Hi Ian,

I am puzzled. Do you expect the auto helm to keep you precisely on the rhumb line at all times or deliver you accurately to the way point. I would have thought the slight deviation which corrected you back to the rhumb line not exceptional. If you are using the auto function on the auto helm you can choose the response level. Set it high and the helm is continually adjusting to every swell induced swing with commensurate increase in battery drain. Set it lower and the adjustments are much less frequent and the boat will be allowed to respond to swells without the auto helm frantically trying to keep up. I wonder if your slight deviation could be a function of what response you have set.

Because I am more focused on wind and waves rather than precise way point course I almost always use the point the boat where I want to go and hit auto method, and off shore, wind steer. The wind steer function is brilliant as you can get your sail trim perfect and the boat maintains the correct angle. On a thousand mile passage a few miles to either side of the course is immaterial and easily corrected

On a different situation. Recently when I hit auto the boat would turn hard to port. Somewhat disconcerting. The problem was a corroded connection on the feed to the motor.

Regards

Danny

SM 299

Ocean Pearl

On 30 March 2021 at 05:33 Ian Townsend <smlocalola@...> wrote:

When I choose “Navigate” to a waypoint, the pilot steers the boat until it gets a 0.05 nm to 0.10 nm  XTE to port every time. Then it course corrects by heading to starboard until it gets back on the rhumb line. Takes about 5-10 minutes depending on the wind speed. Anyone with the same experience? Would it have to do with compass deviation? I am using a Raymarine E Series chartplotter.  Pilot is a rotary drive type.

Grazie tutti!

Ian
Loca Lola II
SM153