Windvane Self-Steering

Windvane self-steering. Also known as Iron Felix . What problems does windvane self-steering solve, and why is it better than an electric autopilot? Tech Talk from the Cap. A windvane self-steering system is a fully fledged member of a sailing vessel’s crew. Can a crew member who stands the helm watch practically around the clock remain nameless? Of course not! And so we named our windvane self-steering system (which is precisely what the above refers to) Iron—and Felix somehow got added all by itself. A product under the “ Auto Helm ” brand The windvane self-steering system consists of a separate rudder blade with a trim tab and a wind vane connected to the trim tab by cables. The wind vane in anchorage mode The rudder blade attachment at the stern. The white lines are the cables. The blue ones are ropes to keep it from flapping about at anchor. Our Felix picked up a bit of growth around the Galápagos 🙂 . How it works The vane blade is set upright, edge-on to the wind. When the boat changes course, the wind angle to the vane changes. The wind then begins to blow against one side of the vane or the other, causing it to tilt. Via a cable, this tilt moves the trim tab on the rudder blade, which turns the entire blade and brings the boat back on course. Thanks to the weighted counterbalance at its lower end, the wind vane then returns to the upright position. The system could hardly be simpler, and it is extremely effective. It steers on every point of sail and in all wind conditions, leaving the crew to take the helm only in bad weather. The Cap paints the rudder blade with antifouling in Cuba . How windvane self-steering differs from an electric autopilot It consumes no power. This matters if, like us, your batteries are charged only by solar panels and there isn’t much sun. In waves and strong winds, an electric autopilot may be unable to cope and start beeping plaintively: “Mummy, help!” Windvane self-steering holds the yacht’s course relative to the wind. So if the wind shifts, you will carry on sailing at the same angle to it—but probably in a different direction :). Reinstalling the freshly painted windvane rudder . Other articles in the “Tech Talk from the Cap” series: Watermaker Fresh Water on a Yacht Radar Detector Satellite Communications for a Circumnavigation Now is the perfect time to reward the author generously for such a useful article by clicking the “Thank You” button