Hey Bob,

You’re probably right that you don’t really need a windvane for the kind of
cruising you envision. Also that davits strong enough to lift the dinghy
with the outboard on it will be a big asset, as will be solar panels. But if
you’re going to rely on only one form of self-steering, I’d highly recommend
carrying all the component parts of the autopilot you’re using, or else a
complete spare unit. At the very least, get a tiller pilot and work out a
way to connect it to the steering wheel (which I’ve seen done). If you
don’t, your lone autopilot is definitely going to break – when you’re far
offshore, single-handed, in a gale, exhausted and really missing your
psychotherapist. Murphy’s Law. Count on it.

A few thoughts for anyone planning more offshore passage-making.

* Monitor windvanes are great! Had one on my last cruising sailboat
and used it a lot. There are none better, and the manufacturer is extremely
cruiser-friendly. They’ll get parts to you anywhere.
* The Auto-Helm brand windvane (no relation to Autohelm autopilots;
it’s made by the same guys that make the Monitor) allows you to have both a
windvane and davits (with solar panels on them). As far as I know it’s the
only design that does.
* You can connect a small tiller pilot to any windvane as a back-up to
your primary autopilot, and/or to steer a magnetic course under sail using
minimal electricity. (That’s in another article, slated for the April issue
of Blue Water Sailing.)
* A psychotherapist isn’t going to help you find a trustworthy crew…
unless she’s cute and fed up with listening to other people’s problems.

IMHO,

Tor

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SilverHeels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us

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Bob,

We came to the same conclusion before we left for our two year cruise –
mostly the Caribbean. Living for two years on the Jubilee our dinghy became
the family car – we used several times a day when in harbor. I can not
tell you how many times we got the call from our friends to pick them up, or
come to their boat – their dinghy was on deck and to much trouble to get
down!

We installed a KATO davit (they will make any modifications you want) and
installed one large output solar panel. In two years we NEVER had a power
shortage. Our auto pilot is a NAVICO Ocean.

We found that when we moved between islands the motor was needs a lot (first
rule of sailing: The wind is never right when you have a specific
destination and must arrive at right time to enter a harbor.) so there was
always plent of power for the auto pilot.

There is another important issue about being in the islands for a long
time… dinghy (s) have a habit of going missing! Even today dinghy thief
is a major problem – even 3/8 steel cables are no protection. With davits
we just pulled her up each night – quick and easy. We are still in email
contact with a number of people in the islands and they indicate dinghy
thief is even worst now.

I attached one photo w/o dinghy. We are a sloop… want any more info just
ask.

Cada Grove
Jubilee No. 100
On 01/21/11, Robert Fine<> wrote:Hi All,
This last year (and the winter of 2009/10) I did a fair amount of cruising.
Not like Tor or Miss Kathleen, or Whoosh – but a trip to the Keys and great
circle of Florida (that’s what they call it, not me). I’ve also had some
discussions with other friends who have pretty significant experience in the
coastal/near coastal, BVI, Bermuda and that sort of thing.
What it’s come down to is that dingy access and support for solar panels is
a much better use of valuable transom space that the Monitor Windvane –
which I used only twice in the trip. The reason I purchased a boat with it
was because I thought it would be far more useful than it was. With solar
power, the electric autopilot performed flawlessly, and under power,
naturally, power wasn’t an issue. Additionally, with the shaft powered
alternator, under sail at 5+ knots, the entire ship could be powered from
the rotation of the prop.
The downside, of course, is that failure of the autopilot means hand
steering or rigging some kind of steering device so I can sleep, eat, or
just, you know… It’s easier with crew but finding crew I’d trust my life
to isn’t easy. That might be a whole different issue requiring the services
of a psychotherapist. But I digress.
So, here’s the deal: I have a Monitor Windvane to sell – in good condition
with three paddles (low wind, high wind, and short enough to not get cracked
by the mizzen). I also have the cruising kit with all the spare parts you
should need to go around the world.
As it turns out, I’m not going around the world, at least by myself. A
better scenario would be finding places in the Caribbean and surrounding
areas I can get to in a few days and stay and fish, meet people, party, and
otherwise carry on. That means I need easy access to my dinghy, and by that
I mean I have to be able to hoist, stow, and deploy it quickly. (Tor’s
article in Cruising World will give you some insight to that.) Now when I’m
going offshore or traveling for more than a day or so I have to get it out
of the water, wash it, let it dry, roll it up, tie it down and then go
through the reverse when I arrive so I can use the darn thing. Not that I’m
in any great hurry, but it’s hard work and it’s such a pain that I’ll use my
kyack before I get the dinghy together. Not an option if where I’m going is
more than a mile away or so.
There you have it. I need recommendations for davits or should I design and
build my own? I want to mount two solar panels and if possible attach a
track for the mizzen so that it doesn’t twist so much when off the wind. I
think it’s do-able but am open to opinions.
Also: If you’d like the Monitor, we can work something out, I’m sure.
Thanks in advance for any advice you have.
Bob
—
Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Pearson 424 Hull #8
[1]http://thesailinglife.blogspot.com
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