. Watching your movies makes all my nerves tingle again on getting out to sea. Gr8 motivation as always Stay Safe stay warm.
You guys are so much fun to watch. I find it hard to believe that you don't have a big crew running teleprompters, filming, doing sound, and all the other things production studios do. Keep up the good work.
I use both for much the same reasons. The hydrovane will still steer the boat if you have lost your rudder, so it offers extra redundancy there, it can also be mounted off centre which is useful if you have boarding steps in the centre of the transom.
Oh gosh the old footage of you guys! Dan with glasses! Thank you so much for sharing your lives with us! Xo from Vancouver (Langley actually but soon to be Kamloops!)
Very good discussion on selfsteering. What you did not metion is that the Cape Horn the quadrant is installed inside the boat (which is why it looks so clean outside). This takes up some space which, on a small boat, is an issue. Also, some sailing boats designs simply dont have that space available at the required locaction like any more modern boat with open ended cockpit for example). We sail a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 where the Cape Horn cannot be fitted unless you install the quadrant outside, at the stern. We had a Pacific Light Windpilot installed when we bought the boat and we love it but balancing the sails is key. Take care!
Yes, the quadrant on the Cape Horn can be mounted externally, and off centre. Thats the beauty of working with them, they will custom make each unit to fit your boat exactly. It does start to get complicated, but they claim they can instal one on any boat.
@@SailingUma Ah, I wasnt aware of that, good to know, thanks! The way you have itinstalled on Uma though is by far the least disturbing and estetically pleasing of all windvanes....
15:00 - I’s Norway, “Sunny on the bow, raining on the stern...and it’s snowing in the middle!” That was my experience in Scotland. If the Sun was out, that meant that it was going to rain in the next 15-minutes. In the Winter it was quite cold. In Holy Loch where we once has a Submarine Base, I did a couple of refutes there and an extended refit in floating dry dock. They lowered a steel shack onto the missile deck for topside watch standers. We would have to leave it every couple of minutes to push it back into the center of the deck to prevent being blown overboard. That is what I’ve been thinking about during your upper latitudes trip. If you cross the Article Circle, you can become a Bluenose like me. Been under the ice twice.
Being mechanically and technically challenged, I would be clueless about how both of those systems work. But you explained it so well I felt like I got the idea. The little 24' sailboat I had in the early 80's resorted to using a bungee cord to sort of hold the tiller in place while I took 60 seconds to duck below for something. And that was in Biscayne Bay, out of Miami.
Great stuff. I’m going to get in touch with Yves at Cape Horn today about measuring up a new windvane for Black Sheep. I love his 28 thousand mile or 1 circumnavigation guarantee. That’s confidence in your product! I’ll probably also fit a hydraulic ram in a couple of years, but windvane comes first.
Thanks... strangely enough I purchased a new Ray Marine EV1 wheel pilot which I also integrated with the instruments and the chart plotter. Doing the chart plotter (an older one with NEMA 0183) required buying a communications bridge - but it communicated perfectly and I needed to keep the NEMA 0183 for things like DSC on my VHF. The wheel drive actually works perfectly on our 34' sloop. The problem I have is with the software from Ray Marine. It DEMANDS acknowledgment on a GPS route at EVERY course change which means I have to be behind the wheel defeating the very purpose of the auto pilot - freeing me from being behind the wheel. Like you the very time I need it to do a route is when we are levying or coming back from a dock when I want to be rigging or de rigging the boat but this stupid demand from Ray Marine says I can't do this - I have to say it is ok to change course... As far as I know Ray Marine is the ONLY company that does this - B&G does NOT do this. For me the only way round this is to get the expansive wireless remote where I can acknowledge the course change from a position other than the helm. So ... there goes another $800 that I would not otherwise need to spend.... I don't need a wind vane as we simply coastal sail but I do NEED an auto pilot that actually auto routes and Ray Marine ... is not that pilot the SOFTWARE is the culprit not the hardware which works fine ... Ray Marine alone does this... no one else does it.
These tech videos are fantastic .. more to do with the way things are explained then the explanation, You could call these episodes "Sailing for Dummies" !! Stay Safe, Stay Warm & Fair Winds !!
Hello, As always you are good :) When you buy the Cap Horn wind-vane and install it on your boat. I was very happy for you. It's the better choice I personally recommend too. Cap Horn is simple and efficiency. It just a little too expensive :)) Choosing B&G systems is great too. Like always since your first video, you make me a happy man, thanks :)
Reference Sargasso: UK and European freshwater Silver Eels, travel more than 3,000 miles across the ocean to the Sargasso Sea, to spawn. Once hatched, the larvae make their way back somehow and become transparent 'glass eels'. Fascinating creatures, little understood, but heading for extinction like so many species killed off by us, over - numerous humans sprawling uncontrollably over the planet, so far.
Nice change of pace. Always wanted to know more about what that "cape horn" is. Yeah, I kinda started at the middle of the whole Uma series, so I missed those steps. I'll be circling back to them soon. Safe sails Kika and Dan.
I also discovered them at step 60-something and had to binge watch to catch up. I watch a few sailing channels and Uma ranks among the best. A few are falling prey to commercialism, but not this pair. They don't hesitate to sing praises of, or acknowledge support from vendors, but they are (often brutally) honest in their ratings of products.
You probably know that Cape Horn has a small arm that can attach down below to the vane mechanics that allows you to attach a small "tiller pilot" to. This way the Cape Horn can chase a wind angle OR a track on the water! I saved the Auto Helm 2000 autopilot ram from my Jeanneau 34' for just that purpose when I got a larger boat. It's only electric and doesn't pull a lot of current and it still has the sensitivity settings so it doesn't need to chase EVERYTHING in a boat movement. Did you have a fire going in the fireplace? That would have been great to have in the background of your video on a cold & windy day. Or did the wind blow down into the stack eliminating a chance for a draft?
1 Hi to both of you, you are doing a wonderful job to shine some lite on sailing and the Autopilot. You are mentioning so many topics on this that anybody who is listening to you understands that an Autopilot can`t just be taken from the shelf and function the way you want it to do. There are so many data having influence on the outcome, 2 That understanding what type you should implement you would have to read a hole book about sailing , boats, weather , streams,.... You could write that book and maybe have an impact on the way Autopilots are built. I am IT developer of software that would maybe give the commands for the units driving the Autopilot. To develop the logic you seem to be ready to put together all the influence the APP would have to deal with. So get going, start the system analysis. I`m sure your video has helped a lot of sailors to think a little longer on what to use as their third "person" UMATIC on the helm.
I went skiing one day. It was cloudy and rainy at the bottom of the mountain and bright and sunny on the top. It wasn't a very tall mountain only 1750 foot drop. Attitash.
That's for sharing the details of both systems, I only have an electric autopilot on my boat and considered installing a windvane steering system but given that I have an arch/davits combo off the stern it would be a visual mess and only usable with the dinghy on the bow, and would get in the way of boarding the dinghy at anchor.
Look at the install pictures on the different vendors sites, may give you an option or two. Also I noticed the serious offshore cruisers, even though they have davits, store the dingy inverted on the bow. I think, because a bad wave at the stern would be a trip ending occurrence, if not just a loss/damage to dingy/davits/solar arch.
@@carlthor91 I definitely keep the dinghy on the bow for longer passages, but for a shorter passage with known weather I keep the dinghy on the davits. My dinghy weighs 90lbs and the davits are rated for over 10x that and it's held a solid 8' above the waterline so swamping is a non issue. My main concern is really just cluttering up the area where I board the dinghy, and the fact that my solar puts out 4.5 kwh/day in electricity makes the extra electrical draw negligible.
just watched this brill explanation on the different types of Auto Pilot. I have had no experience of any A P in any Yacht. So this was really interesting for me to listen to your comparisons. well done to you both you make an excellent team, long may you continue in your journey of Adventure in life afloat.
If I remember correctly Kika you once said you wanted to live somewhere with 4 seasons, now you get them all - at once! Every day :-)! One other thing that's come up when I've been talking to people about wind vanes is that some boats just can't have them - nowhere to mount them on some modern boats, a swim platform or the transom is too wide (I seem to remember Patrick Laine explaining that was why he didn't have one on his boat whilst solo sailing - even after having his autopilot fail). Enjoy Norway, hope you managed to sleep okay with all that wind and thanks for another lovley video!
Check out the other Canadian Vane, Hydrovane, multiple mounting options, plus one version, someone stuck on a 65 footer?? I have no affiliation with them or any manufacturer. Best wishes from Northern Canada.
🤣Gotta watch it, almost flame war, about to start. Picking a windvane/steering system, is almost as bad as talking religion or politics.😎 Best wishes from Northern Canada.
I love this step! Perfect timing. I'm developing a sip and puff control system (you've probably seen them for wheelchairs) to allow persons with upper body mobility issues to sail a boat. I've just started to explore different rudder control/autopilots to interface to. I could hardly believe the luck when you posted a video on the systems that you have experience with plus all the links. SOooo helpful. Thank you kindly Dan and Kika!! :D
Add up the cost of all the electronics to order the autopilot around versus the simple windvane. They are probably afraid they would cut themselves out of part of the money train.😱
That was awesome, thanks! I’ve been looking for (and not finding) a similar comparison for some time. I think I even asked you two about it when you installed the B&G. Of course, at that point you didn’t have the in depth experience with both systems like you do now. Thanks!
![Not What We'd Expect From a Winter Sail - Sailing Uma [Step 262]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pj-oUqYlM0U/mqdefault.jpg)
![Not What We'd Expect From a Winter Sail — Sailing Uma [Step 262]](/img/tr.png)
![HALFWAY Across an Ocean = SHOWER TIME! - DAY9 /North Atlantic Crossing - Sailing Uma [Step 192.09]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HHCEx54EIZw/mqdefault.jpg)
![We Never Expected to See This SAILING Off The Coast of AFRICA [Ep. 65]](/img/1.gif)
Hi Guys! From Nova Scotia (but I am from Newfoundland originally - loved that series!!). I sailed across the Atlantic way back in 1978. We used an Aries wind vane that work very well on all points of sail - including running wind-and-wing straight down wind. But I agree that the lovely Canadian-made "K Porn" is much prettier hanging off the stern!! I was 24 when I crossed the Atlantic. I am older now. After almost 50 years, I wonder at the life I would have had if I had kept going. But, my time has turned out pretty well. In those days there was no You-Tube or its ilk - tough to make a living while sailing full time. And, frankly, it seemed an almost aimless life. So, in the end, we sold the boat and had six kids, 10 grandkids and my own company instead. Fair trade, I'd say. But... I do wonder at times.
I hope you get out sailing again soon!
More power to you. I lived on my Challenger 35" Ketch, on Lake Ontario NY/Canada, with my wife and 2 boys 7 and 11 yo at the start. Each year for 20 years we moved on our Challenger, as we called her, on April 1st and moved off November 01st. We had friends all around the entire perimeter of Lake Ontario. It was a most wonderful life. Somewhat the best of both worlds, as we owned a small business in Buffalo, NY.
@@generossano2800 Hi Gene... thanks for you interesting response! Wow!! It sounds like an idyllic life. Our boat was a Golden Hind 31 that we lived aboard in BC for a year when we only had one kid. Our first daughter was a little girl, 3 years old at that time. But when we got pregnant the second time we decided to "move back east" and "settle down" so we sold the boat and moved to Toronto. We schemed every day for eight years as to how to get out of there! We moved to Halifax, NS in 1991 with five kids and had the last one here. And here is "home" for us now (after 30 years!). Maybe we should unpack those boxes now! 73, Larry
Agree, Aries worked perfectly all through an Atlantic Circuit. But it could never be called aesthetic!
Its sunny on the bow and raining on the stern... And snowing in the middle.! IM CRYIN HAHAHAH
Could they be secretly in Tennessee .................. That's our weather to a "T" ................
As an Norwegian, I confirm! The weather nowadays is crazy, outside right now it is sunny and snowing
Completely agree. The Cap Horn windvane is one of the best piece of gear I ever bought. Don't forget the quality of construction and material used. Of all the stainless steel present on my boat, it is the only piece that never displayed any traces of corrosion. It is intended for longer passage. If you're doing only coastal, go for the electronic one. Another drawback of windvane, they don't work when motoring. To resume, windvane is the best crew you can have for passages, it does not consume any power, does not eat, complain nor sleep and above all, does not drink your beer or wine.
I crossed the Pacific with a Sailomat, and it WOULD self steer while motoring in calm conditions at 5 knots. That was on a 41 ft. Ketch.
I have caught up! Four weeks of binge-watching and I am up to date. What a journey, what amazing people you are! Long may you sail!
Instablaster...
I'm still 2 yearth back. But I'll come in big steps.
In case you didn't know: The horn signal played in the intro (long - short - short) is the marine open water signal for unmotorised/ sailing vessels.
That's better ;-)
It's actually 'my vessel is disabled/manoeuvring with difficulty, keep well clear'
Or
Long -short -short is the letter D in Morse Code. Dan. Need one for Kika. Long -short- long.
@@petergreen3381 To add to your adequate critic, it's actually both + some other meanings :-). I'd say "moving with difficulty" is probably the common denominator.
From our research, back at the beginning, it means, "Sailboat approaching in the fog".
I was so impressed by this I bought a wind vain, I wrote off my car 5 minutes later. My advice, only use them on boats.
LOLOLOL!!!
Oh i better cancel my order then...
That one tickled me 🤣🤣🤣
next time, try a wind vane.
@@SuperDirk1965 Just one caught that, good for you.
I understood perfectly your point that these two Auto-Pilots actually compliment each other very well.... Great Piece!
A Master's Class. i have followed since near the beginning and have seen the improvements in so many areas. When u sit down and talk to us about some part of your boat/life....yes you have become Master Teachers. Fair Winds :)
Cap Horn and a squeaky wheel pilot on my Alberg 35 which has been home for 32 years. I did find a learning curve with the vane, mostly in having to learn to sail the boat balanced. Otherwise, if I'm sailing, its driving, even in close waters. I had the opportunity to tell Yves, its creator, he had made me a passenger on my own boat even when I singlehand. Eric runs Cap Horn now and is awesome. He has more than once refused any payment for bushings and plastic parts even after 30 years service.
Squeaky is for motoring. Mine doesn't nap, but has an odd aversion to heading W, where he is apt to loose data. Im old enough to sympathize with such lapses.
Love your channel and only wish I'd crossed tracks with you guys when you were in Fairhaven buying Uma! I'm a naval architect and occasionally work in that shipyard.
I don't know how you two do it. Your videos make it all look so easy. The sailing, videos, posting and working together so well. Not to mention Uma and how you have educated on changes made and real feedback on how they work out. Very nice escape for me stuck on land in a job that I love but covid is making unbearable. Not to mention losing my dad to cancer and spending every weekend with my mom while she grieves almost alone during sheltering in place. Great escape. Thanks.
We need a video going over the amazing sweaters you guys have!
A tiny tip for squeaking fenders. Put 1 drop.. not 2 just 1 drop of Zalo (Dishwashing soap) on the fenders. It removes 99% of all squeaking :) Love your tour :D Thank you for sharing with us :)
I have been watching from day one love how chill they are and how they support each other. I wish I could find one like her..
Excellent summary !
We named ours Yves after you-know-who and it served us flawlessly for 6+ years of off-the-coast cruising down into Central America. The 'plastic' caps on the fittings at the bottom both fell off and the little tiny actuator arm inside the linkage (outside the stern) finally broke when we had a heavy-handed yard-guy kick the linkage out of the way inside the aft lazarette (thanks bozo !).
We also used the Cap Horn with a Tillerpilot for plain compass course holding using the paddle for all the brute power and never got a separate autopilot.
I do not sail, but learned a lot from this video.
I sailed a 31' Nantucket Clipper from W Wales to Las Palmas and then Antigua in 1976. I was singlehanded all the way but fortunately I had my Aries Wind vane. I just loved that thing as it had a personality and I even talked to it when the stress levels were high-(Bay of Biscay in November).The boat was free of any electronics also. I hated losing that vane when I eventually sold the boat in Guadeloupe.
I adore the sound the wind vane makes when active.. this fresh, gurgling, soothing water melody
I’m not a blow boater...yet... but loved your analysis and the examples you included. The fact the CH can do what you want it too... in the conditions you describe is incredible... would love to have CH give us the “why” on your channel. As a Power Boater I rely on my AP (Garmin) for all my long reaches in Florida/Bahamas.... I am alway amazed at how good the technology is compared to just 30 years ago. So a 42ft gofastfishboat with an accurate AP can save many, many gallons of 🦖 juice. Now I find out its all the same for a “Wind Jammer”!! BEST... Bill! GREAT VID!!
Sold me on the Cape Horne several episodes ago, reaffirmed it again. But I will NOT be installing one on my pick up truck! Thanks, Mike, for the heads up!
Wow, it's been so long ago that I saw blue decks and no railings. The changes you made to Uma are just fantastic. Love the look back. Great video.
Have you two ever considered setting up a consultancy for people learning to sail, or building/modifying sailboats? I think you'd be brilliant at that. Love the technical videos, btw.
I do look forward to your video's on Thursdays. Please keep them coming
I got holed up in Southern Colorado all winter nothing but snow. found this series ,you guys kept me warm. thank you.
You both (three) are really sweet. Great experience to view your vids every time! Plus you teach al lot, which is very welcome. Roland from good old Germany
We installed a Hydrovane on our Island Packet a year ago and I’d say it would now rank in the top 3 most important pieces of kit on the boat. Steered us 3300 across the Atlantic earlier this year without missing a beat. Just love watching it work, like magic!
LOVE Hydrovane!
An very accurate description of the weather in Norway, in the summer time the snow in the middle is slightly less but is replaced by occasional sun on one side, light rain on the other and heavy rain or hails in the middle.
I have the Cape Horn yet to be installed in my '72 P33!! Still have to complete the rebuild! Fair winds......! 😁
Just bought a sailboat, enjoy watching your early videos restoring Uma!
Let's be honest, they all are amazing! For me it was the Hurricane Mathew video that that hooked me.
May the wind always be at your back,and the sun in your face. Congratulations.
Me too! I watched them back when they came out for entertainment but now I watch them for ideas for my new (to me) Beneteau 30.
I watched all those episodes and was almost as relieved as you guys were when you got the wind vane. I am an engineer, but also a big believer that simpler is better. I would always opt for the wind vane over an electronic system as my primary autopilot, I think.
Horses for courses. Offshore, where accuracy not necessary, windvane, coastal, where varying accuracy is required, a well setup autopilot.
I've b even researching wind vanes for a while. Though I'm a year or so away from my refit being done, I'm settling between the Cape Horn and Hydrovane. Having that "second" rudder, it's like having an emergency rudder ready to go. I will get an electronic autopilot, as well but the wind vane will be first. I'm single handed on a 34' so hydraulic is overkill, though I'm well aware of the better efficiency, but they are super great on >40' boats, where wheel pilots don't do well. Having the boat balanced as you mentioned is the key. So I'm bringing all the lines, including all 3 reefs to the cockpit to help me better trim the sails. Fair winds.
Back in the 80s, we had both. Aries wind vane and a little motor fixed to a bulk head with a belt on a toothed wheel fixed behind the steering wheel. One used when running ,the other when beating eyc.They both worked beautifully. Just getting my 2 bobs worth in.
Love your technical expertise. You both have analytical minds. You educate us well. Thanks.
Wonderful explanation.
I want to add some points:
- wind vane: It will steer not perfectly to the course, but healthy to the boat. Nobody is interested loosing some miles on a sea passage. You will be very interested in a boat handling that is save during a sleep - and that's you may expect from it.
- Sail trim: So often I see people do not enough trim or they don't care. All autopilots need a good sail trim! On charter boats I saw a lot of autopilots dying due to overload. If it does not die, it consumes a LOT of energy. With a not so good trimmed boat, the autopilot (and the rest of Nav) empties the batteries in less a day.
- building in the autopilot. Some people may think Dan is always doing to big /heavy --- NO! The Autopilot produces a lot of power, easily destroying some of the base plate.
- An electronic autopilot has to have a slack free operation. If there is only 1/2inch slack, your autopilot will drive like drunken!
Day 10, crossing the North Atlantic 11:28 We remember that episode will..✅
It was the FIRST video we watched of yours that RUclips put up for us, we watched a few more
Then went back to Episode #1, “Don’t buy a Couch” 🛋 and watched them all from the beginning 😎👍
Excellent summary. You're conclusion of, in effect, horses for courses, the right system(s) for your particular boat is spot on. When looking at competing systems I also like the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). Every component has a failure rate so the fewer, the more reliable. Fair Winds!
I've only hand steered for 30 years. Only two times I've used an Autopilot. The first time the boat went crazy, when the phone rang and the other time We took off the light signal of a stationary seamark when the boat suddenly went off course. But they say that 3 times is a charm :-D
We had a B&G auto pilot on our Morgan 462 ketch and it was always dead on course no matter what was going on. When there are only two people it makes it a lot safer to be able to make changes.without a helmsman. I enjoy watching you guys.
I thought Dan said “sailing through patches of sarcasm”. I was like, yeah, it’s not good to sail through that.
I have that same autohelm drive unit you called squeaky. Mine was the same squeakiness last year, so I took it apart over this past winter. Turns out the inner ring that the belt goes around had cracked. I replaced that ring and the belt, which greatly improved performance, and is almost silent now. Also rudder response setting and rudder gain setting makes a big difference, and needs to be properly set for the boat. I also replaced the autohelm digital display which seems to have helped with tracking too.
One sign of a good sailor who knows himself (or herself) is how well you can balance the boat. In some of the stiffer boats I have sailed you can literally trim a headsle change the entire feel of the boat.
I must admit I did consider the Cape Horn, but after doing my research settled on the Hydrovane, and could not be happier. Glad the Cape Horn works so well for you guys.
Good discussion there., especially as you weren't going too far into specifics. I fitted HydroVane because I must have an off-centre installation (rudder projects a bit aft of the stern and the boarding/swim ladder on my older-style HR-38 is centrally mounted and can't really be moved) and there's no simple way to connect the cables of the servo-pendulum systems. My RayMarine Evo works great too - and it has an alarm if it switches into standby - which brings me to a significant issue.
With lockdown in the UK, I couldn't do as much test sailing with the system as I wanted to and, while I noticed that the AP seemed to be keeping on a few extra degrees of port rudder, I didn't think much of it - until later. I paid a listed installer to install the system as it's a bit heavy to do single-handed and I wasn't going to buy specialist tools like a drill good enough to deal with inch thick GRP - but hindsight said he botched things a bit; the HydroVane was twisted off a few degrees so that it was fighting the main rudder and there's no means to finely adjust things as you can with your system. Also, having not used it as much as I wanted to, I opted for the AP on that first big leg - across Biscay single-handed, my third such crossing. But here it started to bite hard. In 20 knots, 4 metre quartering seas, sailing deep reach, all was fine - until the squalls stated hitting; I stopped counting at 40! But with 30 knots gusting 40, that steering bias load really started to add up and the AP kept going into stand-by (thankfully it does have that alarm). The extra load on the steering just became too much for the AP drive and I basically couldn't rest for the last 3 of the 4 days passage. In the end I worked out that I could put pressure on the wheel during squalls so that the AP wasn't bearing the full load, but I've never been so tired in my life - 4 days crossing a stormy Biscay in the wrong season, single-handed, no sleep for days and largely hand-steering a lot of the way.
Fixed now, simply loosened off the control head mounting bolts and twisted the mainshaft back into the right position but that's not something I could do at sea in those conditions. Other dislike is that the rudder can't easily be pivoted out of the water like your system does but that's just how having a simple drive system goes. My HR-38 also has a high stern so I can't simply unclip the HydroVane under way because I have no easy way to put it back again later. Your picture of Sargassum makes me nervous for the same reason. But I suppose cover-19 helped set this mess up - just huge problems sailing in the UK at the moment. I needed to test sail more and I just couldn't.
Next leg within the week - Portugal to the Caribbean single-handed an hopefully not needing to stop at the Canaries. HydroVane it will be, unless I find sets of conditions that system doesn't like. But I've sized my solar system so that I can drive the AP 24/7 if I must. One thing Would put on my wishlist, though, is something built into course-setting systems to factor in the shadowing on my solar panels but that's not gonna happen any time soon.
Because of you two I will definitely be more prepared when I finally get out on the water in 5 to 15 years thank you for all the information that you have shared with myself and the rest of the world!
I just want to give you a thank you for all your insite on the sailing life. I really enjoy your trials and tribulations and most of all the beautiful sailing.
Blue skies...🥰
Came for the hot Dan thumbnail, stayed for the quality content! XD
ha! I had to check. Sho enough, a good one for the ladies (or whomever)
Awesome the 2 of youz! So dang informative and analytical. Sooo supportive of each other, too dang cute! 🥰 Am bingeing on you 2 and loving it! Keep us wannabe sailors on our vanes and toes! 🙄🤣🤣Thanking you tons!!!
Guy's try mounting a camera on a lamp gimbal to show the rocking of Uma as you film at the table on a windy day.
That may or may not cause some sea sickness 😅
@@SailingUma
It's may work a clip here and there, both inside and out. Like showing rough Seas during a storm underway or a really bad anchorage location.
Just an idea, love the videos, ideas and advice. Keep up the adventure.
@@charonstyxferryman at 5:1 scope that's only 6.5 km of chain :)
That period of time with unreliable auto pilot and all the hand steering I think really honed your combined skills at sailing. Once you had that down the wind vane installed it really was a welcome luxury that you both could really appreciate - especially when it came to the Atlantic crossing.
Nice video. I have a NAVIK wind vane, from PLASTIMO in France. Well adapted for my FIRST 30 of 3.5T. It works very well, even when I hoist the mainsail and when I lower it. We navigate in Mediterranean sea and use it when we travel to Corsica, or Sardinia or Balearic Islands. The more there is wind the best it steers. As magic as moving just with the wind.
Fantastic advancement on the auto pilot, steering on the wind angle sounds sci-fi to me.
Watching your movies makes all my nerves tingle again on getting out to sea. Gr8 motivation as always
Stay Safe stay warm.
Steering to the wind angle is what the wind vane does... ;-)
You guys are so much fun to watch. I find it hard to believe that you don't have a big crew running teleprompters, filming, doing sound, and all the other things production studios do.
Keep up the good work.
I use both for much the same reasons. The hydrovane will still steer the boat if you have lost your rudder, so it offers extra redundancy there, it can also be mounted off centre which is useful if you have boarding steps in the centre of the transom.
Cape Horn can be mounted off centre as well.
Oh gosh the old footage of you guys! Dan with glasses! Thank you so much for sharing your lives with us! Xo from Vancouver (Langley actually but soon to be Kamloops!)
Most excellent explanation of the systems and why you like them!!
Very clear explanation of the pros and cons of both systems as they apply to your situation.
Thanks for the well balanced feedback.
One of the best videos you've made, guys. I finally understood where and why each system works better. Thanks!
Very good discussion on selfsteering. What you did not metion is that the Cape Horn the quadrant is installed inside the boat (which is why it looks so clean outside). This takes up some space which, on a small boat, is an issue. Also, some sailing boats designs simply dont have that space available at the required locaction like any more modern boat with open ended cockpit for example). We sail a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 where the Cape Horn cannot be fitted unless you install the quadrant outside, at the stern. We had a Pacific Light Windpilot installed when we bought the boat and we love it but balancing the sails is key. Take care!
Yes, the quadrant on the Cape Horn can be mounted externally, and off centre. Thats the beauty of working with them, they will custom make each unit to fit your boat exactly. It does start to get complicated, but they claim they can instal one on any boat.
@@SailingUma Ah, I wasnt aware of that, good to know, thanks! The way you have itinstalled on Uma though is by far the least disturbing and estetically pleasing of all windvanes....
and with the CH, no cockpit lines to wheel or tiller.
Great video. I've always liked the Cape Horn wind vane for the reasons you mentioned
Cari siete sempre eccezionali!! Continuate cosi. Forza e coraggio!! Un abbraccio dall Italia....
Wow pictures of blind Dan. And uma’s blue decks...memories
I love the form / function description of the caphorn elegant design is always obvious in retrospect - stay warm spring in on its way.
je partage votre analyse très explicite...en 6 ans vous avez acquis une bonne expérience...felicitations!👍👍🖤🖤🖤
You are such a explicit Informative teacher!
I almost bought a 1 size fits all sort of vain. Thank you Danialson🙏🏼
I think you forgot the S in “teachers” there are 2 people in this video giving you valuable information!
15:00 - I’s Norway, “Sunny on the bow, raining on the stern...and it’s snowing in the middle!” That was my experience in Scotland. If the Sun was out, that meant that it was going to rain in the next 15-minutes. In the Winter it was quite cold. In Holy Loch where we once has a Submarine Base, I did a couple of refutes there and an extended refit in floating dry dock. They lowered a steel shack onto the missile deck for topside watch standers. We would have to leave it every couple of minutes to push it back into the center of the deck to prevent being blown overboard. That is what I’ve been thinking about during your upper latitudes trip. If you cross the Article Circle, you can become a Bluenose like me. Been under the ice twice.
Being mechanically and technically challenged, I would be clueless about how both of those systems work. But you explained it so well I felt like I got the idea. The little 24' sailboat I had in the early 80's resorted to using a bungee cord to sort of hold the tiller in place while I took 60 seconds to duck below for something. And that was in Biscayne Bay, out of Miami.
I can't I live my dream right now but I live it through you guys. Love your videos.
Great stuff. I’m going to get in touch with Yves at Cape Horn today about measuring up a new windvane for Black Sheep. I love his 28 thousand mile or 1 circumnavigation guarantee. That’s confidence in your product! I’ll probably also fit a hydraulic ram in a couple of years, but windvane comes first.
Love the whistle at the end but hate to hear it because it means my favorite entertainment is over.
You're my favourite RUclipsrs now. Wishing you fair winds and following seas.
same!
Thank You for this very informative video,...very helpful. Safe travels.
Thanks... strangely enough I purchased a new Ray Marine EV1 wheel pilot which I also integrated with the instruments and the chart plotter. Doing the chart plotter (an older one with NEMA 0183) required buying a communications bridge - but it communicated perfectly and I needed to keep the NEMA 0183 for things like DSC on my VHF. The wheel drive actually works perfectly on our 34' sloop. The problem I have is with the software from Ray Marine. It DEMANDS acknowledgment on a GPS route at EVERY course change which means I have to be behind the wheel defeating the very purpose of the auto pilot - freeing me from being behind the wheel. Like you the very time I need it to do a route is when we are levying or coming back from a dock when I want to be rigging or de rigging the boat but this stupid demand from Ray Marine says I can't do this - I have to say it is ok to change course... As far as I know Ray Marine is the ONLY company that does this - B&G does NOT do this. For me the only way round this is to get the expansive wireless remote where I can acknowledge the course change from a position other than the helm. So ... there goes another $800 that I would not otherwise need to spend.... I don't need a wind vane as we simply coastal sail but I do NEED an auto pilot that actually auto routes and Ray Marine ... is not that pilot the SOFTWARE is the culprit not the hardware which works fine ... Ray Marine alone does this... no one else does it.
These tech videos are fantastic .. more to do with the way things are explained then the explanation, You could call these episodes "Sailing for Dummies" !! Stay Safe, Stay Warm & Fair Winds !!
That thumbnail is everything
Hello, As always you are good :) When you buy the Cap Horn wind-vane and install it on your boat. I was very happy for you. It's the better choice I personally recommend too. Cap Horn is simple and efficiency. It just a little too expensive :)) Choosing B&G systems is great too. Like always since your first video, you make me a happy man, thanks :)
Reference Sargasso: UK and European freshwater Silver Eels, travel more than 3,000 miles across the ocean to the Sargasso Sea, to spawn.
Once hatched, the larvae make their way back somehow and become transparent 'glass eels'.
Fascinating creatures, little understood, but heading for extinction like so many species killed off by us, over - numerous humans sprawling uncontrollably over the planet, so far.
Thanks for answering my question before I asked! Fair seas and following winds.
Nice change of pace. Always wanted to know more about what that "cape horn" is. Yeah, I kinda started at the middle of the whole Uma series, so I missed those steps. I'll be circling back to them soon. Safe sails Kika and Dan.
I also discovered them at step 60-something and had to binge watch to catch up. I watch a few sailing channels and Uma ranks among the best. A few are falling prey to commercialism, but not this pair. They don't hesitate to sing praises of, or acknowledge support from vendors, but they are (often brutally) honest in their ratings of products.
@Christopher Tysen Henriksen I stand erected. I mean "corrected". Typo, my bad. Hahaha
Great topic. It would be nice if you also discuss the pros and cons of the pendulum type vs the rudder type. Maybe next episode.
They sidestepped that, saying you should do your own investigation, as to which suits you, and your boat.
Cheers
You probably know that Cape Horn has a small arm that can attach down below to the vane mechanics that allows you to attach a small "tiller pilot" to. This way the Cape Horn can chase a wind angle OR a track on the water! I saved the Auto Helm 2000 autopilot ram from my Jeanneau 34' for just that purpose when I got a larger boat. It's only electric and doesn't pull a lot of current and it still has the sensitivity settings so it doesn't need to chase EVERYTHING in a boat movement. Did you have a fire going in the fireplace? That would have been great to have in the background of your video on a cold & windy day. Or did the wind blow down into the stack eliminating a chance for a draft?
Good point...that little arm came with our CH and it works like a charm.
1 Hi to both of you, you are doing a wonderful job to shine some lite on sailing and the Autopilot. You are mentioning so many topics on this that anybody who is listening to you understands that an Autopilot can`t just be taken from the shelf and function the way you want it to do. There are so many data having influence on the outcome,
2 That understanding what type you should implement you would have to read a hole book about sailing , boats, weather , streams,.... You could write that book and maybe have an impact on the way Autopilots are built. I am IT developer of software that would maybe give the commands for the units driving the Autopilot. To develop the logic you seem to be ready to put together all the influence the APP would have to deal with. So get going, start the system analysis. I`m sure your video has helped a lot of sailors to think a little longer on what to use as their third "person" UMATIC on the helm.
For useful information, y’all are the best channel. And the energy, outings, exploration, etc., has a LOT of great content! Thanks!
Greetings from Jamaica 🇯🇲. Very informative as usual
I went skiing one day. It was cloudy and rainy at the bottom of the mountain and bright and sunny on the top. It wasn't a very tall mountain only 1750 foot drop. Attitash.
That's for sharing the details of both systems, I only have an electric autopilot on my boat and considered installing a windvane steering system but given that I have an arch/davits combo off the stern it would be a visual mess and only usable with the dinghy on the bow, and would get in the way of boarding the dinghy at anchor.
Look at the install pictures on the different vendors sites, may give you an option or two. Also I noticed the serious offshore cruisers, even though they have davits, store the dingy inverted on the bow. I think, because a bad wave at the stern would be a trip ending occurrence, if not just a loss/damage to dingy/davits/solar arch.
@@carlthor91 I definitely keep the dinghy on the bow for longer passages, but for a shorter passage with known weather I keep the dinghy on the davits. My dinghy weighs 90lbs and the davits are rated for over 10x that and it's held a solid 8' above the waterline so swamping is a non issue. My main concern is really just cluttering up the area where I board the dinghy, and the fact that my solar puts out 4.5 kwh/day in electricity makes the extra electrical draw negligible.
Always a pleasure watching you two.
just watched this brill explanation on the different types of Auto Pilot. I have had no experience of any A P in any Yacht. So this was really interesting for me to listen to your comparisons. well done to you both you make an excellent team, long may you continue in your journey of Adventure in life afloat.
If I remember correctly Kika you once said you wanted to live somewhere with 4 seasons, now you get them all - at once! Every day :-)! One other thing that's come up when I've been talking to people about wind vanes is that some boats just can't have them - nowhere to mount them on some modern boats, a swim platform or the transom is too wide (I seem to remember Patrick Laine explaining that was why he didn't have one on his boat whilst solo sailing - even after having his autopilot fail). Enjoy Norway, hope you managed to sleep okay with all that wind and thanks for another lovley video!
Check out the other Canadian Vane, Hydrovane, multiple mounting options, plus one version, someone stuck on a 65 footer?? I have no affiliation with them or any manufacturer.
Best wishes from Northern Canada.
This was an awesome explanation of the differences. Loved the video ... shots, exemplar clips, patter!!!
Almost every cruiser I met love the Windpilot pacific windvane!
🤣Gotta watch it, almost flame war, about to start. Picking a windvane/steering system, is almost as bad as talking religion or politics.😎
Best wishes from Northern Canada.
@@carlthor91 Anybody who has any make of windvane that works thinks it's the best one...because they are just magic!
Thank you. Always a pleasure to watch and learn. 🙂
I love this step! Perfect timing. I'm developing a sip and puff control system (you've probably seen them for wheelchairs) to allow persons with upper body mobility issues to sail a boat. I've just started to explore different rudder control/autopilots to interface to. I could hardly believe the luck when you posted a video on the systems that you have experience with plus all the links. SOooo helpful. Thank you kindly Dan and Kika!! :D
The most impressive part of this video was the perfect pitch on the whistling at the end. It exactly matched the actual trailer audio pitch.
I thought I was the only one who noticed that. (I'm a musician)
Great video. BTW, LOVE the background noise of the wind and the boat talking. Super cool.
I've noticed builders don't offer wind vanes. They're always an aftermarket option. Glad you brought up the topic
Add up the cost of all the electronics to order the autopilot around versus the simple windvane. They are probably afraid they would cut themselves out of part of the money train.😱
Learning to sail soon. No boat but stacking list an information. Well done thanks u guys
Nice to se you two in thick pullovers!Barbro Sweden
a wind vane is great. having an engine with an alternator to charge a battery bank to power a hydraulic auto pilot is also great.
One is silent and requires no maintenance. The other is very noisy and requires a lot of maintenance.....
I do not sail but I enjoy the videos you guys produce keep up the good work, I learn a lot about boats and how they are put together👍
That was awesome, thanks! I’ve been looking for (and not finding) a similar comparison for some time. I think I even asked you two about it when you installed the B&G. Of course, at that point you didn’t have the in depth experience with both systems like you do now. Thanks!