Use a Drone on a Sailing Boat
Drones are becoming increasingly accessible but are still tricky to use. Learn to use one correctly on a sailboat without experiencing any problems.
Steps
- Gather needed materials. Make sure the sailing boat is in the water and the drone is charged before proceeding to the next step.
- Find a safe spot. Once the boat is sailing in the water, find a safe spot with no trees nearby. Let the boat anchor down and prepare the drone.
- Take off. Power the drone on and wait for the drone to warm up. Once the drone is ready to fly, place it on the base of the sailboat. Make sure to find a flat surface to take off on as shown in the picture. Press "takeoff" and let the drone hover to a safe height.
- Take control of the drone. Make sure to have control of the drone by not letting it fly too high or too far away from the base (which in this case is the sailboat).
- Take photos using the drone. By having water all around you this will be a perfect time to take scenic pictures and make interesting videos.
- Conserve battery. Drones are known for short battery life, and wind will make that even shorter. Make sure to reserve enough battery to be able to bring the drone back to the base and be able to land it in moving conditions.
- Return to base. There are multiple ways to bring the drone back to the base but the most easy way is to utilize the "return to home" feature. The drone will automatically have set the base as the same spot where it took off.This is standard on many drones. By using this feature, the drone will return the takeoff location which from there can be landed.
- Account for wind when bring drone to base. There will inevitably be wind. When the drone is going to descend make sure to account for any wind that will cause the drone to drift. If there is wind make sure to keep an eye on the battery percentage.
- Slowly start to bring down the drone. When bringing the drone down make sure to keep it aligned with the surface of the boat. This is best done by manually controlling the drone.
- Land carefully. This is the most crucial part. The drone should be descending somewhere over the boat. If the boats anchor was not set properly the boat might have drifted a few feet. If this is the case, adjust the position of the drone before landing.
- Come to a complete rest. Once the drone has landed and is on a flat surface, shut the propellers off and secure the drone.
- Return to shore and secure the boat. Once the drone has been secured, remove the anchor and navigate the sailboat back to land. The photography can be edited or viewed at a later time.
Tips
- Have a fishing net nearby for emergency water landing.
- Account for the wind during landing.
Warnings
- Make sure not to get any water in or on the drone.
- Make sure battery is fully charged before operating.
- Make sure no pets or people are near the propellers during takeoff or landing.
