From: Jean Vittori
Sent: January 17, 2017
To: Will Curry
Subject: Emergency Steering

Hi Will ,

To understand the problem you need know the mounting of the [boat’s main] steering system: on the rudderstock we have a tiller with an axis , on the lower part of this axis is the autopilot and on the upper part the steering system connected by a draglink.

During a night (always during the night !) in a thunderstorm this axis was broken just under the tiller arm : it is finished for the autopilot.

We take the wheel and when I can I go down in the aft locker: the problem was that with the movements of the wheel the upper part of the axis moved and risked to leave the tiller arm and therefore more possibility to govern the sailboat.

I locked the axle with a clamp and installed the safety tiller on the top of the rudderstock .
We finish the night at the wheel , at the sunrise I go in the water to install the rudder of the hydrovane, not easy with the swell .

We are at 600 nm of the Martinique island and we finish only with the help of the Hydrovane.

Moral: install the rudder before leaving!

Best regards

jd

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