Auto-pilot Trouble at Sea for Single-handed Sailor
Looks like our friend Jeanne Socrates in having a bit of trouble on her 36 foot (11.2m) yacht Nereida sailing towards Trinidad. As you have read here at YachtPals.com, Jeanne is currently sailing solo on her first circumnavigation around the world.
Jeanne successfully crossed the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil last month, experiencing some of the best sailing of her life. Unfortunately auto pilot problems are now creating some havoc on Jeanne's Najad 361 yacht. We all know what auto-pilot malfunctions can mean for any solo sailor. Big trouble. Let's see how this experienced solo sailor deals with this common boat ailment.
Jeanne's reports from sea:
Saturday
Autopilot motor stopped working at around 1300 GMT.
Tried to get Windpilot to take over ..but unreliable (was hoping to sort out that problem in Trinidad...). It holds course for a short while but then gets 'trapped' with vane in an extreme position so we go right off course - a bolted connection has worn & is too loose. So after many efforts, I had to abandon that ... pity!!
Kept going until 2000 GMT when I hove to... we were drifting at 1.5 kn SE!! Then I realized that if we hove to on the other tack that would be more favourable...that has turned out much better - we're nearly making our course (which is 296T)... we're fore-reaching at around 1.5 knots on a course of about 290T - not too bad ... At least now we're not drifting backwards!!
I've looked at the autopilot drive unit - nothing visibly wrong, simply that the motor is not pushing the drive arm onto the steering quadrant - nothing I can do at this point ... it'll have to wait to Trinidad.
I'll have to keep handsteering, with breaks for sleep & food for which I'll have to heave to.... hopefully then, we'll keep up our present good direction of drift/fore-reaching!
Sunday and Monday
Midday Monday: Just tacked around as usual before heaving-to for rest from helming - wind was getting up - timed perfectly as a squall/strong winds ~25knots have just arrived! Took in 2nd mains'l reef I'd shaken out earlier and furled in a lot of genoa - tiny staysail still out - useful!!
Sunday was a continuation of overnight Saturday's rough seas breaking on deck and spraying the helming position - no flying fish to be found on deck these days - washed away pretty quickly!! Having trouble brushing my hair it's so full of salt from wettings! Things calmed down later on Sunday & overnight was fairly clear - lots of stars - Big Dipper getting higher now & can see Pole Star.
Very tiring - constantly having to helm, occasionally lock it off and it stays for just a short while - makes sail-handling pretty difficult.
Monday - started out fairly calm so shook out 2nd reef and unfurled genoa .... wind got up a little bit and we were making a fair speed (6.5kn) in about 15knots... until near midday when I like to heave to to make log entry and turn in for a sleep... lucky timing, as it turned out... (see above!)
Trying to do a continuous routine of 7-8hrs on & 4 hrs off for rest & food... made 101 mls 'distance made good' to noon yesterday but only 81mls today in less strong winds - until now!
To sleep now... food when I wake up before next sailing session.
Tuesday
Handsteering to Trinidad - hit by flying fish!
All going fine, although get very tired at times .. but getting into routine now - only problem is when not at helm very conscious not going anywhere very fast - altho' fore-reaching is usually in almost exactly the right direction at 1.5-2 knots - brilliant!
I'm trying not to get sun/wind-burnt- or not too much anyway - using lots of cream... that's partly why I heave-to for rest from midday on...
Midnight Monday before sleep - fancied a cup of soup - made it & it jumped up (with wave crashing into boat) on stove top & spilled all over ... grrr! Had to clean up, of course...
Later, I was woken up by violent banging & crashing noises, boat shaking like mad..... we were no longer hove-to but were sailing (south!!) in strong wind with foresails flapping ... Clearly, there had been a bigger wave which must have crashed into us & the wheel was no longer locked over but free to move.... so main had gybed over... (Have now firmly tied wheel down to make sure we stay hove-to for the present rest period!) Took me a time, in the dark, to figure out what was going on & what to do about it!
Got back to sleep & then up well before dawn on Tuesday - beautiful clear sky, lots of stars.. sunrise... clear blue sky with lined-up fluffy white clouds - finally had my 'Trade Winds sky' with good (~NE15kn) wind!
It's been cool enough, sitting out in the wind, to be wearing my warm layers & foul weather gear, especially overnight, & I was still wearing my jacket when the clouds, having gradually got bigger over the morning, gave quite a downpour - but not for long! The swell and lumpy seas are still washing the decks (& me!) quite often, but not as much as over the weekend.
Distance made good to Trinidad WP (24hr to noon today): 80ml (81 yesterday) Distance to go to WP: 564ml
Overnight Tuesday: Another lovely clear, starry night, thin crescent moon up above sunset earlier, excellent wind - and sailing fast at ~7.5kn, although foul current reduced SOG to 6.5kn - but still good.
Late to heave-to for sleep because ship 'Albutain Star' came close by on a parallel course - so waited until it passed before stopping. Shortly before, as I was sitting helming in the cockpit in the dark, "Clonk!" - I was hit on the sde of my forehead by something heavy and wet - a BIG flyinf fish...! It landed on the after-deck and soon managed to flop into the water leaving a distinctly fishy smell behind...!
Wednesday
Handsteering to Trinidad - visited by dolphins several times
So pleased got my Suunto ship's compass repaired over the New Year - in continual use now!!
Let out 2nd reef early a.m. in lighter winds, hoping I wouldn't regret it later ... but has been fine all day and tonight !
Sitting early on, helming, when a big wave dumped a load of 'green water' into cockpit & all over me - deluged! I was so thankful I'd not long before closed the aft cabin hatch firmly - the water would have all gone straight down - lucky for once!!
Lovely to see dolphins rushing towards us near midday - three jumped in unison - perfect timing! All very big ones. Later they came back again for a short while.
Weather has been a bit cloudy a.m. but clearer p.m.... and beautiful night sky - Southern Cross off port quarter and Big Dipper off starboard beam!
Decided to make morning one hour longer before heaving to - and then treated myself to a 'proper meal' - a fry-up of pork chop, onions, potatoes & sweetcorn... mmm! Then to sleep.....zzzzzz.
Evening 'shift', from 6pm onward to midnight has been amazing - we have had NO foul current - first time since before Fernando - and then soon after, I noticed we had fair current! With around 15-16kn of wind, we were making 7-7.5 kn boatspeed ... and often over 8 knots SOG!! Absolutely fabulous!!!!!
To sleep........
- Jeanne Socrates
You can read more about Jeanne's sailing adventures at her website svnereida.com or here at YachtPals.com, by clicking here: Articles about Jeanne on S/Y Nereida
Photos Jeanne Socrates and her yacht Nereida
Submitted By YachtPals on 10 Apr
atlantic, atlantic crossing, atlantic ocean, auto pilot, sailboats, sailboat, yachts, yacht, yachting, single-handed, single handed, auto-pilot
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Jeanne from sea
Thurs 10th April '08
Distance made good to Trinidad: 93mls Wed, 109 mls today....!
A lovely day of sailing in nice wind under 'Trade wind' sky.... Let out final reef early on in lighter wind again - wind has moved aft, being E rather than the ENE we've had mostly. Now have full sail hoisted and a current which added 0.8 kn to our speed - lovely to see... & just at the right time, since windspeed down (and from abaft the beam) meant boatspeed down - from 7kn to 5.5 kn by this evening, so really helpful - meant SOG kept up into 6-6.5kn range over day.
Current has also been very helpful when hove-to... we've made 10 miles (in roughly the right direction) over my sleep periods!!!
One worry is the mast connection to the vang/kicker is knocking badly - clearly worn & needs more washers to take up a space that has appeared & now allows too much movement - so it jerks badly at times even though the seas have calmed down a lot by comparison with a few days back.
Has been another hot, bright day - I'm so lucky that my course and the sun's position over the day combine to put the sun behind me up to midday (I'm helming from 6am to 2pm) and then when I come back on deck at around 6pm, after my sleep etc, I'm shaded from the sun because it is now beginning to set behind the sails, my course being WNW... All I need is polaroid sunglasses to protect my eyes from the reflected glare across the water....
Friday 11th April '08
Had emailed Raymarine UK for help with problem - immediate excellent reply - replacement parts being shipped to Chaguaramas dealer from US to arrive Monday ready for fitting. A very much appreciated quick response - many, many thanks, Fiona & Bob!
Have also been 'talking' to Peter Foerthmann of Windpilot who's come up with some simple suggestions to resolve problem with windsteering once I make landfall.
Cloudy at start of helming session, so dramatic sunrise. (White-tailed tropic bird seen soon after ... so graceful....) Clouds cleared to give very pleasant day.. got very hot by midday. NO fair current all morning... and wind down, so boatspeed down. Kept on helming until 1.30pm (from 7am, instead of 5am - overslept!)
Distance made good to Chaguaramas to noon was 103ml - a measure of Thursday afternoon/evening's good current found, adding to full canvas & good wind!
Slept a bit in afternoon & made pasta with shrimps & (ready-made!) spinach & ricotta cheese sauce after waking & before back on deck at 7pm...
Wind increased soon after I started ... took in 1st reef - nasty-looking rainclouds nearby and ahead as sun was about to set... Thought about dropping 2nd reef for night sailing but didn't - turned out OK with winds just up to 16kn... good speed - and had good current on & off - or at least, none against!
Bright lights dead ahead at 10pm - oil rig??... couldn't make it out but it was BIG, bright & seemed stationary. (My AIS display would probably have answered my question, but I couldn't leave wheel to look at it) Kept well clear in case towing or towed or other problems (like anchor cables - memories of leaving Luderitz!!)... Later another ship passed very close but all OK...
Hove to a bit early soon after midnight for sleep... tired - helming was hardwork in increased wind and resulting rough seas.
Sat 12th April
WET, WET, WET...!
Up at 4am to get going again.... took a time, since decided to drop 2nd reef - nagging worry about night sky seemingly overcast & wind slightly up & possible squalls unseen coming in the dark.... Boy, was I glad I did that!! Short while later, after I'd removed jacket, being too warm, the strong wind & torrential rain started....!!!! Grabbed one jacket & quickly got that on & put another over my lap to protect my legs ...no, I hadn't time to put on foul-weather gear which was right to hand ... helming kept me too busy with the big seas that got up. Everything around & on me got well & truly soaked, including a cushion I was sitting on - wet & soggy... Luckily, I managed to stay just warm enough in wind & rain because of excellent Musto fleece top & trousers I was wearing underneath.... rain lasted until past midday when I hove to - to make log entry (101 mls DMG to noon today!) & get dry! ...& get some sleep...
What a horrible morning... & rain doesn't look like stopping..... AND the fair current disappeared again & went foul over the morning so SOG down by 1 knot compared to boatspeed .... grrr!!! Hopefully that wind will have died down a bit, & the rain stopped, by later on when I start up again.
Distance to Chaguaramas, Trinidad at noon: 206ml
Sat/Sun 12/13 April '08
Rough Saturday night dance on "Nereida"!
Just a quick note to say how bad things were over Saturday night...!
28-32 knots of gusty winds and seas to match... made life pretty fraught for about two hours - the back of my neck & shoulders are still aching with the effort of controlling the boat in the big swell - especially when the wind gusted up simultaneously.
Several times I thought I'd lose control as we turned violently up the face of the wave we were on, heeling over like mad as we did so... Then I decided to heave to - I couldn't see the wind display too clearly, but rushing in those winds & seas at 7.5 to well over 8 knots, not able to leave the wheel to put in a 3rd reef, didn't seem too safe - so I tacked around so I could heave-to on starboard tack, as usual (so we would drift in roughly the right direction!). I managed that at the second attempt but then couldn't tack around again to heave to against the 28knot winds & seas - so started the motor for some extra 'push' in the second attempt. That worked but then we nearly broached with a big wave as the mainsheet had come loose and the boom end went in the water - did I move fast to grab the sheet and haul it in ...??!! My heart was in my mouth... All in the dark dark, of course, near midnight...!!!
I furled in more genoa & took in the 3rd reef as we lay hove-to not long after midnight - that calmed things down a touch although the motion of the boat in those seas (4-5m swell) was still pretty horrible! But I did manage to sleep - for 5hours!!
I'd decided, looking at the distance to Trinidad, that if I did two long sessions today(Sunday) and overnight into Monday, then I could arrive early afternoon - in good daylight & in time to clear Customs & get a GOOD rest!
So I got up at 5am, relieved to find, as I'd hoped, that the winds had died right down - I even let out the 3rd reef I'd not so long ago taken in! The swell and lumpy seas gradually lay down over the day and I shook out the 2nd reef to make better speed on a very broad reach.
I'm now hove-to, from 4pm - 8pm, to get rest, sleep & generally catch up with things before sailing on over the night ... I'm about to put some spare diesel into the main fuel tank to be sure of getting in in daylight... just in case I have to motorsail in light winds.... I'm also having to email Selden to see if I can get some parts sent out - the vang (kicker) joint at the mast is definitely far too worn & jerking about horribly - NOT safe to continue far like that - and the identical mainsail boom/mast connection is also beginning to wear - probably because of the vang jerking - it's the big seas and swell and that cause the problem (broad-reaching & running, especially) - and I've been in plenty over the last two years!
Jeanne from Sea and Chaguaramas Bay
Well so much for plans - I tried to continue helming over Sunday night from around 9.30pm into Monday, looking for for a daylight landfall, but hadn't been able to get any sleep as planned so soon realized I was way too tired to sail on. Wasn't sensible to continue, so hove to and closed my eyes... blissful sleep for 6 hours!
I was still 97 mls away from Chaguaramas, so clearly would be making a night landfall - but having been to Chaguaramas before, felt that would be OK. I'd heaved to on port tack which meant the north-going current was offset somewhat by our fore-reaching with the E wind - we made just 0.3 kn so didn't move far, much better than the previous time I heaved to when we went several miles north which made my subsequent sail more difficult since almost on a dead run....
By 7am Monday, I got sailing again, after having had breakfast, in following seas and E 20kn wind which by midday had become 15kn. Not long after, in the Tobago Channel, I realized I could see Tobago - I was equidistant from Scarborough, its capital, and the NE point of Trinidad - very tempted to go to Tobago but resisted!! I'd noticed a definite slackening of foul current when about 75 mls off NE Trinidad and by late afternoon, with just 44 mls in total to go, I was enjoying a beautiful, far more calm, aquamarine sea (the waters being quite shallow around Trinidad) and an increasing fair current but having difficulty protecting myself against the bright sun - I have no awning in the cockpit. A couple of times, dolphins visited the boat - even a tuna, I'm sure. All chasing after small flying fish - interesting to watch them all darting about.
The day was fine but as it wore on, the high hills on the north coast of Trinidad that I was passing got increasingly cloudy until later there was often fine mist in the air - a beautiful rainbow almost seemed to finish beside me at one point. I'd forgotten how rainy Trinidad is but was lucky to be well away from land and so got little rain.
It was calm enough for me to be able to leave the wheel safely for a very short while and drop the staysail - it wasn't doing anything useful any more - and also put out fenders and mooring lines ready for docking later. I was now motorsailing - I'd wanted to charge the batteries earlier but when I'd gone to switch on the engine, it wouldn't start so I'd had to use a screwdriver to bypass the cockpit ignition switch & felt it would be safest to leave the engine running until I docked to prevent
any further worries on that score.
I came safely down the Monos Channel and around to Chaguaramas Bay - lots of unlit hulks and boats and mooring buoys to avoid so I slowed right down and crawled east until I found myself nearing the Customs Dock where I stepped off and tied up in the early morning dark. I then went to the head before getting to sleep - it was FULL of water...the shower had somehow got turned on... so I had to pump a LOT of water out of the head compartment and the carpet in the main cabin had got thoroughly wet also ...grr! A bit later than I'd intended, I got to a very welcome sleep.
Jeanne
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