Getting Ready for SHTP 2021

[AlanH]

So here's the thing, Bob...you and I sail differently, which is why you win races and I place mid-fleet!

I will fly a spinnaker when I'm awake, and driving, like for 3-4 hours at a time, probably . The rest of the time I'll probably put a reef in the main (because it's so big, relatively speaking) and wing out a jib. I MIGHT actually make a really heavy 120% nylon high-clew runner. I have no intention of flying a spinnaker at night, or while I'm sleeping.

On my Ranger 29, a Navik windvane steered the boat, more or less nonstop to Hawaii in 16 days and change.
On the SC 27, the Navik pendulum oar self-destructed, or hit something and blew up, on about day five, so I used an ST1000 to get most of the rest of the way to Hawaii. it died about three days out, and the backup ST2000 got me the rest of the way there. 17 days. Actually, in 2008 it was so light the first couple of days that I used the ST1000 and it drove the SC27 just fine.

I think it would be foolhardy to go out there with one Raymarine autopilot. It might be foolhardy to go out there with TWO Raymarine autopilots and nothing else. But THREE self-steering devices, I'm less worried.

You know, look back at the archives...back in '98, what did people use to get to Hawaii?

https://www.latitude38.com/features/sss1998.htm

http://www.josephoster.com/sss/transpac98/entries.html ... some of these list the self steering setups they had.

Mike Dranganis, Ericson 30+ Steering: primary: Monitor windvane; secondary: Navico autopilot.
John Guzzwell used a Hydrovane... you'll remember this image: https://www.sfbaysss.net/archive-sht...ed_species.jpg

The General, Ken Roper on his Finn Flyer 31 -Steering: primary: Autohelm 4000 (he has three!); secondary: Navico 5500, 300C and 2500. Those Navico pilots are directly comparable to the Simrad and ST2000

Bruce Nesbit, Olsen 34... Steering: primary: Sailomat 601 windvane; secondary: Autohelm 2000, Tillerpilot 2500



In 2000, you can review the skippers and their equipment here: https://www.sfbaysss.net/archive-sht...phy/index.html

Let's review boats that on on the same size range as the Wildcat...
Terry McKelvey, Cal 2-27... Steering: split equally between Monitor windvane ("an antique one that's been to Hawaii three times now so it sure knows the way") and two Autohelm 2000 autopilots.

GW Grigg, SC 27 "Steering: self (50%), Navico TP300 (50%) and "strings and bungie cord" if all else fails. "...the Navico TP300 is now the Simrad TP35, a typical self-contaned tiller pilot

Ben Mewes on his Black Soo..Steering: primary: self; secondary: Three Navico 4000 autopilots.
and so on. The Navico 4000 is a much beefier animal than the st2000, for sure.

Mark Deppe, who won in 2002, had a monitor on his J-120

Here's a photograph of some guy we both know, going out the Gate on his boat in 2008, and I do believe that's a windvane on the back of his boat!