It's either technology gone mad, or “a major step towards pleasurable sailboat cruising with zero effort,” depending on your point of view. The Joystick Sailing System from Computayacht Ltd brings the benefits of superyacht sail control to yachts in the 35 ft to 55 ft range.
The two Joysticks, which control mainsail and genoa, can be fitted to new yachts or retro-fitted to existing yachts, to provide sail control at the touch of a button. The yacht will tack or gybe, reef or furl automatically. No more venturing out of the cockpit in big seas to shorten sail!
The latest idea from John Bell, founder of Mariner Instruments in the 1970s, and inventor of the paddlewheel log transducer, looks set to be one of the big talking points at the Southampton Boat Show.
“As I got older, I found it harder to pull in the sheets and handle the control lines, but I didn't want to give up sailing and buy a powerboat,” he explained. “After three years of development, 3,000 miles of testing, and having spent around £500,000, this is our solution.”
The impressive fully automatic joystick sailing system is expected to appeal to husband and wife teams sailing big boats short-handed, to older sailors, and to disabled sailors, as well as to anyone looking for an easy life!
It is being demonstrated at Lymington on Jeanneau 43 'Hi-Tec' during the Southampton Boat Show.
For more details, or to book a demonstration, see www.joysticksailing.com
The electro-hydraulic system comes complete with a display screen, to show exactly what is going on, and in claimed to offer improved safety, as well as a lot less effort (although you can switch it off and wind winches the old-fashioned way if you want to.)
Prices start from about £17,750 plus VAT, depending on type and model of yacht. So quite a few of us will still be doing it the hard way for the foreseeable future!
