IN EXTREMIS – LOSING THE RUDDER
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Peter Foerthmann Blog
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Achilles heels – Saildrives
THE HOW AND THE WHY
From the harbour tug operator to the car driver with an empty tank, anyone with first-hand experience knows the best way to set a large load moving in the right direction is to push it from directly behind or pull it from directly in front.
Posted in Columns, Equipment
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Influencers
INFLUENCERS AND INFLUENZA – THE SILENT POWER
Influencers and influenza: both have the capacity to render one powerless, but while influenza’s challenge to the immune system is impossible to overlook, the influence on our thought processes of sources we trust can be far more insidious.
Posted in Columns, Equipment
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Cardinal sins – the rudder
RUDDER, TILLER, WHEEL STEERING, EMERGENCY TILLER
Is overconfidence the order of the day? Have we lost our respect for the forces of nature? Naively succumbed to the marketers’ forked tongue? Is the new really always better than the old? Are today’s boats objectively better than yesterday’s?
Posted in Columns, Equipment, Yachts
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Golden Globe Race 2018 – La Longue Route 2018
PLANNING A LONG VOYAGE
Six months is really quite a long time, at least when it comes to travel planning.
Posted in Columns
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Hanse Yachts – experiences – three times
EXPERIENCES WITH A BRAND NEW HANSE 588
I know Ariana und Jayme Souza since about 9 years, and of course it has been about transom ornaments. Jayme, living and working as surgeon in Salvador at that time and a sailor on his Bavaria 38 has purchased a Windpilot to leave for distant destinations.
Posted in Portraits
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The importance of a strong rudder
APPEARANCE AND REALITY
A tour of European trade fairs and marinas reveals which marketing campaigns and promotions have gained the most traction and highlights the latest trends and developments to have been packaged up, badged (invariably) as important improvements and sold on to the sailing public.
Posted in Columns, Equipment, Yachts
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Longue Route 2018
GENESIS OF THE LONGUE ROUTE 2018
To plagiarize shamelessly Jack London – or his wife Charmian, both wrote exactly the same sentence without specifying the author – “it’s all the fault of Captain Joshua Slocum and his ship the Spray!”
Posted in Blue water, Columns, Golden Globe Race
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Golden Globe Race 2018 – Longue Route 2018
THE EARLY BIRD AND THE WORM
The time is racing away. Watch out or you might find yourself left behind, washed up – a social outcast even. You have to keep up, everyone says so. Perhaps there’s comfort to be had from the crowd, all paddling frantically all the time trying to keep up with each other.
Posted in Blue water, Golden Globe Race
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Peter – 70 years
PETER FOERTHMANN – 70 Years – UNPLUGGED
With 70 years on the clock, my life’s drone has soared to a height at which one could be forgiven for expecting a measure of wisdom, a modicum of life experience.
Posted in Bio, News
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From Aries to Windpilot
THE CHANGE FROM ARIES TO WINDPILOT MADE SIMPLE
As the years have passed, innumerable UK-based boats that once had an Aries in pride of place have switched to the Windpilot Pacific. The differences are striking – time marches on (at Windpilot at least).
Posted in Blue water, Columns, Windpilot
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Self steering on catamarans
Relief from manual steering for catamaran crews
Catamaran sailors too have the right to close their eyes once in a while. Ocean-going catamarans at sea are almost without exception steered by electric autopilots, with permanently installed inboard autopilot systems generally the preferred way of sparing the crew a life of drudgery.
Posted in Yachts
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Transom ornaments part #2
Posted in Columns, Equipment, Yachts
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Transom ornaments part #1
Posted in Columns
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Tom Cunliffe – a sailor to the core
MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT
In my (ever more swiftly flowing) life, it is moments of human contact and personal connection that truly touch my soul, warm my heart and provide lifelong pleasure. Continue reading
SV Vaguebond – Ivan Steenhuyse BE
HALF WAY DONE
Hi Peter,
after sailing more than 15000 miles in 16 months, we’ve arrived in New Zealand. Our Windpilot did almost every mile of steering during our trip and she is one of the best purchases we made before leaving! We’d never take off without a Windpilot, that’s for sure.
regards
Ivan onboard SV Vaguebond CONTINUE
Posted in Blogs, Word of mouth
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SV Sea Otter – Bob Rouner US
Hello Peter,
I have now sailed my Koopmans 43, Sea Otter, to the Eastern Caribbean from Texas several times, about 14,000 miles total, always using the Windpilot, and I was always sailing singlehanded. I could not do that without the Windpilot.
I have attached a photo that was taken as I approached Bequia. Unfortunately, I was hand steering and did not have the servo rudder in the water. I plan to head towards Panama soon.
You have a great product, but what makes it even better is your personal attention, dedication and incredible service and advice, all of which is very difficult to find these days. I enjoy reading the website, and it is good to see someone with a sense of humor.
Kind Regards,
Bob Router
Posted in Word of mouth
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SV Kairos – Menno van Loon NED
YOUR PRODUCT IS JUST TOO GOOD
Dear Peter,
Just a quick update.
Depending on your perspective, I have either good or bad news. Your product is simply too good. Despite being several decades old and having been rammed by a 36 ton motor yacht, I got it working fine again. I just arrived in New Zealand after a 7 day passage from New Caledonia, including some pretty rough weather. My trusted mechanical helmsman got me safely to Opua. So, unfortunately for me, I feel I cannot justifiably claim a replacement.
Anyway, thanks for getting the pro forma invoice to me so quickly.
Cheers,
Menno van Loon continue
Posted in Word of mouth
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SV Suditude – Jean Claude Fleuret CH
MELCHIORE ANTARCTICA
Thank you for all, and hope the Windpilot go again; for the moment, a lot of miles, the track to Antarctica and 6 times Patagonia and Terra del Fuego !
Melchiore, Antarctica, a fantastic place where the Windpilot drive me, through the Drake !
Best to you
Jean-Claude Fleuret, SV Suditude WEITERLESEN
Posted in Word of mouth
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