True Stories

After 23 years of wishing bon voyage to Tahiti bound sailors, Puddle Jump founder Andy Turpin finally got to make the crossing himself. 

Download Andy’s article here:

Latitude 38 June 2019 -Pacific Crossing- Andy Turpin

From: jeh20011995
Sent: Tue, Jun 11, 2019
To: Sarah Curry

Ia orana Sarah,

Papeete is great! Tango’s watermaker has the new membrane installed. I haven’t run it yet because we are in Marina Papeete. I’ll run it in the next week or so when we journey to Marina Tiana for fuel before leaving for Moorea and the more westerly Society Islands. Thank you again for all the support. I’ve included some photos and I’ll mention the great support in our blog (www.sailblogs.com/member/jeh20011995)

Just for your info, with the new docks, good security, all the shops, chandlerys, and restaurants within a short walk, Marina Papeete is far better than Marina Taina.

Tahiti is our breath catching stop before we visit several remote islands & in mid July heading toward Tonga (swim with the whales), then New Zealand. We are thinking of waiting out the cyclone season then heading back to the Gambier & Tuomotus with a 2nd return to NZ before we decide the next step… probably getting into the Med.

Tango’s Hydrovane system (Hydrovane, Hydrogenerator, and watermaker) make our nomadic life possible. They are reliable, essential, and well supported when needed. Thank you again for great products and support. I’ve attached some photos for you.

John and Janet

From: Neil Montague
Sent: March 22, 2019
To: Gloria Anderson; Will Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane shipment

Hi all

2 days of testing of the new Hydrovane. It has performed amazingly well. A couple of finished pics attached i will send a full report when I reach the Azores

Regards

Neil Montague

www.freeboardsailing.com

Wonderful report received by Tom Logisch, our German dealer:

Hallo Herr Logisch, ich schulde Ihnen noch ein paar Fotos.

Die Hydrovane ist die beste Anschaffung überhaupt. Steuerte selbst bei abenteuerlicher Kreuzsee an der norwegischen Westküste (dangerous sea areas) raumschots hervorragend.

Die Watt and Sea leistet auch gute Dienste. Nur die Aufhängung und das Festgezurre bei Nichtgebrauch nervt. Das könnte vom Konstrukteur verbessert werden.

Beste Grüße
Bernd Koltermann

…

Google translate:

Hello Mr. Logisch, I owe you some photos.

The Hydrovane is the best purchase ever. Steered even with adventurous cruise on the Norwegian west coast (dangerous sea areas), downwind excellent.

The Watt and Sea also does a good job. Only the suspension and fixing when not in use annoying. That could be improved by the designer.

Best regards
Bernd Koltermann

From: Kevin
Sent: June 2, 2019
To: Will Curry
Subject: Maintenance

Will,

I have the Hydrovane XT mounted to my Baba 35. It works fabulously. I have purchased the spare parts kit, but have never need to use any.

I am about to depart on a solo transatlantic from the southern Chespapeake Bay to Scotland. What do you recommend for gerneral maintence? Specifically, should I lubricate anything? I can’t find any maintenance information on the website. Can I use a waterproof dry lubricant like T-9 Boeshield to simply coat the parts as a protective measure?

I have about 5,000 miles on the unit now.

Kind regards,
Kevin

From: Marathon (sailmail)
Sent: April 13, 2019
To: Sarah Curry
Cc: Will Curry
Subject: RE: Problem with rudder lock

Hi Sarah: Many thanks for your message. Please feel free to use my words.

Wanda continues to do an excellent job and if anybody were to ask, it is the most important piece of equipment that we have added to the boat.

All the best

Nello
SV Marathon

Excellent Blog Post about the Hydrovane installation on SY Lady Ann, in swedish:

http://sailingladyann.se/blog/hydrovane-vindroder-monterat 

From: Ayache family
Sent: March 29, 2019
To: Sarah Curry
Subject: Quote, order and UK delivery of a “shaft bottom collar (new -s1)

Hello Sarah,

Thank you for your previous delivery of a stubby vane. The Hydrovane worked perfectly all the time across the Atlantic. I have now lost the shaft bottom collar (it was altready split when I bought the boat and this was bound to happen one day …).

I would like to order one (it seems that you now make them in stainless steel 🙂

Part No.26 bottom collar + Part No.46 shaft collar screw

…

Cheers
André

From: Adrian Mythen
Sent: February 16, 2019
To: Will Curry
Subject: Azzan Installation Photos

Hi,

Apologies for the delay in sending some photographs through (see attached).

After a number of trials and tribulations the Hydrovane is installed and fully operational.

We are very happy and all our expectations have been met!

Many thanks for your support and follow ups, much appreciated.

Thanks,

Regards,

Adrian

From: Ian Reid
Sent: February 19, 2019
To: Will Curry
Subject: Maja

Will
…
FYI doing the ARC we didn’t touch the wheel once until we got to Rodney Bay…..Marge steered the whole way, mostly dead downwind, without error…a fantastic job especially in an awkward sea.

We call her Marge because the shape of the vane resembles Marge Simpsons hairdo!
Speak later
Ian

Ian A.M. Reid

https://www.sailingnandji.com/windvane.html

The Hydrovane was an absolute game changer for us onboard Nandji. With out it, we would not have been able to sail the distances we have covered. We installed the new self steering method onto Nandji in Vanuatu after hand steering for nearly 3 months.

When we first departed Australia, we used a 20 year old autopilot which on the morning of the second day at sea on our first big open ocean crossing broke down. For the following 8 days and nights, we hand steered across the Coral Sea on 2 hour watches.We then continued to sail around New Caledonia and onwards to Vanuatu in this manner, completing 3 days passages hand steering the whole way, just the two of us.

We investigated into wind steering devices as they use no power operate whilst under way. Hydrovane was our choice for multiple reasons over the other brands.

The Hydrovane unit has its own independant rudder and requires no lines running to the tiller or steering wheel. As it uses its own rudder, it also provides for a back up rudder for your vessel.

The unit has the ability to be off set from centre and not affect performance. This was a major attribute for us on Nandji as we needed the device to fit on the transom of Nandji without affecting all the other things we have on the stern. The unit was mounted on port side allowing us to continually use the swim ladder, the davits and leave the solar power set up all in tact.

From: McCollum, Tim
Sent:  February 5, 2019
To: Sarah Curry
Subject: RE: [EXT]: RE: new sail material for Vane needed

Hello Sarah,

…

Yes we fed five people eight meals out of those two fish. We caught them west of Fiji on our way to Tanna Island in Vanuatu. I see your website has Vloggers on it. I have a website with videos https://www.walkaboutii.com/videos as well as started a channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_wheD8BUloYvf7qpOgmPA to document my voyage around the South Pacific from Brisbane to New Zealand and then across to Tahiti and then making my way back to Brisbane. If you are interested.

We successfully used the Hydrovane for the entire 10,000 miles of the voyage with fantastic results! I don’t know why any cruiser would be without one. We even quite adequately let it steer for 2.5 days of 45-55 knots that we encountered in the Roaring Forties between New Zealand and Tahiti! I will have to find some footage of the vane working in these conditions to send to you.

Thanks for your help

Tim

From: Alexandra Pittet
Sent: February 14, 2019
To: Will Curry
Subject: It works perfectly!!

Hi,

Finally we had the opportunity to use our new crew member yesterday. It is perfect. Sailing like a champion with back wind between 10 and 25 knots. Even though our ship is not an easy one to sail, old fashioned and very strong, it takes a lot of thinking to manage all the sailing parameters.

Very easy to understand and adjust thank for your explanations.

It is a real pleasure. So thank you very much for the work you did – making this working – and for the time you spend answering all our questions.

We wish you the best and we are definitely going to tell everyone how great is the Hydrovane!

Alexandra Pittet

Photo AZAD.M from South Spain, February 2019

From: Alfred Pisa
Sent: August 24, 2018
To: John Curry
Subject: experience hydrovane

Hi John,

After circumnavigation and several years of experience with hydrovane on my Reinke Super 11 (initial doubts on performance because of offset installation and hydraulic steering with no possibility to fix the main rudder in position) i can gladly confirm that “JULIUS” performed reliably,precisely and continuously in all winds and any points of sail. It did not drain the battery,not eat,not drink,not sleep and not talk back while keeping the boat on course better than any human being could.

I experienced some problems in high winds (55-60 knots and more in gusts) and high waves (20 feet and sometimes more) since it does not see the breaking waves you have to avoid and wind conditions vary a lot between crests and troughs; i resolved the problem in relative comfort by laying by under storm jib and reefed main with a hydrovane locked in central position.

In retrospective i have only high praise for the hydrovane and (if i would have known it earlier) would have saved the expensive autopilot (with all its electronics and hydraulic pump and relays) and installed a cheap removable tiller-pilot to act on the hydrovane instead.

However,the only problem i really had was putting the rudder in position:

-when running under engine (in calms sometimes several days) the rudder and therefore the whole installation rattled and vibrated,caused by the propeller vortex which,in my engineering mind,creates wear and tear,vibrations,noise and stress on the material, the skippers mind and therefore on the climate with his fellow sailors.

-so, despite your info that it can withstand that, i removed the hydrovane rudder to avoid all a.m.

-To fix it again,even in calm seas was (to say the least) hell,although i could work from the swimming platform some 15 cm above water level;without this platform,i dare say,it is impossible.

-On my previous boat (Amel 53) i had a Monitor servo pendulum windvane installed, which had a rudder on a hinge,so it was easy to pull out of the water (but had many other disadvantages i will not go into here for reasons of space) although i admit that the forces on the hinge are much smaller because of the servo-pendulum principle.However,this made me think.

-My idea (even on the risk of being the cause of roaring laughter) would be:

-changing the lower circular part of the shaft below the lowest bearing into a square cross section with a u-shaped sleeve pipe in the nylon rudder and fitting over the square part of the shaft by a lower hinge bolt and fixing in place by a upper locking bolt.

– this would also have the advantage of transferring the torque and rudder forces by the square form instead of (as it is now) through the 5-6 mm fixing pin(which position,when fitting the rudder,is difficult to find with regard to height and angle,while boat is moving and waves are flopping the rudder about) and removing the risk of loosing the nylon rudder.

I admit,that there is very little probability and inclination to change a very successful and good selling product but would like submit a.m. for your possible consideration.

Yours

Alfred

From: Barry Kennedy
Sent: December 8, 2018
To: Will Curry; John Curry
Subject: Hydrovane 64 deg south

Will and John
Greetings form Antarctica.

Just wanted to drop you a quick note about the Hydrovane on the passage from Chile to Antarctica.

Once again it worked flawlessly. We had a pretty hard Drake Passage crossing. The last 18 hours were sustained 40-50 kts with gusts common in the 60’s. Real big seas; 8-10 meters at times. Held a course with in a few degrees, didn’t flinch.

Again by far the best money I have ever spent on the boat.

The Watt and Sea ran flawlessly the whole trip as well. We arrived with batteries at 14+ volts. Blasting music, freezer in deep freeze, charging computers, running electronics. That was also good money spent. BTW no a single connector issue.

Cheers
Barry

www.farkwar.com/boas/Spailpin