WindPilot Pacific

Thank you Peter!

In addition to the Windpilot's reputation for performance and reliability I can comment very favourably on the responsiveness of the company's owner, Peter Foerthmann.  I reached out to him asking about vane dimensions, (to make a couple of spares)  and any areas of wear or concern that I should be aware of, thinking that a 20-year old unit would require some service.   He responded immediately with a .pdf copy of the manual, offers of help, and a request for photos of the unit to date it.  These I sent, and he  promptly determined that it is a current model.  He then asked about the prior owners so he could determine exactly when it was installed.   I provided this information, and again, a prompt response back  confirmed the unit was purchased in 2019!  He even sent photos of my unit installed and rigged on my boat.  His comment on spare vanes:

Spare vane: the majority of sailors finishing their worldwide cruising / circumnavigations with one and the same vane …

like Golden Globe finisher 2018 Tapio Lehtinen: 322 days at sea with one and the same vane

peter

His closing email was the cartoon above.    Thank you Peter!

Images from Peter, as rigged

Recent images

 

Refit: Items for engine and rig

 Various from Chandleries

Engine service and spares

Running Rigging

Galley Fridge inspection & operation

 June 2023

I jury rigged the 'fridge to use one of the water tanks as a cooling water source and it seems to work.   

I note that it drains into the bilge, I will need to add a cactchment bottle.

May 2023

Sakura is equipped with her original ISOtherm seawater cooled holding plate fridge.   This was noted on the survey as follows:

In my initial January inspection I had noticed that the fridge did create coolness/remove heat.  I did not have time to explore further.   Later, reading the manual, I noted that the system is seawater cooled.     So, the survey may simply be describing the behaviour of the system in the absense of seawater cooling.  In May I did use the fridge, short cycling as described, to keep some food cool while I was working.

The manual also details the need for a freezer partition (not found aboard) in order to effectively regulate the the interior temperature.  (freezing vs not)