unmanned boat to sail the atlantic -

[Beebo]

4 years in the planning. The boat will sail the atlantic unmanned, it looks a bit Heath Robinson.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-20520968

It was launched yesterday on its great adventure, and promptly crashed into the Isle of Wight within a couple of hours! heading due East!
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0xeXvW8cOXyhelJW3qqj1jac49yD6m4ZC

 

[Pottsy]

Yes, I read it was capable of 3 knots boat speed. In that part of the Solent at the western entrance on a big tide you could easily get double that in tidal flow. It just pushed him onto The Needles.

I reckon he picked a rubbish time to launch, though that could be amongst many issues.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Not the same, but I am led to believe that some of these large tankers, cargo vessels etc can sail on a form of autopilot.

 

[tyred]

Didn't someone try this once before with the Mary Celeste?

 

[Pottsy]

Not the same, but I am led to believe that some of these large tankers, cargo vessels etc can sail on a form of autopilot.

Most every vessel of a reasonable size will have autopilot. These can have proximity alarms linked to radar, depth, wind speed and direction alarms and much more. It is still however a legal requirement to always have someone on watch, which is why single-handed racing is, strictly speaking, illegal.

In this case it will be a very basic autopilot that I suspect kept bashing into a head wind and tide on a SW heading but the boat speed was too low and it just got forced onto the lee shore. In real life you'd have realised it was a losing battle and probably head offwind to just clear the Needles and get into open water.

Almost all of this is my speculation from experience of course.

 

[snorri]

Not the same, but I am led to believe that some of these large tankers, cargo vessels etc can sail on a form of autopilot.

No, surely not?
http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/KarinSchepersReportWeb.pdf

 

[asterix]

It's a lot easier to create an automated boat if it is powered by a sodding great engine!

When you have to allow for fickle winds and waves (small craft affected more by waves) it's a completely different can of worms.

 

[asterix]

Most every vessel of a reasonable size will have autopilot. These can have proximity alarms linked to radar, depth, wind speed and direction alarms and much more. It is still however a legal requirement to always have someone on watch, which is why single-handed racing is, strictly speaking, illegal.

.

In the early days it was reported that some flag of convenience ships were relying on the ships dog for this purpose. How appropriate that this prototype is called 'Snoopy'.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

I name this ship...The George Osborne...

 

[Fnaar]

Excellent stuff The boat itself, and the crashing into the Needles. Thoroughly British And admirable
We also have a different sort of British engineering to be proud of, which can be seen here;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17867586