Windvane History

[Earl Boebert]

I'm the Historian for the U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group and will be giving a lecture at the Herreshoff Museum on 6 August on the interrelations between model and full-size yachting, with an emphasis on Herreshoff family activities. I've got the model side of wind vane steering development pretty well pinned down, but am on shakier ground with regard to full size practice. Here's what I've been able to dig up so far from Google, Dijkstra, and Belcher:

1875: N.G. Herreshoff invents vane gear to control test model of catamaran.

Late 1920s -early 1930s: N.G. Herreshoff builds several vane-steered models for his own amusement in retirement.

1932: Start of serious vane gear development by model yachtsmen. "The Model Yachtsman" publishes letter by N.G. Herreshoff vouching for the technique.

1935: Sam O. Berge wins "Yachting Monthly" Cup (the "America's Cup of model yachting") with vane gear.

1936: Marine artist Marin-Marie puts vane on 43 foot diesel trawler "Arielle" (steadying sail only -- Atlantic crossing).

1953: H. G. "Blondie" Hasler begins experimenting with vane gears. [When did he make first crossing in "Jester"?]

1955: Michael Henderson applies vane gear to "Mick the Miller" (Atlantic crossing).

1956: Ian Major applies vane gear to "Buttercup" (Atlantic crossing) [Some references say 1955]

1960: OSTAR starts and vane gears become popular.

Any additions and/or corrections to this list would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Earl

[DUCRUY Jacques]

Hello,

I am also interested by the windvane history.

I research information about the origin of the trim tab gear ; I know that there are two versions in the years 1950/60 :
- with differential linkage, as the Hasler system and maybe the Major system ;
- without differential linkage, as the vane Gear of "Cardinal Vertue" or "Joshua".

I know also that the inventor of trim tab is the german Anton fletner (1920 ?), used for aircraft and ship rudder. But who has used for the fisrt time the trim tab for a vane gear ?

I had seen in the book of Marin-Marie drawings about the use of the trim tab, but the system installed on Arielle use only a auxiliary rudder (as Henderson 20 years later) ... in 1936 !

What is your opinion ?


Jacques

[Earl Boebert]

Hi. I asked the same question on the Cruising Sailor forum and a thread resulted:

http://www.cruisenews.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=2752&sid=83f7b6f6322d762e1f52a00117a2a574

Cheers,

Earl

[DUCRUY Jacques]

Hi,

Thank you for your quick answer.

The thread of cruising sailor is very insteresting (with a little mistake : the vane gear of Marie-Thérèse II" and "Wanda" is an auxiliary rudder vane gear ... whithout trim tab).

But the more extroardinary is the patent of H A Lee in 1928, witch seem the precursor of the trim tab vane gear.

Best regards


Jacques