4 ms·

Absolute shot in the dark, I have near-zero knowledge of Orca and even less about sailing...but I did notice one common link in the article. They were using a

by Ccecil 6y ago

Absolute shot in the dark, I have near-zero knowledge of Orca and even less about sailing...but I did notice one common link in the article. They were using autohelms. Are the ones they are using commercial ones? Are they homebrew (which is becoming more common in the raspi world)? Could it be that the PWM motor control on the autohelm is bothering them...it could resonate down the rudder and essentially make a speaker. Once the Orca destroy the sound they seem to be leaving. Again...total shot in the dark. Just trying to spur some thought in other directions.

stupendousyappi 6y ago
On the one hand, I have a hard time imagining that noise being more bothersome than the motor of powered boats, but with a sample size of two, it fits the data as well as any other theory. Having said that, I think the simplest explanation for targeting sailboats is simply that the orcas are less likely to be injured by the motor, and it doesn't blast deafening static when you get close to it.
- Ccecil 6y ago
  It has no motor sound...but has a varying "whine". Also, when the rudder is bumped that whine is going to change due to attempting to realign...which could sound like an injured cry. I know people younger than me complain about the pwm sound from my stepper drivers on my printers...but I cannot hear it.
clort 6y ago
nearly all leisure boats on a long passage would be using an autopilot of some kind though and the vast majority of those are electric motor driven. perhaps the sample is pre-selected to have autohelm in that case..
- spurgu 6y ago
  I wouldn't say "vast" majority. Windvane self-steering gear is quite common on long distance cruising sailboats. I would personally not rely solely on an autopilot, though it's nice to have in addition, for when motoring. The exception might be an RPi driven DIY autopilot where you can carry spare actuators (and spare RPi's), but that still requires electricity so would be useless in an emergency where you lose power (thunder strike or water shorting the batteries). All in all I find it weird why this is happening now all of a sudden . We've been overfishing for decades and it's not like there's been a large increase in maritime activity lately. Mybe they just finally had enough and snapped.. Would hate to see the sea become a hostile environment for humans, but we also have it coming.
spurgu 6y ago
> Are they homebrew (which is becoming more common in the raspi world)? Homemade autopilots are unfortunately still quite rare, although the technology does exist. You basically need an RPi, a motor controller and a motor, with Pypilot as software. https://pypilot.org https://pypilot.org Also check out the OpenPlotter project mentioned there. I'm using it with a RPi with a 7" touchscreen.

by Ccecil 6y ago

stupendousyappi 6y ago

On the one hand, I have a hard time imagining that noise being more bothersome than the motor of powered boats, but with a sample size of two, it fits the data as well as any other theory. Having said that, I think the simplest explanation for targeting sailboats is simply that the orcas are less likely to be injured by the motor, and it doesn't blast deafening static when you get close to it.

Ccecil 6y ago
It has no motor sound...but has a varying "whine". Also, when the rudder is bumped that whine is going to change due to attempting to realign...which could sound like an injured cry. I know people younger than me complain about the pwm sound from my stepper drivers on my printers...but I cannot hear it.

clort 6y ago

nearly all leisure boats on a long passage would be using an autopilot of some kind though and the vast majority of those are electric motor driven. perhaps the sample is pre-selected to have autohelm in that case..

spurgu 6y ago
I wouldn't say "vast" majority. Windvane self-steering gear is quite common on long distance cruising sailboats. I would personally not rely solely on an autopilot, though it's nice to have in addition, for when motoring. The exception might be an RPi driven DIY autopilot where you can carry spare actuators (and spare RPi's), but that still requires electricity so would be useless in an emergency where you lose power (thunder strike or water shorting the batteries). All in all I find it weird why this is happening now all of a sudden . We've been overfishing for decades and it's not like there's been a large increase in maritime activity lately. Mybe they just finally had enough and snapped.. Would hate to see the sea become a hostile environment for humans, but we also have it coming.

spurgu 6y ago

> Are they homebrew (which is becoming more common in the raspi world)? Homemade autopilots are unfortunately still quite rare, although the technology does exist. You basically need an RPi, a motor controller and a motor, with Pypilot as software. https://pypilot.org https://pypilot.org Also check out the OpenPlotter project mentioned there. I'm using it with a RPi with a 7" touchscreen.