Today was a big milestone as Serenity took it's first official test sail! This was just as a big remote control sailboat... Not yet running autonomously, though early stages of that shouldn't be far behind as I have most everything needed and have already done simple tests interfacing with basically all of the hardware.
I was a bit nervous with the first test sail, but everything went as best as I could have hoped for. The boat sits very stable and turns on a dime. It held up it's speed quite well too considering the light wind and the overkill keel on it. (The keel could stand to be shorter and lighter, but it pays to err on the side of too long/heavy so there's little chance of it tipping) It also seems helpful to have plenty of weight so that the boat keeps up it's inertia when turning through the wind.
Video:
First Sail
The above pictures and video can also be found on the Progress & Milestones page. The Sailboat page has also been updated with additional pictures towards the bottom of the page.