Wind Only Self Steering

[Swift]

I found this attached article in a December 2009 Cruising Helmsman magazine. Written by Jamie Mitchell it details how to get a boat to steer downwind in light conditions using sheet to tiller lines. It's remarkable that he had it sorted out well enough to sail for days on end under spinnaker using this method.

For self steering in other conditions Possibilities was fitted with a wind vane. The attached photos (which were extracted from a video) are not very clear, but there is enough detail to show a what looks like a Bill Belcher inspired wind vane, (which because it is not in use has its vane cover removed). It's interesting to note that it is a wind only device with no in-water appendages, thus avoiding the problem of interference from the outboard mounted on the transom. Also, the vane is mounted a long way back from the stern on struts which provides enough space for an impressively large horizontally tilting vane which would go a long way in compensating for the low power of a wind only design.

In an age where there are a number of well proven off the self wind vanes and auto pilots available it's an unconventional solution. I don't know if this vane was fitted before Possibilities left Australia or if it was fitted during the 10 year circumnavigation, but at the very least the video shows that it was on the boat in South America before rounding Cap Horn and it was still there when the boat arrived in Australia, that in itself says something about the usefulness and strength of the design.

Cheers
Keith