"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
You missed the tongue in the cheek.

Can you think of reason why a windvane wouldn't work in coastal waters?

No reason they wouldn't work in coastal cruising. It is more of a
cost/benefit question. You tend to make more course changes in coastal
sailing and the electrical budget is usually not as strict so an auto pilot
will give you more utility for the money. On a long passage you tend to
remain on one tack for hours or days at a time and electricity becomes more
precious. That is when a wind vane really pays for itself.

However, from a purely emotional view point windvanes have a much higher
Ludite quotient. Rivaling that of sextants. There is something extremely
satisfying about navigating and getting your boat to sail itself without any
modern electronic black boxes. :-)

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com