Re: WIND SYSTEM CHOICE
Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 1:47 am
+1000 to the marketing guys and gals for the name, though..... 
I'm happy enough with the jackstaff mounting at the bow for the WSO100 wind instrument that I'm going to make it permanent:
http://flic.kr/p/dhK8Ja
I've spent the last few weeks sailing back and forth past the wind socks at Coronado Naval Air Station to check the accuracy, and it's been spot on for direction at all points of sail except directly downwind (as expected). It's eight feet off the deck and about three feet forward of the jib, which puts it outside the aerodynamic flow of the jib.
It's not nearly as high as I'd like, but height off the deck speaks mostly to windspeed rather than direction, and it's true wind direction that I'm interested in more than speed, and to be frank, its most ideal to know the wind speed at all heights off the deck.
I mounted it lower on the pulpit so that if the clamp falls, its stopped by the pulpit rail.
Unlike the aft mounting on the stern mast bracket which became inaccurate when the mainsail spilled air into it, this position is accurate pointing, on a beam reach, and on a broad reach. You lose accuracy only when you're wing-on-wing, where it's pretty easy to tell what's going on.
I really didn't want to complicate the mast head with a de-rotating mechanism and either a second forestay or an aft stay because I trailer. This is one clamp lever to drop down where it rests on the stbd lifeline for trailering.
In any case, its time to make the NMEA2000 extension cord permanent.