Autopilot Voltage Follow-up (4)

But here is the curiosity. This is the noise that exists on the voltage supply with the engine off and the autopilot off. What is the cause of the noise? Not sure, but it's going to be fun to find out. Who cares? Nobody but me...

Autopilot Voltage Follow-up (3)

Here is a closer look at the behavior with the autopilot on with the engine on.

Autopilot Voltage Follow-up (2)

Here we zoom in a bit to see the detail of engine on, autopilot on, autopilot off, then autopilot on. The voltage drops down to as little as 11.5 volts as the autopilot hydraulic pump is engaged for steering.

Autopilot Voltage Follow-up

Some of you may recall that I ran some tests this summer to collect voltage data on Silence's autopilot. I finally got around to plotting the data this week, and there are some interesting results. This all began because I suspected that I had a power problem because the autopilot would randomly shut down and reset itself, and drop off course. It turns out that the problem was caused by a loose connector on the back of the control unit, but I didn't figure that out until after I had built a data logger and collected this data. In the diagram above you will see that we start out with the engine off and the autopilot in standby. Shortly afterward, the engine is turned on and you can see the voltage rise as the alternator charges the batteries. (The straight line represents a period for which there is no data as I stopped logging to save space on the SD card.) Next, with the engine on, I started the autopilot and you see the noise on the signal increase. Later, the same cycle is repeated, engine off, engine on, autopilot on, autopilot off, and then at the end, engine off, and power turned off.

Downrigging 2

We completed winterizing today, running antifreeze through all of the systems. We took down the mainsail as well. Time for Silence to take a long winter's nap.

Downrigging

We took down the headsail this weekend, and brought our dinghy home for the winter. Next weekend we will get the mainsail flaked away, and begin pushing anti-freeze through all of the freshwater systems.

End of the Season

We had our last sail of the season last weekend, and it was a beauty.
15+ knots of breeze and warm, with our friends Eveleen and Eric
onboard. Now we begin the process of putting the boat away for the
winter.

After the Storm

All is fine here, Silence and the house are all OK. We had power
throughout the storm, with only some flickering of the lights. We were lucky. Several of our friends had trees down on their houses and cars.
One of our friend's boat was hit by a falling tree... We saw damage in
Spa Creek to a boat on a mooring that was raked by another boat
dragging anchor during the night. It's hard to believe that someone
would just throw a single anchor and abandon their boat to the
elements.

Our preparation was good, but honestly, we were lucky. The track of
the hurricane caused us to only see north winds, which prevented any
tidal surge and flooding. We didn't have to even adjust a line during
the storm.

Silence is Fine

Silence made it through the storm unscathed. There were no boats
damaged in our marina. We are very grateful!

Winds are decreasing

Winds are down to just under 30knots, some gusts. More rain coming.
House is OK, going to check on Silence this morning.

Fifties

Winds are in the fifties now, with gusts to 62 on the Bay Bridge. All
OK at the house, hope all is well with Silence.

Over 40 knots

It's blowing over 40 knots at Thomas Point now. We just made a visit to the boat and it is riding just fine. The wind instrument at the masthead indicated 24 knots. No problems so far. We just took a ride in the Jeep around Tolly Point. Waves are breaking across the Bay, crashing ashore, spray across the road there. Kids are surfing!

Now it begins...

The winds have crept up into the mid-thirties, from the NNE. It's starting to blow!

Rainy Saturday

20 knots from the NE, raining harder, but not too heavy yet. The water level is only 6 inches above normal in Annapolis for now.

Wind Shift

The winds have shifted to the east, still blowing about 20 knots, and it has just begun to rain. This is the leading edge of Irene.

Current Conditions

We have about 20 knots from the NE at Thomas Point now. Just warming up.

Preparations Complete

All of our storm preparations are complete. The storm has been downgraded slightly, coming ashore in NC with 85 knot winds. Last night we doubled our lines, wrapped a halyard around our headsail furler, stripped off the dodger canvas, put out some fenders between our boat and our neighbor, and stowed loose items below. At home we sandbagged our basement window, which tends to flood in strong rains, and brought in our patio furniture. Now we wait.

Saturday Night's Weather

SAT NIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. N WINDS 40 TO
50 KT. WAVES 6 FT. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SHOWERS. VSBY
1 NM OR LESS.

Hurricane Irene

Tonight we will be battening down the hatches, and hoping that Irene
goes easy on us this weekend.

Eggemoggin Reach

Sailing fast on Eggemoggin Reach yesterday, aboard Mainiak. Fifteen
knots and flat water makes for fast sailing!