In winter of the year 2011, a team united. The members of the UBC Autonomous Sailboat Team converged upon the engineering lab with one goal in mind: to build a sailboat so fine, so sleek, and so independent that it can literally sail itself - faster than any other miniature autonomous sailing robot in the world! This technology has the potential to counteract the effect of delirium tremens on any tiller, enabling any seaman worth his salt to quaff the customary early morning G&T. Beyond that, it's also probably useful for a host of other things, but let's not beat around the bush. We all know what sailors really want.
Construction is well underway - we've crafted the hull, affixed a variety of rigging, and commenced to fiddle with the rather complicated task of fully automating a hybrid navigation and robotic sail control system. Shockingly enough, we appear to be proceeding on schedule, and anticipate being ready for a miniature bottle of champagne across the bow as early as this month.
And why are we building a 2m long, fully autonomous, GPS-guided, carbon fiber racing yacht? Because we intend to win the 5th Annual International Robotic Sailing Competition. This highly anticipated event will take place at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland on June 13th of this year.
We hope you're excited about our project - we certainly are. Brace yourself, because this is the part where we blur the lines between exciting announcement and brazen solicitation. We are passionate about getting this boat afloat, but we can't do it alone. If you consider yourself to be a member of the wonderfully supportive community of naval architects, marine engineers, and marine hardware manufacturers - or even if you aren't part of the industry, but rather take interest as a sailor or robot enthusiast - we would welcome, value, and appreciate your support in helping a Canadian boat see victory in such celebrated American waters.
As starving students, we are particularly grateful for cash donations to help us defray the expense of this undertaking. We would also be grateful for donations of Air Miles or any 1.2m x 12cm x 12mm blocks of 17-4 precipitation hardenable stainless steel that you happen to have lying around. We only need one, so if you have too many of those cluttering up your shop somewhere, we'd be happy to take one off your hands. Please email us at UBCsailbots@gmail.com to discuss sponsorship benefits, tax-deductable receipts, and any way that you want to help.
And, without any further ado, pictures for the people!
The hull, well sanded and ready for painting
This is the bulk of the muscle on the yacht - the wireless antenae, the rudder, rudder servo, and the double-duty sailwinch.
All that's missing here is a 50 cm carbon pushrod!
Captain Gaelen applies an advanced polymeric surface treatment.
Don testing the patent-protected anti-gravity pump
Looking in the main hatch, we can see the internal structure of the keelbox and mast-step.
Wow, working in one of these, well, workshops had always been my dream since I watched Jamie and Adam from Mythbusters do it. You people have the coolest jobs (and skills) ever. Thank you so much for sharing.
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