Why would they not be (a good thing)?
Like any tool, they need to be supervised, but they enable us to do long trips, solo or just relieved at the helm.
Yep Phil. Of course they should be monitored,
However there seem to be more and more accidents that boil down to the tech.
More loud warning sirens?
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/29/new-zealand-navy-ship-hmnzs-manawanui-sinking-autopilot-inquiry-ntwnfb
Select to expand quotegarymalmgren said..
Yep Phil. Of course they should be monitored,
However there seem to be more and more accidents that boil down to the tech.
More loud warning sirens?
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/29/new-zealand-navy-ship-hmnzs-manawanui-sinking-autopilot-inquiry-ntwnfb
If you read the full inquiry for Manawanui unfortunately the root cause is systemic incompetence. An embarrassing outcome for a proud seafaring nation.
I have had a couple of anxious moments from my autopilot but in every instance when reviewed I was in error.
My key lesson learnt is when running autopilot from a touchscreen MFD in heavy weather with lots of spray the MFD control is useless. I need to recognise this and use the dedicated autopilot control at the front of the cockpit.
Select to expand quoteEastCoastSail said..garymalmgren said..
Yep Phil. Of course they should be monitored,
However there seem to be more and more accidents that boil down to the tech.
More loud warning sirens?
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/29/new-zealand-navy-ship-hmnzs-manawanui-sinking-autopilot-inquiry-ntwnfb
If you read the full inquiry for Manawanui unfortunately the root cause is systemic incompetence. An embarrassing outcome for a proud seafaring nation.
I have had a couple of anxious moments from my autopilot but in every instance when reviewed I was in error.
My key lesson learnt is when running autopilot from a touchscreen MFD in heavy weather with lots of spray the MFD control is useless. I need to recognise this and use the dedicated autopilot control at the front of the cockpit.
Auto pilots and charts plotters, never the twain shall meet.
I just completed 6500 solo miles on autopilot , touched bottom once in the Great sandy straits and hand steered approximately 2 nm while berthing, anchoring and setting the mainsail. Don't blame the machine the fault i lies in the operator! 
Its a good idea to set a cross track alarm from a gps or plotter as a back up warning when steering via autopilot or windvane. Currents can have a big effect over a number of hours sending your boat sideways into danger.
Lord Howe would have been a pain in the proverbial without the Fleming, and the Simrad when needed.
How ridiculous, a professional war ship or anyone else for that matter that turns on the autopilot and goes to sleep. Nobody on watch, nobody practicing basic seamanship before we start talking about course alarms, radar alarms, depth alarms and whatever else warnings you program. To blame a "dumb " autopilot that gets told what to do with no inputs from a ton of "smarts" and a "smart" sailor is a ridiculous argument as it gets especially in the era of networked NMEA everything.
As ridiculous as that prank video.
Having said all that, it's surprising that readily-available autopilots don't implement land avoidance. With access to a chart, it's not technically difficult, after all. PredictWind and others happily route around land.
Perhaps there needs to be a new NMEA message which advertises proximity to land.
Select to expand quotescruzin said..
Having said all that, it's surprising that readily-available autopilots don't implement land avoidance. With access to a chart, it's not technically difficult, after all. PredictWind and others happily route around land.
Perhaps there needs to be a new NMEA message which advertises proximity to land.
Some routing software/chartplotters have an 'arrival near the coast' alarm. It uses SHOM coastline data, you just set the proximity alarm to suit. Doesn't work for dangerous rocks though, so you still need something else like a depth alarm to stay away from them.
I'm hoping it becomes more common that plotters have features that enable a "look ahead" zone that will detect and alert if objects/contours/soundings enter it.
This feature, just like autopilots and everything else on boats, will need to be practiced and drilled by users.
It seems that people often incorrectly use equipment and systems due to lack of confidence and competence outside of trying it a couple of times when new.
I've just been on a boat where the safety depth alarm had been set at zero for a year, because the person who set it while in berth, no longer crews on the boat.
The owner was not aware that this feature may have helped prevent his last two groundings.
