Amel Mango 52 - It Saved My Boat
“At 1100nm from Martinique during the night with 30/35 knots of wind and 3 to 5 meters waves we heard 2 big noises like something hitting the boat on the side and almost immediately the autopilot stopped working and the boat went beam to the waves.”
“At the end I am happy I did install the Hydrovane, especially that I saw on YouTube that at the same time 2 sailboats almost the same size as mine with the same problem. The crew had to abandon the the ships and left both boats in the middle of the Atlantic and lost everything.”
“…again thanks to the Hydrovane. It saved my boat.”
From: Jacques Glaser
Sent: January 30, 2017
To: Will Curry
Subject: RE: Hydrovane Install / [Emergency Rudder]
Hi Will,
Sorry for the late news but it is a good news for you.
We are now in Martinique. After installing the Hydrovane, we left Tenerife on December 11 and after 18 days at sea we arrived in Martinique.
At 1100nm from Martinique during the night with 30/35 knots of wind and 3 to 5 meters waves we heard 2 big noises like something hitting the boat on the side and almost immediately the autopilot stopped working and the boat went beam to the waves. The steering wheel was blocked and we could no longer steer. Not right not left.
So we put down the sails, started the motor and used the Hydrovane to steer! When the day came I reestablished the sails and we finished the trip with the Hydrovane without any problems.
At the end I am happy I did install the Hydrovane, especially that I saw on YouTube that at the same time 2 sailboats almost the same size as mine with the same problem. The crew had to abandon the the ships and left both boats in the middle of the Atlantic and lost everything.
Now I am telling everybody to install the Hydrovane.
Best regards and again thanks to the Hydrovane. It saved my boat.
– Jacques, Amel Mango 52
Photo of Jacques’ great quick release wheel lock
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