[Editor’s Note: Esa kindly forwarded us his email response to a potential customer who reached out for feedback about performance on the HR 42E]

From: Esa Kalervo
Sent: March 23, 2016

Thanks John,

Here is my answer.

Esa

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Hi Massimiliano,

I have sailed with my Hydrovane about 55 000 nautical miles and I can recommend it.

The most important thing is that it is totally independent of boat’s steering system. We had during our first Atlantic Crossing 2012 problem with steering cable and we used Hydrovane tiller while fixing that problem.

Mizzen boom

We have not used mizzen while sailing close hauled upwind. Mizzen gives practically no power in that situation. You just keep boom on one side with preventers.

There is no problem while you sail downwind. Just be carefull with preventers.

I have used topping lift to get boom high enough while gybing. But one should be very carefull.

Shaft locking pin has broken many times because of propeller’s effect to the rudder. One should have spare pins onboard. We have changed vane cover perhaps once per year because of sun.

As a whole I am very satisfied with my Hydrovane. 90% of our circumnavigation was downwind sailing. F.ex. between Cape town and St Helena we sailed five days and nights in a row just with Spinnaker on and Hydrovane took care of steering.

We spent last year from June to November in the Mediterranean and visited f.ex. Southern Sardinia and Southern Sicily, then Pantelleria and Lampedusa while sailing to the east. Later we visited Messina and Olbia.

We are now in Plymouth, UK, and sailing back to Helsinki where we are in the middle of May.

I will be happy to answer if you have any more questions or comments.

Esa Kalervo

s/y Marisol

Please use in the future this email address instead of sailmail address

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