Sail by Wire

Sail-by-wire replaces the mechanical link between wheel and rudder with an electronic signal. The helm sends a command and an actuator moves the rudd

Sail-by-wire removes the cable, rod or hydraulic line between the wheel and the rudder. The helm becomes a sensor sending a command over a network, and an actuator at the rudder carries it out and reports back the angle it achieved, not the one it was asked for. Helm stations can sit anywhere and there is no mechanical run to route. Steering feel, ratio and end stops are set in software rather than by hardware, and the autopilot drives the same actuator instead of needing its own.