DESCRIPTION: This shows a more complete diagram of the system Jon came up with (Dick: this is for you). The steering is done by the taut lines (diamond pattern) and steering changes are done by using the snaffle lines to adjust the wind vane itself. Notice that the snaffle lines are led through a lead on top of the binnacle and then looped around the head of the tiller. This is so that they don't get tangled in anything else and are easy to find even in the dark.

The one disadvantage of this system is that the entire cockpit is taken up by these moving lines, making it impossible to stretch out in the cockpit at all. The most we can do for the remaining 1600 miles of the trip is perch in the corners of the cockpit or sit on the winches (very uncomfortable) as I am doing in this picture. However Zeke (aka the Prophet Ezekiel, our windvane) steers very competently with this system so we decide to continue on to Hawaii rather than aborting to California for repairs.