Navigation performance of an autonomous sailing robot

Abstract

Autonomous sailing robots are a relatively new technology for oceanographic missions, targeting at long term presence in the ocean by using wind as the main source of propulsion. This paper addresses the navigation performance of FASt, an autonomous sailboat being developed in Porto, Portugal, since 2008. A series of results selected from various sea trials illustrate the accuracy of navigation and the maneuvering ability. The paper provides some quantitative performance in downwind, sidewind and upwind trajectories, with various environmental conditions. It also addresses the ability to stay within a watch circle of a few tens of meters, during the station keeping maneuver.