Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
"Armond Perretta" wrote:
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

If all you need is to hold a straight line, you don't even need to
hook up the NMEA. The autopilot will follow the magnetic course
you start it on with its internal fluxgate compass.

... If the autopilot is set merely to follow a magnetic compass
course, then the resultant track will be at the mercy of currents, wind,
leeway, etc.

You are right, of course, and that is why I intend to hook up the
NMEA next spring. But my old autopilot, which had no such facility,
could hold a fairly straight course in motoring conditions for a
few hours. Until it gave up completely.

I have written about autopilots here before, but just to bring you up to
day, I now carry 3 tiller pilots. I had an instance 2 or 3 years ago where
both of the 2 then on board went out. A short while after that I
cracked a part of the windvane self-steerer.

So now it's 3 tiller pilots and the repaired Navik. Hmmmmm.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.tripod.com