True Stories

From: Skip White
Sent: January-18-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane Parts Order

Will: Thank you for the opportunity to add a link to your website. I have attached a picture for your review, I will send you a small video clip in the future, I have one I took while near Point Conception, 25+knots with large steep seas, Hydro worked like a champ.
Sincerely,
Skip White
Cruising Expeditions
s/v Dolphin

From: Sam Petty
Sent: December-22-10
To: Valerie Williams; Will Curry
Subject: arrived, installed, sailed: superb!

Dear Valerie and Will,

thanks so much for your help and prompt despatch of the additional parts – bolted straight on yesterday and went for a test sail: WONDERFUL!!! What a superbly designed and engineered autopilot!

Very excited and impressed.

Thanks again, it’s been a real pleasure dealing with you,

Best regards,
Sam

From: richard blunt
Sent: December-20-10 5:09 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: SY Fleck: update, photo, and more bits please

Hi again Will.

So far as performance is concerned, the unit did indeed work right out of the box, on the middle settings, either when beating, or when running downwind so long as there is some sail on either side of the mast (I imagine that no vane gear copes well if the yankee is sometimes filling, and then collapsing behind the main).

Most of our trade wind running has been done with our small fixed staysail boomed out on one side, and the furling Yankee boomed out on the other side. In a gale we run on just the staysail, and when the wind falls light we unwind the whole yankee. The hydrovane copes with all this, although in confined waters very slight course adjustments may be required. The main remains under its cover. It is rather sedate sailing, but we are cruisers, and not racing anywhere at this time of life.

Reaching is a little bit more difficult. Getting the boat balanced is important, but our boat does of course carry different amounts of weather/lee helm, depending on the wind strength. So with major changes in wind strength we found that we were either rounding up, or testing the gybe preventer system!

We got to Australia from the UK almost entirely under twin headsails. Since then cruising has involved much more reaching, and I have got better at adjusting things. It seems to be important to fiddle with only one thing at a time, and to allow a cup of tea between each adjustment to let everything settle down! The key things are the sail trim and the course adjuster on the Hydrovane. Usually these can be fiddled so that the ships wheel is in the dead ahead position, and we are pointing where we want to go. Then we will stay on course.

It is also important not to be over canvassed, as if the boat is well heeled over balance is greatly affected by gusts and lulls.

If I find myself having to lock the wheel off centre, then I know we may be in for an unstable ride.

To be quite honest I don’t find the that adjustments on the Hydrovane (vane slope, gear ratio) make very much difference. I do however recommend that users check that they remembered to put their Hydrovane in gear before swearing at it’s lack of performance, for they are almost human, and very sensitive to this sort of abuse!

I hope these comments are helpful, I realize that they are largely a reiteration of the tips on the website, but we sailors like to find things out for ourselves, and only then to believe them! That said, I would not swap my Hydrovane for any other gear.

Richard

Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010
To: Valerie Williams
Cc: John Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane Order – John Fogarty

Season’s Greetings Valerie!

I’m happy to report that our new ‘vane arrived safe and sound here in Redmond. We didn’t have to pay any duty and as you reported the 5 packages were all easy to move. The packing was top notch and all the parts are in perfect shape.

I want to thank you, and commend you on the remarkable and professional job you’ve done at making this scary international mail order purchase seem downright easy!

We’re looking forward to getting the vane mounted on our Crealock 34 when our winter weather gives us a break. I’ve been test fitting the pieces and inspecting everything with a magnifying glass – this is just simply one of the finest bits of engineering and workmanship I’ve ever seen. I’ve looked at every vane available on the market and am confident in saying that this is hands down the best.

Thanks again!

John Fogarty and Mary Clem – SV Slappey II

Installation mock up… the ‘Sternmulator”:

From: Nige and Al – Yacht Strummer
Sent: December-12-10
To: Will Curry
Subject: Yacht Strummer – Hydrovane rudder fitting/removal

Hi Will,

I thought I would email you to confirm that we can fit and remove the rudder quite easily from the bathing platform.

Here is the method (see also attached photos):

1. Attach safety line to rudder handle and Hydrovane top bracket.
2. Kneel on bathing platform holding rudder in left hand – right arm is around the Hydrovane shaft and right hand holding the safety line.
3. Lean over the back of the bathing platform and fit rudder onto shaft.
4. Hold rudder in place using right hand/safety line whilst fitting the pin and its retaining clip with the left hand.

It takes about 1 minute, removal is just a reversal of the process and, so far, I have not fallen in!

Kind Regards,
Nigel Battarbee

From: Ed Davis
Sent: November-30-10
To: Will Curry

Hi Will,

Just an update.

A few weeks ago in quite torrential rain we fitted the brackets and tube to the transom of our yacht. We had her slipped for the process, as with an extremely tender dinghy we would certainly have gone swimming I am sure if we had tried to undertake the exercise afloat.

We mounted the device about a foot off centre to port. This was because an internal bulkhead would have resulted in a centre mounted device having the starboard bolt of both brackets going into the interior of the yacht, accessible only via the starboard quarter berth, with the port bolts going into the cockpit.

Two weekends ago we fitted the rudder, head & wind vane, worked out how to use the device and then enjoyed a few hours of sailing in up to 20 kts of true wind, without using our wheel. We are delighted with the ease of use, its stability and good “watch keeping” abilities as regards the course made good.

We look forwards to many years of a successful partnership.

Cheers & thanks
Ed Davis

From: Roy Boughton
Sent: November-20-10 9:00 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Parts for ‘Guiding Light’

Hello Will,

Need a new cover for my standard vane, + 3 lock pins, Vane has started to split around top edge, think it’s too much sun, have broken one rudder lock pin. Everything else is AOK.

But apart from that, 9,000 Nm since installing the unit in 2009, been through some heavy winds on my downwind legs, over 50+ knts lasting 2,3 or 4 hours, Vane performs amazingly well, will never sail long distance without it engaged. Magic.

Best Regards
Roy Boughton
Guiding Light

From: francois.a.michel
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2010
To: John Curry
Subject: It just work !

Hi John!

Incredible! I heard about this.

Three hours needed to install the device: this is by ourselves of course.

We were two and the ship at drydock.

We put it on today, five minutes to leave the locks, 15 knots downwind and it works …

I’ll send you the pictures.

François MICHEL

From: Ted Devey
Sent: 10/27/10 12:07 AM
To: Subject: A voice from the past!

Hi John,

You may recall a decrepit ex RR engineer who contacted you about June last year babbling on about modifying his older VXA II with the newer worm/wheel course setting kit. This is the same old codger !

Well, life just got in the way but I’ve finally got to hell out of it this year and am now in Portugal grovelling merrily along on what measly proportion of my pension Gordon Brown deigned to leave me!

While I’m not as yet one of your band of faithful world girdlers, just a few Biscays, Irelands, Scillies and bits of Atlantic — (I got over the ‘manhood through suffering’ stuff years ago) — the ‘old’ Hydrovane, with the simple mod of removing the wire and pulley course setting whatsit and fitting a Tee bar locking screw, has been a cracking bit of kit – Just like a good wife — it just keeps quiet and works ! Bit male chauvinist that — Sorry!

However I really would like to do the upgrade so that I can adjust it from within the cockpit instead of risking me’ life leaning over the stern — and since I’m mostly single-handed going over would not be so funny. I don’t relish floating in the middle of Biscay waiting for someone to bring me a cup-a-tea!

I’d be most grateful if you’d send me the kit to convert this old model. I will fit it over the winter when I hole up somewhere either here in Portugal or Morocco and will send you pics of the mods if they will be of use to you others contemplating upgrading theirs.

Now, I look forward to this mod and to setting the old girl to do all the work again while I sit and contemplate my navel!

If it works well enough, I think I might marry it! I can’t afford a younger model!

All the best
Ted Devey
Yacht Edewsia

From: Rob Gaffney
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010
To: John Curry
Subject: RE: Your Hydrovane story

Hi John,

“Having done my first three transatlantic delivery trips without a self steering mechanism my fourth trip on a yacht fitted with a Hydrovane was a real revelation! It never complains, doesn’t need feeding , uses no precious electricity and never goes off watch! In order to add a competitive edge to the trips we would regularly see how many miles each crew member could sail by hand steering on their watch. We then found that the Hydrovane would regularly achieve better results than the crew! All in all a great bit of kit that was good fun to use.”

Rob Gaffney
Hamble School of Yachting
023 8045 2668
hamble.co.uk

From: David Irving
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010
To: John Curry
Subject: Ref Salutation

Hello John & the rest of the team

It’s been a while now since I received the Hydrovane and Kay, my better half and I fitted it to the stern of Salutation the week after. It’s been very busy for us recently hence the delay in sending you 2 video clips and a few pictures of Harvey (that’s his name–taken from a James Stewart film “Harvey” with the 6ft white rabbit).

We managed to escape for August and sailed south towards northern France where we spent an enjoyable 4 weeks of drinking wine and eating fresh prawns, oh and sailing!. During that time we used “Harvey” quite a lot and with a lot of success. The last time I used an Hydrovane was in 1991 when I helped to take a yacht from the UK to the Canary Islands. We are getting there in balancing the sails and are beginning to enjoy “Harvey’s” company.

It’s a great piece of kit and every yacht should have one.

So it’s another satisfied customer and therefore a big thank you to all the team in Vancouver and of course the guys who manufactured “Harvey” in the UK.

Many thanks

David & Kay

PS Salutation is a steel, 14 metre, cutter rig designed by Tony Tucker and has been our second home now for 5 years.

From: Jim Bennett
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:39 AM
To: Hydrovane
Subject: Spares

Hello,
…

Finally I’d like to say what a fantastic piece of kit the Hydrovane is. There is no comparison with an electronic autopilot in terms of safety, reliability and strength.

Many thanks.

Jim Bennett

From: Kevin Patterson
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 11:07 PM
To: John Curry
Subject:

Hey John:

I wonder if you could tell me how I might order a new sail for my hydrovane? I’d also like to order the stern light case and the sunbrella cover as well. Since last we spoke, I sailed to the Marquesas, Raiatea, Kauaii, and home again—the hydrovane performed flawlessly. I might have hand steered fifty of those miles and she gybed perhaps three or four times. Last summer I went up to Haida Gwaii and the Hydrovane steered me across the strait to Rose Harbour.

I have a new book coming out with Random House and Doubleday next year about the ocean, intertwined with a travel narrative about that last trip around the Pacific. I mention how impressed I am with the device in there. I’ll let you know when there is a pub date.

Kevin Patterson
Saltspring Island, BC, Canada

Editor’s Note: Kevin is a doctor and a writer. He wrote a most hilarious tale “The Water In Between” about fleeing from his old life by finding a boat and going to sea – and he was a novice – before he got a Hydrovane. I read it twice …. just as good the second time.

From: peter sturdgess
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010
To: Valerie Hydrovane
Subject: Hydrovane

Hi Hydrovaners,

We are are pleased to report that we have now made a number of passages with the new fabric wind vane fitted to our old VXAI and are very pleased.

One thing has struck us though, we have now met two other Nicholson 38s fitted with Hydrovane steering. Both wax enthusiastic about it. We cannot however help but notice that they have the later VXAII models with fancy course adjusters that drive a worm via a bit of string which they can twiddle from the cockpit.

Quite frankly we are jealous, we have to venture out onto the aft deck to adjust the steering.

Is it possible to retro fit the worm drive to our old VXAI?

Editor’s note: Yes, we do offer the course adjustment assembly upgrade for VXA1 units. It makes life much easier!

Best Wishes
Peter and Helen

From: Michael Walsh
Sent: August-10-10 7:21 PM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Parts

Hi Will,

The Hydrovane is working well on Sequitur, and we’ve dubbed her “Hydra”. Quite often when the winds have diminished to less than five knots and we flash-up to motor sail, rather than engaging “Otto”, the Lewmar Mamba autopilot, we have allowed Hydra to continue steering. She manages well down to about two knots before she looses it. I am assuming that because we have used Hydra under power so much, the propwash past the rudder has caused the rudder pin to fail so soon. Also, the vane cover failed after only six months in the tropics, and we limped into Lima with more duct tape on the frame than nylon.

We have left Sequitur in Lima, Peru for the winter, and are back here in Vancouver until mid-September. We’ve brought the tattered remnants of the cover with us, and Edi is using it to sew-up a more robust replacement and some spares.

I would like to order three spare pins. Can you please let me know how to proceed.

Cheers,
Michael