Lauri Tarkkonen wrote:

Some 10 years ago some of the BOAC round the world single handed
sailors had up to 20 pieces of Autohelm pilots so they could just throw
them overboard at the rate they failed.

I am not thinking of the BOC or anything like it, but I presently carry 3
tiller pilots on my 28 foot boat. Experience is my teacher, as I have had
up to 2 pilots fail during an extended cruise. This while having cracked
an important casting on the windvane and almost having to (drat!) actually
steer.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare