In September 2023 I came upon a small Saildrone on Lake Erie. It was completing two circumnavigations of the lake, and I chanced upon it off Mentor Ohio when it was on its way to Sandusky. I sailed around it a few times and took a few photographs. I was mystified at first but realized it was a portent of things to come.
That's amazing! Love it. Would be really cool to have a boat that was capable of sailing itself on autopilot, whisking me away to foreign destinations without having to actively be on watch for days on end.
Another outstanding and current report we thank you for. So timely with so .any Drone sitings all over land and seas. These sail drones sure amazes this old time sailor with abities to help map currents, bottoms winds, sea states in ALL WEATHER Conditions. We sure needed this info and your correct statement about the residual effects coming down to improve our boats and systems to navigate better. Great Job,FWCS 👍 ⛵️
Another way of looking at this. The yearly upkeep on an F35 is about 15 million. We currently have 450 of them. Future plans call for 2,500 of them. This isn't taking into account the billions of dollars needed to make them. If I did the math right with just the yearly maintenance cost of only the F35s 19,000 of these sail-drones could be made, deployed, and maintained. It's starting to look like drones are the future.
If 19,000 of these are deployed to cover the oceans of the world, about 140 million square miles, there would be one drone covering a circle with a radius of 48 miles. 48 miles is exactly how far sailboat radar like the Halo24 can see.
but you're comparing the cost of research assets vs high-end weapons platforms. If (when) they put ordinance on them everything changes. Not looking for an argument, but I don't see the point in the comparison...
I'd have to argue that's a very faulty comparison. Current air doctrine calls for developing UAVs, like our Loyal Wingman / Ghost Bat, to work with manned fighters, not replace them. Wingmen can be configured as weapons taxis, sensor extensions, EW etc, they can also attract any incoming fire. Nice to disagree civilly. 🇦🇺 🦘 ⚓
When I was in the RAN, we were working on small sail drones. Solar & battery tech was too primitive in the 90s, but now we're in business. Thanks Tim. 🇦🇺 ⚓
Remember that COLREGS clearly say that every captain has the obligation to avoid a collision regardless of ‘right of way’. After all, if you hit or are hit, COLREGS only help you make a claim and lay fault if you survive in the first instance. The priority is on both vessels. I do agree, however, that priority should be on the manned vs unmanned vessel.
This is an amazing use of technology. Hydrographic surveying can be pretty monotonous, so increased automation will be essential if initiatives like seabed 2030 will succeed.
Very interesting! I would like to know more about the rigid sail structure and how it is trimmed. How can the drone be sailed in very high winds and not be destroyed? Is there a reefing system?
Sounds like my next sailboat needs to be a Saildrone. Just need modest cabin and gallery, no worry about hurricanes, what's the downside? It sounds like I can find one myself to try it if saildrone doesn't care when one "disappears".
Wow Tim. Thanks for the lead in pictures of one of the Drones, which had a very short boom on a low air draft Mast with a narrow Main Sail ? That is bang on what I am planning to have as the base setup for my next Cruising Sailboat with in Mast Furling ! Seeing it actually working is pretty mind blowing to be honest, and is confirmation that I have been on the Right Track for a Sail design that is extremely difficult to over power and over stress in all Conditions if it is built right.🤔 Thanks Tim, that is the best Christmas present I have had this year so far. A Merry Christmas To All.👍🌟🌟🌟❤️⛵️🎄
Well done! Great segment and love that segway into automation on our own boats! Given that the larger boats can do lengthly deep sonar surveys, I wonder why they haven't been used to find the Air Malaysia flight that went down somewhere in the Indian Ocean several years back. I think there's a big reward out.
PS. Tim, these Drones can provide Serious insights into High SurvivabilityHighly Reliable Cruising Sailboat Design, and I don’t think it is any accident that all of them appear to be Monohull Sailboats, and definitely Not Racing Sailboats, though definitely still Quick Enough - though Screw deliberately Sailing into Hurricanes, but the ability to survive them undamaged ? Wow ! Drones to me are finally offering what should have started to become available for Cruisers and Voyagers since the 1979 Fastnet Race Tragedy . 🤔 Merry Christmas! Bob. 👍🌟🌟🌟⛵️
Our airplanes already almost fly themselves and self driving cars will be a thing its just a matter of when so Boats getting the same tech seems like a good idea. As the tech gets better the learning curve gets a bit more approachable and gets more people into blue water with more help if they need it.
That’s awesome. My wife and I would love to sail our sail boat from California to Hawaii and back. But it’s hard to take time off and get away. Now if we buy a drone sail boat we could sail it across, fly out meet the drone, send it back, go back to work. Then meet it back in California. This sounds much safer and easier.
Wow, 1000x reduction in running cost for gathering straightforward oceanographic data. BRAVO ZULU (Oh, and lets give some to the Bahamas, please. Update those charts!)
I would be more interested in the free standing sail wing used and how it and the control system that could be applied to to a monohull cruising sailboat, or a catamaran, for people. I suspect the down wind performance is not very good, but that could be addressed with the addition of traditional sails. Would be very interesting to see the polars for these sail drones.
Not a fan of big brother, but clearly it will help with security & i think the weather forecasting we rely on will improve. As far as the person concerned with colisions fair call, the AIS & radar i think would be 1st class so hope no reports of even close calls. I work on an iron ore mine in the pilbara West. Australia & those huge dump trucks are robots controlled in Perth a thousand km's away. Never here of any issues.
Imagine I have a 23 feet sailboat and in the middle of the Atlantic that I decided to cross, for some reason (technical problem, ...) one of these drones collides with my boat and sinks it in the middle of the night, will the US Navy take care of everything to save my passengers and me, all the cost of the rescue process and a new boat to replace my current one, I'm not talking about the cost if someone dies. For me I think these Drones are dangerous. On the other hand installing this system on a real boat could really simplify life to cross the ocean solo or with family.
@@Nerd3927 Show me a single example of a drone malfunctioning and running into a boat. Oh wait, you can't. But I can give you hundreds of examples of ships hitting boats and boats running into each other and aground due to negligence, poor planning, and bad tech. The proof is in the puddling, smart guy
@@matteframe There are a few more human sailed boats then drones... Point is who will take care of costs, Will it say around to exchange insurance data, will the drone offer help as it is obligated by SOLAS to do? Or will it just sail on after sinking your boat....
There will be massive legal issues if these drones are involved in a collision, particularly if it results in death. They are technically breaking colreg laws relating to watch keeping. Not all vessels carry AIS (law only on over 50m) or even radar.
Say the Voyager model in St. Lucia. 33ft long. We watched them splash it from the boatyard there. They are dark green, the flag is all black. I took photos, but I guess I cannot post them here. Do you
So they do their work for as little as $3,500 a day. They are deployed for up to a year. So each one is costing at a minimum 1.3 million a year? Round up to 2 million. So a thousand of these could be purchased and used at the same cost as one B2 stealth bomber at 2.13 billion?
Pretty cool unless you're a bluewater sailor and come across one out there. Do they transmit their position? You only mentioned they have AIS and detect other boats. Can they detect and avoid whales and other sea creatures on the surface?
This is way cool, but only b/c it provides new options from a sailing platform, many of them contributing to scientific knowledge. I do not want AI running my sailing vessel. That said, in a difficult out sea state, it would be great to have AI able to combine forward and aft wave detection to provide a better autopilot experience.
Iran tried to steal one? LOL. Please give proof. A skeptical sailor here. I do think that weather forecasting could be greatly enhanced by the data the drones send back. Might even save a few sailors by using them to locate boats in distress and send realtime video back to rescuers.
I am able to take the U. S. navy's word on it, and I have sailed those middle eastern waters when working in the oil trade. Not an expert, but I did brush up against the local culture when docked, on and off the ship. matter of fact, I have sailed around the world if you want sailor credibility, and don't see any reason why you need your hand held to educate yourself if you are skeptical. perhaps looking into the culture and politics of the area would help.
@ You are right. I did some more investigation. The culture and belief system there is another matter also. I will always be skeptical because only fools believe everything they read or hear or see on mass media or UA-cam, etc,. Skepticism hopefully leads to the truth.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy briefly captured two U.S. unmanned surface vehicles in the Red Sea on Thursday, a U.S. Navy official confirmed to USNI News. Frigate IRIS Jamaran (FFLG 76) seized two Saildrone Explorer USVs, which are operated by U.S. 5th Fleet, on Thursday afternoon before returning them to U.S. custody the next day. “The vessels posed no risk to naval traffic and had been operating in the general vicinity of the Southern Red Sea for more than 200 consecutive days without incident,” 5th Fleet said in a statement. The USVs were collecting imagery near international waters when the IRIN seized and detained them, USNI News understands. In a Friday evening statement, 5th Fleet said destroyers USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) and USS Nitze (DDG-94) obtained the USVs from the IRIN on Friday morning local time. “At around 2 p.m. (local time) on Sept. 1, U.S. 5th Fleet detected the Iranian ship approaching both unmanned vessels and removing them from the water. U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94) and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) were operating nearby and immediately responded. Nitze and Delbert D. Black also each launched an MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 48,” according to 5th Fleet. “Nitze and Delbert D. Black remained on scene communicating with the Iranian warship to deescalate the situation and recover the seized Saildrones. The Iranian warship released the Saildrones at 8 a.m. on Sept. 2.”
@ Thankyou for that. I stand corrected. It does beg the question as to why the US Navy was so interested in the drones unless they were using them for a military purpose. Obviously, we don’t want the Iranians getting our military hardware no matter what it is. The whole concept is extremely fascinating no matter how the drones are used. Looking forward to updates from Practical Sailor, Etc,.
What is the legal status of these ships? If they carry a flag, I think they should at least be able to assist a ship in distress (by relaying the emergency). Without a flag, in coastal waters, I can understand a local authority, if they regard it as flotsam.
Probably beyond your intended scope for this video... BUT... involving Austal USA in any shipbuilding project seems to be a guarantee of failure. Great company if you are an investor though.
You are very subtle on the subject of spycraft in this clip. In the end the data "can" be used for good, but we know that once a military has a slight interest it will be used for "other" purposes. We await the fall of another civilisation, the one with a huge debt of 36 Trillion.
This is pretty incredible. But it is also quite dispiriting. Now, a machine can sail better than any human. What's to stop some enterprising millionaire from equipping his personal yacht with one of these wing sails and sailing around the world without ever once having to come out on deck. This makes the rest of sailing appear backward and silly. Technology is making us all obsoltete.
Hi sailors! I have a dream - to sail around the world with my dog and experience life on the open sea. But there's one thing I’m missing - a sailboat. I can’t afford one, but I truly believe that with the right boat, my dog and I could create unforgettable memories, exploring new places together. If you have a yacht you no longer use or need, I’d be forever grateful if you could consider giving it to us. We promise to care for it as our own, and it would mean the world to us. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for this story. I had seen these type of drones but had no idea of the current scale and use of these. Scarey and cool all at the same time.
Tim, please consider a follow up explaining how the rig works...
In September 2023 I came upon a small Saildrone on Lake Erie. It was completing two circumnavigations of the lake, and I chanced upon it off Mentor Ohio when it was on its way to Sandusky. I sailed around it a few times and took a few photographs. I was mystified at first but realized it was a portent of things to come.
Saildrones are Cool! Thank you for bringing the story to us Tim. Cheers!
I was really charmed to see them last time we sailed down the California coast - so cute!
That's amazing! Love it. Would be really cool to have a boat that was capable of sailing itself on autopilot, whisking me away to foreign destinations without having to actively be on watch for days on end.
Another outstanding and current report we thank you for. So timely with so .any Drone sitings all over land and seas. These sail drones sure amazes this old time sailor with abities to help map currents, bottoms winds, sea states in ALL WEATHER Conditions. We sure needed this info and your correct statement about the residual effects coming down to improve our boats and systems to navigate better. Great Job,FWCS 👍 ⛵️
“Drone sightings are a big buzz right now.”
Your writing has stepped up.
Enjoyable as always. Thank you.
Eye opening story, really interesting.
Berthed next to one in Half Moon Bay right now!
Wow! I had no idea these even existed. Thanks for such a cool story and video Tim. Very informative. 👏
Saw one of these close up when it was in Erie, Pa in summer of '23, it was pretty cool.
Another way of looking at this. The yearly upkeep on an F35 is about 15 million. We currently have 450 of them. Future plans call for 2,500 of them. This isn't taking into account the billions of dollars needed to make them. If I did the math right with just the yearly maintenance cost of only the F35s 19,000 of these sail-drones could be made, deployed, and maintained. It's starting to look like drones are the future.
If 19,000 of these are deployed to cover the oceans of the world, about 140 million square miles, there would be one drone covering a circle with a radius of 48 miles. 48 miles is exactly how far sailboat radar like the Halo24 can see.
but you're comparing the cost of research assets vs high-end weapons platforms. If (when) they put ordinance on them everything changes. Not looking for an argument, but I don't see the point in the comparison...
@@truthurts1692 Possibly. I'm the type of person that thinks you use the tools you've got.
There is now zero reason for these fight jets
I'd have to argue that's a very faulty comparison. Current air doctrine calls for developing UAVs, like our Loyal Wingman / Ghost Bat, to work with manned fighters, not replace them. Wingmen can be configured as weapons taxis, sensor extensions, EW etc, they can also attract any incoming fire. Nice to disagree civilly. 🇦🇺 🦘 ⚓
Fascinating. Thanks, Tim!
How Cool
these guys are amazing, not scary
❤❤❤ Very cool!!
When I was in the RAN, we were working on small sail drones. Solar & battery tech was too primitive in the 90s, but now we're in business. Thanks Tim. 🇦🇺 ⚓
This is awesome
What's the legality of the COLREGS with drones? Do drones ever have right of way?
They should never have the right of way and they should hopefully have stout obstacle avoidance.
Remember that COLREGS clearly say that every captain has the obligation to avoid a collision regardless of ‘right of way’. After all, if you hit or are hit, COLREGS only help you make a claim and lay fault if you survive in the first instance. The priority is on both vessels. I do agree, however, that priority should be on the manned vs unmanned vessel.
This is an amazing use of technology. Hydrographic surveying can be pretty monotonous, so increased automation will be essential if initiatives like seabed 2030 will succeed.
Very interesting! I would like to know more about the rigid sail structure and how it is trimmed. How can the drone be sailed in very high winds and not be destroyed? Is there a reefing system?
I hope these drones can capture footage of some giant rogue waves of 100'+.
Sounds like my next sailboat needs to be a Saildrone. Just need modest cabin and gallery, no worry about hurricanes, what's the downside? It sounds like I can find one myself to try it if saildrone doesn't care when one "disappears".
Wow Tim. Thanks for the lead in pictures of one of the Drones, which had a very short boom on a low air draft Mast with a narrow Main Sail ? That is bang on what I am planning to have as the base setup for my next Cruising Sailboat with in Mast Furling ! Seeing it actually working is pretty mind blowing to be honest, and is confirmation that I have been on the Right Track for a Sail design that is extremely difficult to over power and over stress in all Conditions if it is built right.🤔 Thanks Tim, that is the best Christmas present I have had this year so far. A Merry Christmas To All.👍🌟🌟🌟❤️⛵️🎄
Well done! Great segment and love that segway into automation on our own boats! Given that the larger boats can do lengthly deep sonar surveys, I wonder why they haven't been used to find the Air Malaysia flight that went down somewhere in the Indian Ocean several years back. I think there's a big reward out.
when do we get that cewl wings for sails?
Spotted one of these off Maui a year ago, too far off to study it though. Thought it was some crack-pot in a home-built micro solo navigator lol
PS. Tim, these Drones can provide Serious insights into High SurvivabilityHighly Reliable Cruising Sailboat Design, and I don’t think it is any accident that all of them appear to be Monohull Sailboats, and definitely Not Racing Sailboats, though definitely still Quick Enough - though Screw deliberately Sailing into Hurricanes, but the ability to survive them undamaged ? Wow ! Drones to me are finally offering what should have started to become available for Cruisers and Voyagers since the 1979 Fastnet Race Tragedy . 🤔 Merry Christmas! Bob. 👍🌟🌟🌟⛵️
Our airplanes already almost fly themselves and self driving cars will be a thing its just a matter of when so Boats getting the same tech seems like a good idea. As the tech gets better the learning curve gets a bit more approachable and gets more people into blue water with more help if they need it.
I am surprised they use a wing sail. Will the bottom survey's be publicly available?
That’s awesome. My wife and I would love to sail our sail boat from California to Hawaii and back. But it’s hard to take time off and get away. Now if we buy a drone sail boat we could sail it across, fly out meet the drone, send it back, go back to work. Then meet it back in California. This sounds much safer and easier.
It would be cheaper and easier to simply pay a transport captain/crew to transport your boat.
Wow, 1000x reduction in running cost for gathering straightforward oceanographic data. BRAVO ZULU (Oh, and lets give some to the Bahamas, please. Update those charts!)
my neighbour built moulds for sail boat drones a few years ago,
I would be more interested in the free standing sail wing used and how it and the control system that could be applied to to a monohull cruising sailboat, or a catamaran, for people. I suspect the down wind performance is not very good, but that could be addressed with the addition of traditional sails. Would be very interesting to see the polars for these sail drones.
Not a fan of big brother, but clearly it will help with security & i think the weather forecasting we rely on will improve. As far as the person concerned with colisions fair call, the AIS & radar i think would be 1st class so hope no reports of even close calls. I work on an iron ore mine in the pilbara West. Australia & those huge dump trucks are robots controlled in Perth a thousand km's away. Never here of any issues.
Imagine I have a 23 feet sailboat and in the middle of the Atlantic that I decided to cross, for some reason (technical problem, ...) one of these drones collides with my boat and sinks it in the middle of the night, will the US Navy take care of everything to save my passengers and me, all the cost of the rescue process and a new boat to replace my current one, I'm not talking about the cost if someone dies. For me I think these Drones are dangerous.
On the other hand installing this system on a real boat could really simplify life to cross the ocean solo or with family.
you are far more likely to run into a drone than vice versa, and that shouldn't happen if you're paying attention to AIS
@@matteframe for some reason (technical problem, ...) But, yeah technical problems are so very rare......dream on.
@@Nerd3927 Show me a single example of a drone malfunctioning and running into a boat. Oh wait, you can't. But I can give you hundreds of examples of ships hitting boats and boats running into each other and aground due to negligence, poor planning, and bad tech. The proof is in the puddling, smart guy
@@matteframe There are a few more human sailed boats then drones... Point is who will take care of costs, Will it say around to exchange insurance data, will the drone offer help as it is obligated by SOLAS to do? Or will it just sail on after sinking your boat....
You should worry more about other sea debris.
There will be massive legal issues if these drones are involved in a collision, particularly if it results in death. They are technically breaking colreg laws relating to watch keeping. Not all vessels carry AIS (law only on over 50m) or even radar.
...and will add to the mid-ocean garbage patches
Say the Voyager model in St. Lucia. 33ft long. We watched them splash it from the boatyard there. They are dark green, the flag is all black. I took photos, but I guess I cannot post them here. Do you
So they do their work for as little as $3,500 a day. They are deployed for up to a year. So each one is costing at a minimum 1.3 million a year? Round up to 2 million. So a thousand of these could be purchased and used at the same cost as one B2 stealth bomber at 2.13 billion?
Pretty cool unless you're a bluewater sailor and come across one out there. Do they transmit their position? You only mentioned they have AIS and detect other boats. Can they detect and avoid whales and other sea creatures on the surface?
of course
This is way cool, but only b/c it provides new options from a sailing platform, many of them contributing to scientific knowledge. I do not want AI running my sailing vessel. That said, in a difficult out sea state, it would be great to have AI able to combine forward and aft wave detection to provide a better autopilot experience.
Iran tried to steal one? LOL. Please give proof. A skeptical sailor here. I do think that weather forecasting could be greatly enhanced by the data the drones send back. Might even save a few sailors by using them to locate boats in distress and send realtime video back to rescuers.
I am able to take the U. S. navy's word on it, and I have sailed those middle eastern waters when working in the oil trade. Not an expert, but I did brush up against the local culture when docked, on and off the ship.
matter of fact, I have sailed around the world if you want sailor credibility, and don't see any reason why you need your hand held to educate yourself if you are skeptical. perhaps looking into the culture and politics of the area would help.
@ You are right. I did some more investigation. The culture and belief system there is another matter also. I will always be skeptical because only fools believe everything they read or hear or see on mass media or UA-cam, etc,. Skepticism hopefully leads to the truth.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy briefly captured two U.S. unmanned surface vehicles in the Red Sea on Thursday, a U.S. Navy official confirmed to USNI News.
Frigate IRIS Jamaran (FFLG 76) seized two Saildrone Explorer USVs, which are operated by U.S. 5th Fleet, on Thursday afternoon before returning them to U.S. custody the next day.
“The vessels posed no risk to naval traffic and had been operating in the general vicinity of the Southern Red Sea for more than 200 consecutive days without incident,” 5th Fleet said in a statement.
The USVs were collecting imagery near international waters when the IRIN seized and detained them, USNI News understands.
In a Friday evening statement, 5th Fleet said destroyers USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) and USS Nitze (DDG-94) obtained the USVs from the IRIN on Friday morning local time.
“At around 2 p.m. (local time) on Sept. 1, U.S. 5th Fleet detected the Iranian ship approaching both unmanned vessels and removing them from the water. U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94) and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) were operating nearby and immediately responded. Nitze and Delbert D. Black also each launched an MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 48,” according to 5th Fleet.
“Nitze and Delbert D. Black remained on scene communicating with the Iranian warship to deescalate the situation and recover the seized Saildrones. The Iranian warship released the Saildrones at 8 a.m. on Sept. 2.”
@ Thankyou for that. I stand corrected. It does beg the question as to why the US Navy was so interested in the drones unless they were using them for a military purpose. Obviously, we don’t want the Iranians getting our military hardware no matter what it is. The whole concept is extremely fascinating no matter how the drones are used. Looking forward to updates from Practical Sailor, Etc,.
Amazing. Just think what the military can do with these.
Great. 🙄
let's not
More drones, what could possibly go wrong? 🥴
My business partners in Columbia are very interested in purchasing one of these drone boats. We’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.
Abandoned Prize ahead !!!
Underwater "drones". Equiped with tech that is unknown to all but a few...we hear about stuff decades, after they are made operational...if at all.
I would be interested to know what the regulations are regarding salvage rights of an uncrewed vessel..
well the ceo said if someone takes it keep it so i guess that is consent right?
What is the legal status of these ships? If they carry a flag, I think they should at least be able to assist a ship in distress (by relaying the emergency). Without a flag, in coastal waters, I can understand a local authority, if they regard it as flotsam.
"Self sailing" sailboats.
Elon Musk: Say no more.
My Autopilot stinks too.
Probably beyond your intended scope for this video... BUT... involving Austal USA in any shipbuilding project seems to be a guarantee of failure. Great company if you are an investor though.
Iran? Likely propa^H^H story.
You are very subtle on the subject of spycraft in this clip. In the end the data "can" be used for good, but we know that once a military has a slight interest it will be used for "other" purposes. We await the fall of another civilisation, the one with a huge debt of 36 Trillion.
not a Good thing indeed.
This is pretty incredible. But it is also quite dispiriting. Now, a machine can sail better than any human. What's to stop some enterprising millionaire from equipping his personal yacht with one of these wing sails and sailing around the world without ever once having to come out on deck. This makes the rest of sailing appear backward and silly.
Technology is making us all obsoltete.
Hi sailors! I have a dream - to sail around the world with my dog and experience life on the open sea. But there's one thing I’m missing - a sailboat. I can’t afford one, but I truly believe that with the right boat, my dog and I could create unforgettable memories, exploring new places together. If you have a yacht you no longer use or need, I’d be forever grateful if you could consider giving it to us. We promise to care for it as our own, and it would mean the world to us. Thank you for reading!
AI in sail-drones? Crap and another attempt to weed out the useless people.