Auto Pilot 101

[shrew]

Shaw520, you scare the crap out of me. That along with the idea that there might be other boaters with the same intentions.

 

[JoLin]

Shaw520, you scare the crap out of me. That along with the idea that there might be other boaters with the same intentions.

I'm glad somebody besides me thinks so. IMO, there is NO excuse good enough to leave the helm unattended while the boat is underway. Need a break? 1. Have somebody else take over, 2. Stop the boat and drift for a few minutes, or 3. Drop an anchor.

 

[shaw520]

Easy gentlemen,... I dont even own an autopilot,... the basis for my thread is to see how ppl that have autopilot use them, and to determine what is or isnt safe practice.

 

[shaw520]

....although I did see an un-manned cabin cruiser last weekend doing about 5-6 knots,... I assumed the missing captain was 'near' the helm but not visibly in the helm seat.

 

[shaw520]

Maybe we should take a poll,... 'How many ppl that have autopilot leave the helm seat and for how long ?'

 

[boatman37]

i don't have auto pilot but if i did i may use it but i would NEVER leave the helm while moving. i was reading a site awhile back about a guy cruising along the east coast and leaving the auto pilot on while he was sleeping and also talked about drinking a bottle of wine while the auto pilot did the driving. i was amazed that anyone would even think of doing that

 

[Ned L]

I wouldn't have a problem with "stepping away from the helm" to stretch you legs, look over the side, or something like that (for about as long as you can hold your breath as I mentioned above). I would not go below to make a sandwich. Things happen faster than we realize. I would expect PWC's are pretty common on the Hudson, and they certainly can show up out of nowhere.
We had an autopilot and used it all the time, never left it alone though (we always had someone to switch off to). As I mentioned, one of the best things about it is that it allows you to concentrate on your surroundings more (traffic an floating stuff) and not have to worry about a zig zag wake (course).