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Wayne Simmons September 23, 2003 Dear Will, Wayne Simmons |
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2003 - Nerka
Sea Frozen Salmon To Whom It May Concern: I purchased my WH Autopilot (model P-b) in the
spring of 1979 for use on my 43 foot troller the F/V Nerka. I am now
preparing to fish the Nerka for the 25”’ year and that WII auto
pilot is still in use every minute the boat is in motion. The boat is in
continuous operation for a period of 3 to 4 months each year and that
means seven days a week and up to 24 hours a day. It has reliably guided
the boat on 48 trips on the inside passage from LaConner, Washington to
Sitka, Alaska. It has proved to be a reliable and extremely capable
master of the helm. It steers the boat true in all weather and sea
conditions and is one of the most reliable instruments on the boat. Over the many years of service it has been very easy
to deal the few problems that have resulted from the hard usage the
autopilot has been subjected to. Will has been very helpful in
troubleshooting and the modular nature of the system has made it easy to
replace parts that have worn out. The autopilot has been continually
upgraded over the years so that it is now better than ever and
essentially trouble free. The WH Autopilot is the only piece of electronic gear on the boat that dates back to the year the boat was built. Given it’s excellent performance, ease of operation and reliability, it is the one piece of equipment that will be on the boat as long as I operate it. Sincerely, Donald E. Power |
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2003 - S/Y Serenade Tuzi
Gazi Marina Dear
Mr. Hamm, This
is a note just to say thanks for producing a fine autopilot. We
installed your autopilot system (P3 control box, etc.) in 1993 during a
refit of our Whitby 42 ketch, “Serenade”, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The boat has hydraulic steering. The pump unit was mounted
in the engine room next to the hydraulic lines to which it was
connected, and the control unit was mounted on the binnacle in the
cockpit. Since then, we have sailed over 30,000 miles during our current
circumnavigation of the world and have used the autopilot almost all of
the time when under way. We
can maintain battery power adequately for all our needs, including
steering, with our solar panels and wind generator. For example, on our
21-day trip from the Galapagos to the Marquesas, we did not turn on our
motor for a period of 17 days and then did turn it on only to maintain
speed during a calm period. During those 17 days, your autopilot kept
Serenade on course 24 hours a day. For
ten years and 30,000 miles, we’ve not had any problems with the
system. It has performed well on all points of sail in light and heavy
air, even with quartering seas. So, giving credit where it’s due, my
wife, Gisela, and I thank you for making such a reliable product. With
best regards, I remain |
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Bill & Anne Webster February 10, 2003 Dear Will: It is always a pleasant surprise to find a company with
old style vales and quality service. Warmest regards: Bill & Ann Webster
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2003 - I am
a very satisfied WH Autopilot customer I am a very
satisfied WH Autopilot customer who has used your unit very hard in the
last 11 years. Gershon II is a
30-ton, 50’ steel cutter. We
have been cruising and sailing constantly, almost since she was launched
in 1990. We had the privilege of escorting the Hokulea, the Hawaiian
voyaging canoe, in its interisland voyages, as well as its voyage to
Tahiti, the Marqueses and back to Hawaii in 1995. We are presently
six years into a cruise, which began in Hawaii, took us to the Marqueses,
through the islands (Tahiti, Roratonga, Tonga and Fiji) to New Zealand;
back to the islands (Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia), then to
Australia; back to the islands and then again to New Zealand. During all
this time, the WH Autopilot worked flawlessly under sail and power and
became a most reliable member of our crew. Gershon II is a
large, heavy vessel, and when sailing along in heavy trade winds, she
can be a handful. Nevertheless, the WI! Autopilot system has never been
overpowered. During one of our worst gales in the Tasman Sea sailing
north from Nelson, New Zealand, we got caught between a stalled low and
a rapidly approaching high, causing a “Tasman squash” with winds in
the 40’s and 50’s, with gusts in the 60’s. Seas were 7 to 8 meters
high. Nevertheless, Gershon II sailed off the wind with the seas on the
quarter, making a comfortable 6 knots. Over three days, she never once
broached or exhibited any aberrant behavior. The constant working of the
autopilot allowed us to stay rested, which is the greatest single
problem sailing short-handed in a storm. If we are
careful about balancing the sails, even with our two 25 amp hydraulic
motors operating the heavy rudder, we average only about 3 or 3~/2 amps.
Our underwater hydro generator has no problem keeping up with the drain. During one
episode in Bora Bora, we experienced some erratic autopilot behavior. WH
personnel walked me through testing procedures over the phone. We
discovered a defective cable. A new cable was shipped via air service,
and we were operative in about three days. We cannot say enough for the
excellent service and the excellent product. We have
experienced no ill effects as a result of the vessel being steel as
whatever affect the steel has on the steering compass is obviously
consistent. We wish you the
best of luck in your future endeavors and hope someday to be able to try
your new equipment, except my old equipment won’t wear out. Again, thank you
for years of excellent service. |
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| Robert Hubbard 2002 To: Will Hamm Six years ago I purchased your Model P-3B Autopilot. After and initial problem while enroute to Mexico, which you fixed very promptly, the system has worked flawlessly during over 12,000 n.miles of sailing. This has included a 3,300 n.miles, single-handed, offshore passage from Cabo San Lucas to Lopez Island. That voyage would have been impossible without a reliable autopilot to steer the vessel while I got some sleep. Many thanks, Robert M. Hubbard |
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2002 P0. Box 257 Wil Hamm Dear Wil. I purchased a WH Instrument model P-b autopilot serial ft152 in 1979.
It was installed on a new Over the years we have had the RAT and compass repaired by you. It has
always been a pleasant and positive experience. Your support of the
product is exceptional. If at some future time I deem it necessary to replace my P-1O, another
WH Autopilot will undoubtedly take its place. Sincerely, Paul G. Southland |
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2002 – Works like a dream… Dear Wil, Just a line to let you know the autopilot is finally installed and commissioned and works like a dream. It works perfectly in every respect and I couldn’t be more pleased. My thanks to you for building a superb pilot. Is there now any point in me sending off the documentation to you for
the warranty period? I mush have ordered this kit from you last November or thereabouts, so it’s a good way down the
line now. My thanks to you and best regards. Kris Kridjan de Beere |
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2002 - Great AutoPilot! Just
returned from circumnavigating Vancouver Island. You’re P-3A
pilot did nearly all of the work and was a pleasure to use. Thanks for
putting together a great system
for me. One question: Is it recommended that a “main” on/off
switch be put in line between the 12v source and the motor controller -
other than that provided on the auto pilot control? I realize
it’s miniscule amperage to simply power the “led” on the motor
controller but it seems like maybe I should have a "main” switch
to turn off all power to the unit. Thanks. Gene Darby |
| Johan H. Jansen October 12, 2001 Dear Will: Sincerely, Johan H. Jansen |
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2001 - Thanks for a great product Dear Sirs: Please find
the enclosed warranty information. Long overdue, I have just been having too much fun with my new
“crew member” to fill out the forms. Although I am still fine tuning
the settings for various wind and sea conditions the Pilot works very
well. I just returned from the Single Handed LongPac race which is a 400
mile qualifier for next years Single handed Pacific Cup Race to Hawaii.
We encountered varying conditions including large seas left from a Gulf
of Alaska low pressure front and winds up to 25 knots. The last 48 hrs
of the race were sailed at hull speed on a broad reach with seas off the
aft quarter. I would clearly never have been able to hand steer for this
long and my previous wheel mounted autopilot would not have been able to
hold a course. Finished the race 8/26 at 2:30 AM and I am still
grinning. Thanks for a
great
product, Steve Wilson
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| 2001 —E-mails from Steve Dashew Re: the gyro compass· it is a huge improvement. We finally had some power reaching conditions heading dew N, with beam seas, where the waves tend to push the boat around — even us — and the course was + - 5 degrees. With the gyro off more like + - 15. And again, the harder the boat to steer, the more important the gyro and fast response — our boats are not representative as the steer relatively easily. Now heading due N power reaching in medium seas at 13.5 knots boat speed — straight as an arrow despite waves — with just fluxgate we'd be + - 15 degrees. |
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2001
I have just
had the pleasure to sail down the Mexican Baja coast from San Diego to
Cabo, what made the trip was your autopilot, in over 800 miles of non
stop weather and seas the autopilot never missed a beat, not once. I am so
impressed that I will be sending you my contact information to get a
quote. The boat I traveled on was the “KONIG’ owned by George
Rischell and he had installed two of your
units, I have photos of the install and will send them to you when 1 get
a chance. We had one
small mishap on the way down and that was with one of the sheaves
falling from the motor pulleys. As a result of this incident George
would like me to order for him two of the
small keys that fit inside the pulley shaft. I am out
of town until the later part of this week but will call upon my return. Regards, |
| 2000 — Letter from Walter Schumacher, MD of Tacoma,
Washington Dear W-H, I have owned your autopilot for 15 years and I am extremely happy with your product! I have never had any problems with it and it trolls and steers my 48-foot Chris Craft perfectly in heavy seas (off Neah Bay and Barkley Sound. I have owned a few other autopilots before but your W-H is the only one that can steer better in heavy seas than myself. Congratulations for building this marvelous navigational tool!!! Sincerely, Walter Schumacher, MD |
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2000 I
would
like to
thank you
for making such a remarkable, really out standing product - your
autopilot. ‘which I have
installed onto my 56 footer. I made more than 3000
miles with it now,
in winds
often exceeding 45 knots! It steered the boat perfectly. Thank YOU very
much, |
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2000 - Great work on my autopilot Dear Will. I’ve put the
old autopilot to the test for well over a month now and tested Best Always
and smooth sailing, John R.
Stenberg |
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1999 September 1, 1999 email Shea and Wil, The autopilot
has performed flawlessly through an 8-day passage from Bora Bora to
American Samoa and a much rougher 2-day passage from American Samoa to
Tonga. Regards, |
 Burns
- M/V Well Deserved - 1998 |
| 1997 — Email from Steve Dashew sent by Elyse Dashew Hi Wil: We are in the middle of gale, enroute from New Zealand to French Polynesia. It is blowing a steady 35/40 knots with gusts to mid 40s. Seas are large, with breaking crests. The wind is behind us and we are sailing with full main+mizzen but no jib. This is too much sail-we are testing the boat (which is doing a steady 16/17 right now with surfs into the high 20 knot range). Even though we are heading NNE the pilot is doing a wonderful job of keeping us on track. The gain boost button really helps when a wave starts to slew the stern around. Coincidentally, we just passed 10,000 miles of use on the AP-4, without a single problem. Keep up the good work. Steve Dashew |
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Excerpt from
Michael and JoAnne Gray’s website at www.boatnet.com/destiny “Also during
our stay in the Bay
area, we replaced our Robertson Autopilot with the more robust WH
Autopilot manufactured in Seattle. |
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1997 Murray Dorsey Dear
Mr. Hamm. I
just wanted to write this letter to tell you how pleased I am with my new
AP-4 autopilot. I guess I was the recipient of serial number 1, maybe
still in the prototype stage. I
have taken my 58 foot Delta Pilothouse, single engine trawler around
Vancouver Island. and to Southeast Alaska two times, using the autopilot
exclusively to steer the boat. The main control head is mounted at the
center, rear-most edge of the dash where I can reach
it without leaning forward from the helm chair. Except for one time
when the boat was first commissioned, I have not used the auxiliary
steering wheel, recessed under the autopilot control, for any purpose. All
steering, maneuvering and docking of the boat is done with the autopilot
controls. Needless to say. this is much easier than cranking the main
wheel over and hack, while docking a single-engine boat. Another
important feature of the AP-4 is the rapid rudder speed. It only takes
about 5 seconds
from 30 degrees port rudder to 30 degrees starboard rudder. Again, when
docking a single screw boat this is important. especially because you just
cannot manually swing the wheel that fast when you need to. I especially want to thank you for responding to my two requests for warranty service. The first time, the rudder angle sender unit apparently came loose inside the box. I brought the boat to the dock close to your office, and you came down and immediately replaced the entire sender unit. The next time. I called you from the cellular phone in Alaska this past summer to report erratic steering behavior. You sent airfreight a complete new unit to me in Ketchikan that arrived the same time I arrived there in the boat. I can’t tell you how important it is to me to deal with a manufacturer that really backs up its products. |
| 1997 — Email from Jeffrey Thompson Equipment notes·Autopilots — We have Wagner hydraulic steering. When we bought VICTORIA it was equipped with a Sharp Seapilot (English-out of business now). The pilot was erratic and underpowered and we knew it would have to be changed. We looked at all the options and just before we were about to choose, we called Steve Dashew and Mark Schrader for advice and opinions. Lucky thing we did — it prevented a costly mistake and resulted in a 1st class choice. Both recommended W-H Autopilots of Seattle. In over 50,000 miles and 5 years this pilot performed without 1 failure, without 1 hiccup. VICTORIA is a 42,000-pound, full keel boat with an unbalanced rudder. The h.p h.p. hydraulic pump never had a problem in controlling the boat — whether in the small Mexican hurricane off Acapulco, the backlash of the 2 typhoons near Palau or in the big low off the Kamchatka Peninsula on the way to the Aleutians. W-H is Wil Hamm· Our experience is not unique — recently the SSCA equipment tests showed 3 other boats had 18 years experience with W-H Autopilots (6 years each) and they also had had zero (0) failures. The autopilot is the single most important piece of equipment on a short-handed cruising boat. |
| 1997 — Letter from Ralph and Phyllis Nansen Dear Mr. Hamm, We have been meaning to write to you for some time to express our appreciation for the outstanding autopilot made by your company. We purchased a W-H autopilot in 1985 for our 49-foot ketch FRAM. FRAM is a heavy displacement full keel Samson design ferro-cement vessel with hydraulic steering. We used the boat extensively for local cruising in the Pacific Northwest during the 1980's and became very reliant on our autopilot which functioned perfectly. In 1987 we left Seattle for an extended cruise through Mexico and the South Pacific to Australia and returned the boat to the United States in 1994. During that seven year period we traveled 35,000 ocean miles with our W-H steering 95% of the time. We left with a wind steering vane also with the intent of using it for the majority of ocean passage steering to conserve battery power. However, we soon found we were using the autopilot nearly exclusively because of the convenience, accuracy, and small amount of power it required. Even in the worst storms we encountered it functioned beautifully. In the meantime our friends in other cruising vessels with autopilots from other makers spent a good deal of their time hand steering when their autopilot broke down after a few days at sea. Our W-H autopilot was the only one of the boats we knew in the South Pacific that never failed in the seven years we spent on our cruise. We recommend it to anyone that wants to take a boat to sea. It is the very best of all the autopilots we know about. Thank you for making such a fine product. Sincerely, Ralph and Phyllis Narrsen |
| 1996 — Comstat message from Marvin Miller Onboard Schooner Endurance (54 ft); Isla Patida, Mexico; Dec. 9, 1996 Coming down from Bahia de Los Angeles in 30 kn wind dead aft and with tidal ripped 15-ft seas that were 40 ft crest-to-crest, the AP-10 combined with 2 h.p h.p. motor control units steered flawlessly. Manual steering was near impossible. Love your unit. Marvin Miller |
| 1996 — Letter from Jeffrey Thompson of
Westminster, CA Dear Mr. Hamm: I want to convey my appreciation for your efforts in designing and building reliable autopilots. We replaced the original pilot on our sailboat in early 1990 and have had remarkable, non-stop service through 5 years and 40,000 nm of offshore cruising. Victoria is a Searaker 50 — a monk-designed, 50'. 20 ton, full-keel, FRP center cockpit cutter built in Tacoma in 1977. We bought her in 1987 with a view to long distance cruising. We spent 3 years learning how to sail her, made a few changes and left Long Beach, CA in May 1990 for a 6 month shake-sown trip to Alaska to see how the family would take to the cruising lifestyle. There are 4 in our family — our children were 12 & 13 when we left for Alaska so a reliable autopilot that could control the boat was essential. I looked at several and wasn't satisfied with the possibilities until I talked to Steve Dashew and Mark Schrader about their experiences with W-H pilots. I choose the P-20W and installed it before the Alaska trip. We returned from a successful Alaska trip and decided to proceed with our long term plans of cruising the South Pacific so we changed a few more things on the boat, sold the cars, leased the house and left Long Beach in June 1992 for the Marquesas, 3400 nm, all offshore. We had stayed through the end of school year and this put us in a potential hurricane situation off the West Coast of Mexico. By the time we arrived in that area, there were 3 hurricanes between us and the equator — so we picked a gap between the first two and squeezed through without a lot of problems — 45-60 kts and very confused 20-30 ft seas for a day. Our Pacific trip took us 3 ¸ years. In the 1st year we visited the Marquesas, Tuomotus, Societies, Beveridge Reef, Tonga, Minerva Reefs and New Zealand. The 2nd year we slowed the pace and wandered through Tong, American & Western Somoa, Wallis, Fiji, New Caledonia and Australia. The 3rd year was possible the most enjoyable and we visited more of Australia's east Coast (NSW and QLD), the Louisiades of Papua New Guinea, the Solomons, the Bismark Archipelago of PNG (where we were treated to the spectacular twin volcano eruptions in Rabaul), Palau, the Philippines and Hong King. From HK, we visited Taiwan, the southern Japanese Islands, Korea, back to Japan and left Wakkanai, Hokkaido to cross the Sea of Okhotsk, through the Russian Kurile Islands just south of the Kamchatka Peninsula, across the North Pacific to Attu Island in the Aleutians and on to Kodiak and Juneau. The Aleutians were another highlight of the trip. You'll notice that I've hardly mentioned the pilot — that's because it doesn't need much mentioning. The pilot never one failed in the 5 years and it steered 99+% of the trip — only in harbor situations did we use the wheel. The hp pumpset had plenty of power to steer the boat install conditions, even through the rudder is completely unbalanced (hung off the back of the keel). We had taken a wind vane along as backup but we sold that to a boat in Tonga that needed it. Your pilots are one of the few pieces of gear that we bought that we felt were designed for full-time "marine" use — most are designed for "marina" use and are totally inadequate for the years of constant use that long term, offshore cruiser will put them through. Offshore cruising is not a 2 week, or even a 3 month test — it goes on for years. I have no plans to replace VICTORIA, but if we ever did, I wouldn't hesitate to install another W-H pilot. Sincerely, Jeffrey K. Thompson |
| 1995 — Note from Steve Dashew after California to Fiji voyage in his new 78' "Beowulf" New pilot is great! Handles us with ease, even when we are averaging 18+ knots in big seas. Have met several boats with your pilots and they all have good things to say. With the problems others seem to have, no one can understand why anyone would buy another make. Steve Dashew |
| 1995 — Satcom message from Bert
Coalson. "I still have high praise for this unit, it is truly superb in every way. It is the most capable autopilot, even in the configuration we have, that I have ever even heard about. As a matter of fact, I can't remember ever hearing about any autopilot that ever worked without having a caveat attached. Not this one; it simple, reliable, and capable, works in all weather, all sail combinations, balanced or outrageously unbalanced, upwind, downwind or in between, it works. It could care less about the sea state or indifferent sail trim, it simply takes what it is given and steers the boat; I have yet to find any reason to take it off the lowest yaw and rudder control settings, and we have been in conditions that are very difficult steering conditions. Part of this is due to Natoma, of course, but the autopilot deserves the credit I have given it." Bert Coalson, Natoma |
| 1991-- Quote from "Global Voyaging" by Oliver S. Moore III about Bruce Kessler's passage-making trip across the Pacific in his 70' Delta "Zopilote". Yachting, May 1991. The W-H. autopilot handled the steering chores flawlessly, even when the seas built to 20 feet. 1992 Letter from Thomas Opdycke of Seattle, WA Dear W-H: The purpose of this letter is to fulfill a promise my wife and I made while enduring a 55-knot gale 300 miles north of New Zealand ÷"Thank God we bought a rugged autopilot capable of handling these conditions, we owe W-H a letter of thanks!" We installed a W-H Autopilot three years ago on our Cape Dory '36. Since that time we have sailed over 15,000 sea miles between Seattle and Polynesia ÷including two seasons out of New Zealand. We use our W-H almost exclusively to steer the boat under all conditions. The use of proper sail trim and power settings (gain and yaw) enables our two solar panels to keep up with the power demand on extended voyages. We purchased a "heavy-duty" autopilot for the safety of having reliable, easy to setup self-steering during rapidly changing conditions as are encountered during full gales. This proved to be sound thinking last year during a mid-winter passage from New Zealand to Tonga. We were subjected to ten days of successive gales with sustained winds over 50 knots. At one point, our boat was knocked down twice, the result of steep, breaking waves. The wind vane was damaged from the impact of one of these waves, and we were too tired to hand steer. The W-H Autopilot not only held our course, but also successfully made the huge, rapid corrections necessary to negotiate heavy seas and to recover quickly from both knock-downs. I believe this performance was only possible because of the quick power generated by W-H's h.p. reversible motor and hydraulic ram connected to the steering quadrant. We also have an Autohelm 3000 as an auxiliary, and I know it would not have been able to stand up to those conditions. The W-H Autopilot gave us much needed rest and enabled us to keep navigating and to maintain an effective watch. The electronic components are well sealed from salt water/air and show no signs of corrosion inside or out. Your service was also excellent when you replaced a failed mechanical switch at no cost to me, airmailing the part the next day. We plan to leave New Zealand again this year bound for the western Pacific and home to Seattle via Japan. We are confident that our W-H Autopilot will be able to handle future challenges as it has already proven itself these past three years. Thank you for a trustworthy product. Sincerely, Thomas C. Opdycke S/V Sotto Le Stelle |
| 1990 -- Post card from Jack Jennings while in New Orleans We are a very satisfied customer! Autopilot has not missed a turn. Thanks, Jack Jennings |
| 1989 — Letter from Les Peskine of Valdez Dear Wil, Just to let you know I have sold my boat "44'x14'" and have never had an autopilot perform so well on any boat I have had or been on. I am buying another soon and you can bet on it that I'll be buying another W-H Autopilot for the new boat. I expected a lot from my W-H Autopilot and got it. Thanks Wil, Les Peskine P.S. Six years of pleasure. Thanks W-H. |
| 1988 — Letter from Steve Dashew of Ojai, CA Dear Wil: I have just returned from a 7000 mile shakedown sail on our new Deerfoot 67, Sundeer. The two W-H pilots aboard worked flawlessly, better than I imagined possible (even after hearing the favorable reports from all of our clients which have them aboard now). We left Auckland, New Zealand in a 35/40-knot southeasterly gale. Seas were from the quarter and the beam. We were able to drive Sundeer hard in these extremely difficult steering conditions. Carrying full working canvas (main, mizzen, 95% jib) we had a series of 275-mile days, against the prevailing current! No other pilot I have ever been to sea with would have allowed us the luxury of sitting in the pilot house while going this fast in the confused seas we encountered. The alternative would have been to slow down a bit, or hand steer. Power consumption averaged between 4 and 8 amps (24-volt system). Under more favorable sailing conditions (the majority of the trip home) we found that the two-¸ horsepower pumps, working in tandem, used just one amp per hour. This was under beating and close reaching conditions in a variety of wind strengths. I was frankly amazed at how little electricity those powerful pump sets consume. We have never used a pilot system which had so much power available when it is required (in our case a full horsepower), yet is so miserly with the watts when conditions are moderate. Congratulations on a fine product, and your excellent, personal service. We are looking forward to sharing many thousands of miles with our W-H pilots. Regards, Stephen Dashew |
1987 — Comments from Ken Cunningham of Sannichton, BC Canada "Superb, I love it. I was always a lover of products like these that are simple, beefy, efficient, reliable, and works super good. What a treat to have this as the best addition to our newly launched boat. I am a guaranteed satisfied customer and I admit I was sold on friendly service when I first talked to Wil about the product." Sincerely yours, Ken Cunningham |
| 1987 — Letter from Mark Schrader of Stanwood, WA Dear Mr. Hamm: The recently completed BOC Challenge was as much a test of sailboat gear and equipment as it was for skipper and boat. The most severely tested piece of equipment on each boat was the autopilot. Because of its enormous importance to the competitive effort most boats carried several (up to 8) spare units. LONE STAR, a Valiant 47, and I started the face with 25 fellow competitors from all over the world. Nine months and some 25,000 miles later 16 of us crossed the finish line. LONE STAR was the only boat which carried only one autopilot, and it was the only boat which experienced no autopilot failure. That autopilot was a W-H. In conditions which ranged from flat calm to choppy seas with light winds, to hurricane force gales and heavy seas, the W-H pilot kept LONE STAR on course at maximum speed and allowed the skipper to rest. The unit was subjected to humidity, heat, cold and it was bounced, thrown and pounded. It never missed a beat. I wanted an autopilot that would stand up to a variety of conditions and be responsive enough to steer a relatively heavy boat in all kinds of wind and seas. I was never disappointed by the W-H pilot's performance and I would choose it again for any kind of demanding service. Thank you for producing such an effective and reliable piece of equipment. Mark Schrader LONE STAR |
| 1982 — Letter from Morrie Finley of San Gabriel, CA Gentlemen: You who have developed the W-H Autopilots should be very proud of the units. On our trip from Seattle to San Francisco we ran approximately one hundred miles off shore and, of the seven-day trip, we spent three and one-half days in winds from forty to fifty knots with commensurate breaking seas, probably in the order of twenty-five feet high. The W-H Autopilot steered the Alta Mar down wind running at six and one-half knots with bare sticks and never did let the boat yaw or broach. Each big seat that overtook us found the Alta Mar pointing dead down wind and never in any trouble. The autopilot did ninety-nine percent of the steering accurately and tirelessly. Thanks for developing such a great piece of gear. Very Truly yours, Morrie Finley |