ALPHA MARINE SYSTEMS
AUTOPILOT - CUSTOMER ' STORIES AND TESTIMONIALS'
From the Mailbag
Paul Array aboard the S/V "Emerald Lady'
"34,776 miles in 4 years without a hitch....not even the slightest of problems, in every weather known to man. I say....BRAVO...you have constructed an autopilot that actually works. This is my first letter to a manufacturer. In all my years as a Captain, I have never seen this kind of quality. You need to be congratulated. Thank you."
Ronald Canizares aboard his Wauquiez Pretorian 35
"Again let me reiterate that the Alpha 3000, mine is named "Dr. A", is one of the greatest inventions in the history of civilization! I have sailed 10,000 miles with it through placid waters and gales, virtually all single handing, and it has always done a wonderful job for me."
Eddie DeJesus aboard his Allied 39 " Ten after Seven"
Dear Chris,
Last fall I purchased your Spectra model pilot for my Allied 39. I have just completed a 2,500 mile cruise that included both inland waterways and offshore sailing. I could not be happier with it. The only time we steered was when we wanted to, either for sheer fun and excitement or when docking and the like.
It consistently handled the boat in heavy, medium and light air. Take for example, our passage from Marsh Harbor, in the Abacos to Beaufort, NC. We turned ANYTIME ( our name for the autopilot )on as we left Man of War cut and turned it off inside Taylor Creek, Beaufort. In the intervening ninety hours we did not touch the wheel. Conditions varied from close reaching in 22 to 25 knots, jenny only, to running in 5 to 8 knots, cruising spinnaker only and everything in between. It even steered the Alligator Pungo Canal. Twenty miles of straight and narrow, maybe 100 foot wide, sheer monotony. True, every couple of miles we had to "click" the one degree in whichever direction was needed, but I can live with that. Especially when other cruisers talked about their pilots being for "offshore" only, because they could not be trusted beyond that.
I was equally pleased with the minimal power consumption. Although we do not have refrigeration, the Windbugger kept up with all our needs. In the entire eight month cruise I never once ran the engine solely to charge batteries, but that's another story.
You probably don't remember, but as I was late in making a final decision between Alpha and another brand, installation time was tight. I was calling you folks for advice almost every day and was beginning to feel I was making a pest of myself. I expressed this to you in one of my calls and you said " that's what we're here for," I really felt then that I had made the right choice. Now I'm positive.
Mark Schrader aboard Valiant 40 "Resourceful"
"When the Valiant 40 cutter "Resourceful" returned to Seattle after completing a record setting solo-circumnavigation of the world. The Alpha 3000 performed flawlessly and required less than five minutes maintenance during the 27,300 mile voyage.
Thank you for creating this wonderful piece of equipment.
Phil MacFarlane aboard his Ericson 35 Mk II "Sail a Vie"
To the good people at Alpha Marine Systems.
I am writing to tell you how pleased I am with the Alpha 3000 pilot I purchased from you. I competed in the 2004 Single Handed Trans Pac and not only won my division but won first place over all. The Alpha 3000 was the only auto pilot on board and I did not hand steer once I was out the Golden Gate until after I had crossed the finish line.
The Alpha did a great job, 24 hours a day. I was able to carry a chute for days at a time and in an old Ericson 35Mk II, that’s saying something.
Then the Alpha drove all the way home.
I am doing the race again this year 06 and look forward to more trouble free operation and low power consumption.
Thanks for a truly great product.
Bill Stange aboard his Olson 30 "Intense"
"In 1988 I sailed in the Singlehanded Transpac from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay, Hawaii. In the process, I used an Alpha Marine Systems 3000. I arrived in Hanalei Bay in just 11 1/2 days and set a new record by almost a day and a half."
Stan Honey Cal 40
"We used your SPECTRA autopilot on a Cal 40 in the recent West Marine Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii and were delighted with its performance. The pilot was able to steer with the spinnnaker up, in any condition that we found during the race. The average current drain was about 1.5 amp. My compliments on an excellent product!
Leo Birkby - Deerfoot 62 S/V "Locura"
"We sailed around the world! I was so worried that I purchased spare circuit boards, of which we never used. I can only say that dependable equipment like yours made our dream come true."
Ron Elkind - Valiant 40 "Voyager"
" I had sailed my Valiant 40 VOYAGER for the last 18 years with your 4000 unit and now I find that the 3000 operates smoother and quieter than the older unit. Hopefully, I get another 18 years of flawless operation with this autopilot as I did with the last."
Charlie Roskosz - Express 37 "Surg III"
" I really appreciate the cooperation you have given me. Great service! Great product!"
John DeCarion aboard S/V "Packadreams"
" Thanks for the quick repair. My nephew and brother-in-law got to have their Bahama cruise. Great service and still the best pilot out there."
Alvin Robertson
"Thrilled with my Model 3000 autopilot. I was with a sailing group recently when three competitors pilots died! I love to talk about my experiences with the Alpha pilot."
R. L. Mulready aboard the S/V "Leading Edge"
The autopilot is installed on our "Leading Edge" and its performance is remarkable. After leaving Atlantic Yacht Basin we had a wild reach across Albemarle Sound. The pilot steered all the way and we were moving at 7.5-8.0 knots on a very confused sea. I am even more impressed with its ability in the landcuts, with its great accuracy and the high resolution. An occasional punch of the course set is all that it requires."
Dr. John Degenhardt - Kettenburg 41 "Stephanie"
"After 15 years, my faithful Alpha autopilot finally stopped working. With the hard use it has seen over the years. I know I have gotten more than my moneys worth. I called the factory to see about buying a replacement. Instead of getting a sales pitch, I was given some simple checks to locate the problem. I discovered that a power fuse had corroded and could no longer supply power to the pilot. I replaced the fuse, turned on the power to the pilot sprang to life. I was happy to have my old friend, Alphie, well again."
Hal Roth - Valiant 40 "American Flag"
" I completed 27,597 miles of sailing in the 1986-87 BOC round-the-would single handed race. My time from Newport, Rhode Island to Cape Town, South Africa, Australia & past New Zealand and around Cape Horn to Brazil was 171 days. I averaged 161 miles per day. I was unsponsored and finished fourth in my class. There was no deterioration in the pilot; it was as good at the conclusion of the race as at the beginning."
CONGRATULATIONS
Alpha Marine Systems wishes to recognize Jonathan Livingson on his FIRST PLACE finish in the Pacific Cup race.
Jonathan using his Alpha Spectra autopilot updated with our brand new solid state gyro said " the pilot steered like it was on rails."
Alpha systems wishes to recognize Anna Stockel on her FIRST PLACE finish in the Single handed Pacific Cup race.
Anna, using a brand new Alpha Spectra autopilot finished in First place in a race where many simply gave up and went home. Her win continues the long series of wining boats using Alpha Pilots in this most difficult race.
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