‘One electronic fault shouldn’t be enough to cripple your entire boat’ – Lu Heikell
After a computer fire nearly spelled disaster, Lu Heikell explores why integrated yacht electronics might be a "Jenga tower" ready to fall
Electrical fumes and smoke billowed out of my computer the other day, and soon after my busy screen turned BIOS black. A full-on fire was only prevented when I switched it off at the plug.
Reasonably dramatic, but not too much damage was done and the critical hard drive turned out to be recoverable. It could have been a whole lot worse. But it got me thinking. Not just a reminder about backing up data, but also about how we cope when things go wrong at sea.
Most sailors consider a comprehensive sail repair kit, rigging gear and engine spares as a necessity, and many of us also carry a smörgåsbord of parts for plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Whether we start out having the knowledge to use them may be a moot point, but with necessity being the mother of invention, most sailors develop a decent repertoire of skills. Unblocking the heads is definitely not rocket science.
The thing is, generally speaking, yachts are becoming more and more electronically driven, be it instruments, nav kit or battery and power control systems. And while I am a keen and reasonably competent electrician, semi-conductors and complex computer coding are way beyond my comfort zone.
Not so long ago, when the only deeply complex thing on board was a GPS, we would get around potential failure by carrying a spare. Indeed, this saved us once when our main chart plotter failed 1,000 miles out from Saint Martin, en-route to the Azores. We rigged a handheld GPS in a customised ‘mount’ in the cockpit – a yogurt pot stuck to the companionway top – so it could receive a signal and stay safe in the boisterous seas.
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These days, though, nav systems are linked to myriad other functions: radar, AIS, engine systems, battery monitoring, autopilots; the list goes on. The whole caboodle is conveniently packaged into one unit.
Until one thing goes wrong and the whole Jenga tower falls over. How do we plan for this? Ok, it may not be so bad in the Solent or the Saronic, but in remote places it could prove seriously tricky. Yes, modern satellite comms can help with trouble-shooting but even given my basic knowledge of circuits and solder, it does concern me. With modern networked systems, more care is needed to ensure that one failed module can’t take down the entire system.
I would say that modern yacht sails and engines are generally more reliable than ever, but are their electronic systems becoming just too complicated? How well do they stand up to the damp, salty humidity of life on a 40-odd foot sailing yacht?
As more of us switch over to lithium batteries and their attendant new charging and management software, perhaps also changing to electric stoves too, it is more important than ever to understand how the electrical systems on our boats work. Imagine not being able to brew up a cup of tea to mull over a problem…
On Skylax, we try to ensure that we have a back-up for most major systems on board, be it a spare autopilot ram unit, navigation software, or enough spares to ensure most major systems can be fixed. We also still keep most critical systems separate, or at least able to be run in isolation. And enough food and water on board to be able to survive long enough to solve the problem.
As we ponder downsizing from Skylax, part of me is looking forward to fewer, not more, complicated systems on board.
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The post ‘One electronic fault shouldn’t be enough to cripple your entire boat’ – Lu Heikell appeared first on Yachting Monthly.