Peter Foerthmann's Books

In the Service of Aeolus

Autobiography of a sailor

By: Peter Foerthmann

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In the Service of Aeolus

Autobiography of a sailor

By: Peter Foerthmann

Peter Foerthmann has spent his life in the service of Aeolus, the Keeper of the Winds. He learned to harness the power of the wind first as a sailor and then as the man behind the Windpilot windvane self-steering company. The winds of fortune have by turns favoured (his serendipitous meeting with Windpilot founder John Adam, for example) and tormented (numerous legal entanglements being the most prominent example) him without ever managing to blow him entirely off course - a course that stretches to the horizon and beyond, where sailing dreams become reality (at least for those with the right transom ornament). This book presents the recollections of a self-taught original who, heedless of convention and rely-ing strictly on his own internal compass, has developed a unique understanding of social interaction among sailors, who have rewarded him in turn by spreading the word about his products effectively enough to make Windpilot the world market leader for windvane self-steering systems. Building up the company and developing a product that enables sailors the world over to enjoy long passages freed from the need to steer continuously has given Peter an all but unparalleled insight into blue-water sailing and an expertise in various related areas that he has shared in several highly regarded specialist publications. A compulsive writer, Peter takes as much pleasure in choosing his words as he does in telling his story, the story of how he swapped a boat for the idea that became his life, how he went from a tra-ditional workshop-based operation building everything by hand to what must surely be one of the world's smallest state-of-the-art industrial manufacturing companies and, most importantly of all for him, how he has managed to defend and maintain his independence both commercially and socially by sticking to his principles - fairness, respect, empathy - and learning, not without incident, to choose his friends wisely. Above all, this is the story of half a century in the windvane self-steering business, a story that - Aeolus willing - still has a long way to run.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347724801

ISBN 13

9783347724808

Windvane Report

A journey through time

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Windvane Report

A journey through time

By: Peter Foerthmann

Peter Foerthmann has been the first port of call for bluewater sailors seeking advice in steering matters for decades. His unrivalled expertise - the product of a lifetime developing and manufacturing windvane self-steering systems and contemplating their every complexity - continues to draw enquiries from all over the world. Now available in six languages, his specialist books present the state of the art and provide reassurance - should any be needed - that the fundamental rules of physics still apply in a world increasingly dominated by bits and bytes. This book recounts both the author's personal history of almost half a century in the windvane self-steering segment of the international marine industry and the story of how a business that once built everything by hand has managed to transform itself into what must surely be one of the smallest high-tech engineering companies in existence. The Windvane Report shares the milestones of the author's progress over the decades and recounts some of the remarkable disputes that have erupted in the sector as well as discussing and comparing important technical developments in the field. A roller-coaster ride through the highs and lows of a life on and by the water, this book offers the reader a wide-ranging insight into how Windpilot and the man behind it came to be what they are today.

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Page Count

185

Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

334733082X

ISBN 13

9783347330825

SELF-STEERING UNDER SAIL

Autopilots and Wind-steering Systems

By: Peter Foerthmann

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SELF-STEERING UNDER SAIL

Autopilots and Wind-steering Systems

By: Peter Foerthmann

If you are thinking of fitting an autopilot or windvane steering system to your boat but are baffled as to which is the most suitable, then this is the book for you. Peter Forthmann, a long-term expert on this subject, explains the difference between tiller, wheel and inboard autopilots, as well as the 12 windvane steering options available, and considers their suitability for various types of boat and sea conditions. Which self-steering systems are more suitable for cruising and which for racing? What are their limitations in terms of sea conditions and power consumption? What is yaw damping? Why are windvane steering systems unsuitable for ULDBs? How do you steer a catamaran without running into power consumption problems? Why is good sail trim so important for good self-steering? What self-steering provisions should you make when building a boat? Is DIY windvane gear construction still a feasible option? All these questions and many more are answered in this very comprehensive book, which concludes with a comparison of all the alternatives available and a list of manufacturers of practically every self-steering system made anywhere in the world. Peter Christian Forthmann has a unique knowledge of self-steering. Born in 1947, he learned to sail as soon as he learned to walk, growing up by the water in Hamburg. An engineer and a highly practical man, Peter Forthmann's creative contribution to the evolution of windvane steering systems is virtually unparalleled. lt is thanks in no small part to him that these systems are still thriving in the age of bits and bytes.

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Page Count

341

Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347176782

ISBN 13

9783347176782

Myth Circumnavigation

A Goal in Life or a Dead End?

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Myth Circumnavigation

A Goal in Life or a Dead End?

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347174569

ISBN 13

9783347174566

Boatbuilding - Yesterday and Today

Trends, preferences and priorities

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Boatbuilding - Yesterday and Today

Trends, preferences and priorities

By: Peter Foerthmann

Peter Foerthmann has been the first port of call for bluewater sailors seeking advice in steering matters for decades. His unrivalled expertise - the product of a lifetime developing and manufacturing windvane self-steering systems and contemplating their every complexity - continues to draw enquiries from all over the world. Half a century of experience with both his own boats (several dozen have come and gone over the years) and other people's (Peter has installed self-steering gear for literally thousands of sailors) has left him with a treasure trove of invaluable information to share. This book focuses on the attributes that make a yacht suitable for bluewater passagemaking. It examines the differences between traditional and more recent design conventions and their implications for offshore use, explains why some modern boats may not be such a good idea for long-distance cruising and gives sailors in search of a timeless home from home plenty of practical advice about the features to look out for (and the features to avoid) if they want serious fun on the oceans with as little as possible left to chance.

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Page Count

123

Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347218159

ISBN 13

9783347218154

Myth Circumnavigation

A Goal in Life or a Dead End?

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Myth Circumnavigation

A Goal in Life or a Dead End?

By: Peter Foerthmann

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Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347174569

ISBN 13

9783347174566

In the Service of Aeolus

Autobiography of a sailor

By: Peter Foerthmann

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In the Service of Aeolus

Autobiography of a sailor

By: Peter Foerthmann

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N/A

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

290

Publisher

tredition

Published Date

ISBN 10

3347724801

ISBN 13

9783347724808

Book's by Peter Foerthmann

In the Service of Aeolus

In the Service of Aeolus

Windvane Report

Windvane Report

SELF-STEERING UNDER SAIL

SELF-STEERING UNDER SAIL

Myth Circumnavigation

Myth Circumnavigation

Boatbuilding - Yesterday and Today

Boatbuilding - Yesterday and Today

Myth Circumnavigation

Myth Circumnavigation

In the Service of Aeolus

In the Service of Aeolus

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