From: Sarah Curry
Date: May 1, 2021
Subject: Re: Hydrovane feedback and photos
To: Patrick Whetter

Hi Patrick,

Ah – you’re down under! That’s great.

Port Stephens was our FAVORITE stop on our sail down to Sydney. What a fantastic place to be able to stop and work.

We now have two boys (twins, almost 2 years old) and are continually inspired by other cruising families. We have been sharing time between our boat (now in Mexico) and Vancouver. We can definitely see a catamaran in our future when we can be aboard more full time.

We so appreciate your Hydrovane feedback and experience. If you have the chance, we’d love to know more:

• What conditions did you use the Hydrovane in?
• What were the lowest apparent wind speeds you could use the vane in?
• Did high boat speeds effect the vanes performance?
• What sail plan worked best for downwind conditions?
• Any other comments or photos

Thank you again!

Cheers,

Sarah

---

From: Patrick Whetter
Date: May 2, 2021
Subject: Re: Hydrovane feedback and photos
To: Sarah Curry

Hi Sarah,

We were very lucky to end up in Port Stephens, a great place and possibly one of the best and most varied waterways in NSW.

With regard to using our Hydrovane:

What conditions did you use the Hydrovane in?

• Whilst cruising full time we would use it just about all the time, with the exception of short trips under engine.

What were the lowest apparent wind speeds you could use the vane in?

• 8 knots was the minimum we would need for it to keep a reasonable course.

Did high boat speeds effect the vanes performance?

• Not really. A cruising cat is generally fairly heavy and doesn’t shoot off at high speeds in the gusts like racing versions do. In 3 years and 20,000miles I never found a limit or condition where it didn’t work.

What sail plan worked best for downwind conditions?

• Normal rig, main and jib or main and code 0. Our Cat has fixed stub keels that keep her tracking in a straight line in all conditions, I’m not sure what a boat with dagger boards would do?

Kind Regards

Patrick

Contact