On 11/17/2016 10:01 AM, bownez@juno.com wrote: Hi Bones, Some form of "auto pilot" is needed on a sail boat when you start covering longer distances. When you are playing in a lake holding the tiller, sailing is fun. However if you now are heading from Block Island to Cuttyhunk, an island just below the bottom of Cape Cod, you are in for about a 30 NM haul. At a sailing speed of 5 knots, that means sitting and holding a tiller for at least 6 hours. After you have done that several times, you begin to wish for a better solution than just holding a tiller and holding a course to your destination. OK, what kind of solutions might be available? Since you are not crossing oceans the wind vane solution is vast overkill and vast expense. OK, then what are other means to do the same job that is cheaper and simpler? That was where John Letcher was when he sailed to Hawaii and back. That's when he started playing with sheet-to-tiller steering and then wrote his book about how it is done. It is very simple to set up (once you understand how it is done, and know how to balance the forces); and it only requires a few bits of hardware that you probably have in your ditty bag ; a small block with swivel with a line attached that you can tie to some fixed point; some surgical tubing (bungee cord works just as well); and a bit of 1/8th" to 1/4" diameter line. That's enough to get you started playing with the concept. As you become more proficient, and a more frequent user of the sheet-to-tiller system; you will find that you may want to add refinements to the system; such as cam cleats or something similar for holding the line to the tiller, to provide easy adjustability to the line going to the sheet, and to stretch the surgical tubing (bungee cord) to get the proper system-balancing tension. If you have a few knots at your finger tips, they do just as good job fastening lines to the tiller, without needing hardware on the tiller, but require more time to reach the proper adjustment (another cost-benefit trade-off study). Some strategically placed eyes at the right spots on the cockpit coaming make life simpler and easier to set up - but this is when you have become familiar with the method and know the spots where you have to tie the block, and the anchor spot for the surgical tubing (bungee cord). Since you will be tacking, the arrangement is just flipped over for Port tack or the Starboard tacks. However, Bones please remember, that the sheet-to-tiller steering will hold a good course; /_*BUT IT DOESN'T KEEP A WATCH FOR TRAFFIC*_/; that's still your job. Ciao Connie

Hi Stan,

Thanks for your input, this is a technique that needs to be experimented with to see what works best. Like sailing in general.....you don't get it until you do it, over and over.

Bones ____________________________________________________________ Police Urge Americans to Carry This With Them at All Times Smart Trends http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/582dd4a54a1354a462cbst01vuc

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