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Dufour 500 GL

We were ecstatic with our choice of the Hydrovane as backup steering, it had proved itself as a wind pilot, as a spare steering autopilot system for when under the engine and even if under sail without using it as a wind pilot. A truly remarkable piece of equipment and investment.”

Posted 12 February 2022 to https://www.svthedream.com/post/transat-the-hydrovane-and-the-jury-rig

Transat – the Hydrovane and the jury rig

Way back in 2016, when we bought The Dream we started planning for this great adventure, we had decided to stick around in the Mediterranean for a few years enjoying life but also preparing for long passages such as the Atlantic crossing.

One of our first upgrades way back in 2017 had been installing a Hydrovane wind pilot (link), this item alone should serve multiple needs like reducing power consumption on passage, it is a pilot that can replace the autopilot altogether, by having its rudder could provide steerage in case of the lost rudder. John had made amazing homework on this finding that this is an item insurance companies like to see on Bluewater sailboats, especially in double-handed crews and together with all that research he had done he had found several cases where people had successfully used the wind pilot while motoring by using a secondary autopilot like a tiller pilot (cheaper than installing another autopilot) with the advantage of with one purchase covering steerage under engine power for the wind vane but also the emergency tiller in case of failure of steerage cabling!

Whilst in the Mediterranean we had barely used the Hydrovane due to the erratic winds, heavy boat traffic and pure laziness, but we had used it a bit in our first year when sailing in the Atlantic and also in our second year in the Western Mediterranean so we already had a good idea of how it worked and its advantages.

For several years it ended up just being that expensive piece of equipment we carry around that makes us look like serious world sailors, and most people don’t understand what the heck is. But during this trip, this expensive piece of hardware would prove itself, pay itself in worthiness and save us a heck of a horrendous time hand steering.

Our Atlantic crossing can be defined in 5 legs, and for all of them the Hydrovane would have been perfect, but to be honest about it we didn’t use it on the first two legs.

The first leg, the sail from Cascais to Madeira we didn’t use because we were passing the infamous Iberian Orca territory right on one of those weeks full of activity, so to preserve the integrity of our wind pilot we followed the current advice given by Hydrovane not to have the rudder installed so that in case of an Orca attack that the boat rudder gets disabled the Hydrovane rudder can be used as backup but because there are reports of Orcas also damaging the Hydrovane rudder during those attacks the current advice is to if possible and viable not to have the rudder installed whilst in Orca rudder destroying grounds.

Once we cleared the area of the attacks we could have installed the Hydrovane rudder and used it, but we were already on a great groove and didn’t bother.

For the second leg from Madeira to the Canaries, we were just lazy, and the boat autopilot is so convenient…

The third leg from the Canaries to Cape Verde would be our first prolonged experience using it. We started using it just after departing Grand Canaria and we used it most of the time.

It was a passage with winds mostly between 120-160AWA (Apparent Wind Angle) and wind speeds of 2-6 Beaufort (4-27 knots), using a 105% Jib on a whisker pole, no mainsail.

Using the Hydrovane most of the time instead of the autopilot meant a significant reduction in our power consumption and a comfortable safe passage.

The fourth leg from Cape Verde to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago off the coast of Brazil was the leg that “paid” for the Hydrovane. Had it not been for this piece of great mechanics we would have been in a big pickle, days from the closest shore.

Late on day 3 of our 10-day passage, we started experiencing difficulties with getting the Hydrovane to steer a course, it would just start wandering erratically due to the amounts of Sargassum seaweed accumulating on the Hydrovane rudder.

Because we were already feeling the tired effects of shorthanded sailing we were not thinking clearly and didn’t realise that this bloody seaweed that was slowing us down so much and giving trouble to the wind pilot would be a big issue for the autopilot also. So, we made the big mistake of switching back to our autopilot for convenience, not realising that although we were not experiencing significant weather helm (after all, the helm was not turning more than usual, it was looking quite balanced), the loads on the boat rudder from the seaweed must have been immense and by middle of day 5, and after 2 days of work our autopilot simply overheated and stop working without any warning signs.

We scrambled to get back onto the Hydrovane as main steering, mentally flogging ourselves for such a stupid mistake!

All we needed to do instead of having turned the autopilot, was to have used the boat hook to clean the Hydrovane rudder of the seaweed.

So now that’s what we were doing anyway as often as every 5 minutes. Something very easy to do but very attention-demanding. The moment the Hydrovane started going off course we just needed to slide the boat hook on the leading edge of the rudder, releasing the seaweed and the Hydrovane would steer us back to the course for a while. This became a full-time job task allowing us very little rest.

Still, much better than the perspective of hand steering for the next five to six days.

If we had tried to hand steer before switching from the Hydrovane to the autopilot it would have been crystal clear the immense pressure being exerted on the rudder.

Despite being back at steering with the Hydrovane quite successfully, the failure of the autopilot presented a huge problem. When we reached the doldrums where motoring is pretty much guaranteed we would need a pilot for the engine to avoid a minimum of 2 days of hand steering.


That’s where a secondary tiller autopilot that we had bought back in 2017 at the same time we installed the Hydrovane would come into play.

Despite the conditions on board resulting from the swell and waves paired with our slow speed, John built a simple structure where to mount the tiller pilot using our boarding plank and a few more bits and pieces, and voila , it was almost as if we had never lost the main autopilot. We could even use the tiller pilot under sail in light winds.

Don’t think these tiller pilots are very suitable for a boat as big as us under sail using the main rudder, but the Hydrovane rudder seems to work just like a “feathering” rudder allowing us to steer very efficiently.

Despite the failure caused by our fatigue that led to equipment fatigue, preparation meant we had a backup plan that worked.

As I mentioned before at the very beginning of this post, as a result of John’s research we bought a Raymarine ST2000 tiller autopilot way back in 2017. We had been lucky enough to have found it on sale at one of the chandleries in Lisbon while we were preparing The Dream for us to move on board. For years I had nagged John about the need of preparing the set-up for this pilot so if we ever needed it, all would be ready to simply switch from one autopilot system to the other, of course, life constantly got in the way, and other much more important projects took priority over our attention and efforts.

The tiller pilot sat for years on its box in one of the lockers. Annoying me every time I went to get something from that locker or every time we serviced and inspected the rudder, quadrant and steering cable system. The view of that box was a constant reminder of yet another To Do item that seemed to always slip off the list without being addressed

Well unfortunately now that box would have to get out of the locker, and the solution was found fast because once arrived the doldrums we could no longer count on the Hydrovane to steer us to the non-existing wind.

John had a plan, something I guess he had already thought about previously, maybe on one of the many occasions the tiller pilot topic add come to the discussion table.

John planned to use our boarding plank (which happens to have a very peculiar size), to use as support for the tiller mounting base.

Our boarding plank is the exact size needed to tie down between the starboard pushpit inner bar and the bar on the BBQ/stern seat. This didn’t happen by mere luck this was John’s idea all this time.

The first step was to drill the necessary holes on both ends of the plank to be able to secure it properly. It was also needed to create a way to prevent the board from changing heights regarding the Hydrovane handle and to ensure the level of the top edge. For that John used bits of thick marine ply that we had removed when adjusting the sail locker false floor that hides the bow thruster, John screwed those to the plank allowing them to sit in the seat making sure this way the plank was correctly levelled and secured.

For the actual mounting, John decided to use an extra 8mm thick aluminium plate we had bought as a spare as part of the hardtop project and as material for reinforcement of the cleats.

All this was reasonably easy to install despite the motion on board being very much like riding a mechanical bull.

To ensure the stability of the aluminium plate we needed to create a thicker base for it to be installed, to achieve that we used some offcuts of the same wood used for the boarding plank that we still had from a decorative project. The challenge was that without 240v using non-battery-operated electrical tools was limited unless we ran the generator, but again the idea of running the power tool needed for this job was just not appealing at all. The motion caused by the choppy sea state meant it was reasonably unwise to do such, so the option was to use a handsaw to cut the wood piece in half giving us the needed straight edge now that was a hard task.

I proceeded with that task whilst John worked on the electrical part of the installation. We needed enough wire to run from the main helm station to the Battery Bank, the Circuit Board or the Engine Starter Battery. Given the “work” conditions the Engine Starter Battery would be the “victim” due to proximity and easy access.

There was another task for me before the final assembly of all bits, the tiller pilot required a fuse, the only fuse case holder we had to fit a fuse of the required amperage was not a right fit for the only fuse close enough to the needed rating (it needed 12 amps, and we only had 10 amps), the fuses I had were spares for the circuit board while the case holder was for a different project that used slightly bigger blade fuses.

A bit of tough love with a file on 10A fuse would have to do the trick, a delicate butchering job.

By the time all was assembled it looked like a nice Frankstein of a job!

The moment of truth was testing if all of it would hold and if the tiller was strong enough to steer us or not.

We powered it on, secured the wheel in place, and turned the tiller pilot on while motoring at low RPMs then slowly increasing up to 1800 RPM. The test was a success we could motor through the doldrums without having to hand steer!

That was excellent news.

With the progressive use of our newly installed spare pilot, we gained confidence in its abilities but also become aware of its fragility. This solution would have to work not only for the Atlantic crossing to Fernando de Noronha and then the Brazilian mainland but down to São Salvador where we would try and see if we could fix our main autopilot.

We were ecstatic with our choice of the Hydrovane as backup steering, it had proved itself as a wind pilot, as a spare steering autopilot system for when under the engine and even if under sail without using it as a wind pilot. A truly remarkable piece of equipment and investment.

The Dream is a true world sailing vessel.

And the label on the box where the Hydrovane parts came in never felt truer!

*** All the content provided on this post is for informational purposes only, not replacing any additional research or contact with relevant suppliers and technicians. The owners of this website will not be liable for any errors or omission in this information nor the availability of information found when following any link on this post.

***The Dream is not affiliated or sponsored by Hydrovane or by any associated dealer, this blog post is based solely on our experiences with the product.

***In the spirit of sharing our dreams and experiences we have shared this blog post in the NOFOREIGNLAND.COM website sailors community.

Hans Christian 38T

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I don’t have to listen to my autopilot ever again while under sail. This is truly an amazing piece of kit.”

From: Peter Metcalfe
Sent: February 09, 2023
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Re: Peter Metcalfe – Hans Christian 38T – Hydrovane model VXA2D L(shaft length)/H/H or H/A

Hi Richard,

Just wanted to say hi and express my thanks for getting us our unit a few months ago. We are currently 50 off Baja right now headed for the Sea of Cortez. The Hydrovane has steered us flawlessly since we left Ventura two weeks ago. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I don’t have to listen to my autopilot ever again while under sail. This is truly an amazing piece of kit. I never got the chance to order some spares, but I plan to when we haul before our potential pacific crossing next season. Once again thanks!

Peter & Olivia

SV Kessel

Roberts 44

“The Hydrovane steered through a Force 10 in the Atlantic, with associated ramp up and down over 4 days.”

From: Mike Brooks
Sent: January 02, 2023
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane Rudder | Michael Brooks – Roberts 44

Hi Will,
Many thanks for your email.
Currently I am in the UK and Cornelia is in Ireland for her internal refit. Hopefully I get back to her in Feb to carry on with it.
I fitted the Hydrovane in Panama at the beginning of the year and sailed back solo via, Bahamas, Bermuda, Azores, then onwards to Ireland double handed.
The Hydrovane steered through a Force 10 in the Atlantic, with associated ramp up and down over 4 days. I needed to use the Hydrovane in conjunction with the autopilot in the wave troughs of the force 10, as there wasn’t enough wind / bad wind for the vane, but other than that the Hydrovane steered the entire way.
I took a boarding wave which bent and snapped the vane frame. I’ve repaired it as best as I can and the frame circumference is now 3” shorter, but carried on working well for the remaining 2000 miles of the trip.
I needed to tighten a set of screws in the axles, when I noticed the vane wasn’t gimballing properly, but aside from that, it’s done tremendously.
The grey rudder rattles a bit, but seems fine.

Cornelia won’t be going anywhere over the next months. If it’s necessary to change the rudder, when back in Ireland I can arrange shipping, or can bring it with me when I next return to the UK and deliver to the factory.

Met Tom on a yacht called Skyfall in Azores. Recommended Hydrovane. Believe purchased.

Hope all is well,

Mike

Contact

Island Packet 40

“Our Hydrovane seems made for our IP40”

From: Shaen Tarter
Sent: 22 December, 2022
To: Will & Sarah Curry
Subject: Re: Transaction –  – APPROVED

Will and Sarah-

Nice interview with Paul Trammell. Your point about weather helm and properly sized and configured headsails is spot on. We replaced our 135% Genoa with a 100% Yankee cut jib a few months ago. It’s much more appropriate for tradewind conditions, and works beautifully with our staysail in cutter configuration. Less weather helm, less flogging, and we can actually easily tack now with the inner forestay in place.  And our Hydrovane seems made for our IP40 🙂

Thanks!

Shaen

Contact

Beneteau 43

“…we think is probably the best investment we have made on our SV Vitamin Sea!”

From: Blanca Boira
Sent: December 18, 2022
To: Will Curry
Subject: Spare parts

Dear Will:

Hope you are well.

We installed our Hydrovane around 2 years ago. We are now 250 miles away from reaching Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, having departed from the Canary Islands. We are more than delighted to have the Hydrovane, it has given us such peace of mind, we think is probably the best investment we have made on our SV Vitamin Sea!

We would like to order some spare parts. Those are as follows:

– One Vane cover

– Two plastic bolts for the frame case cover

– Three locking Pins

 

Could you please advise how can we proceed?

Kind regards

Ramiro Salom

Allures 45

“I told the crew after it was fitted, ‘prepare to be amazed…’ and they were”

From: S/V Timeless Odyssey
Sent: December 19, 2022
To: Will & John Curry
Subject: Order a spare cover for a stubby

Hi Will/John

Greetings from the mid-Atlantic where Juluka our 5th crew member is steering the dream. I have to say the vane has been a real winner.  I had some new crew on out of Gib for Madeira. I know this was unconventional but we left Gib with some concerns about the Orca attacks, so we left the Hydrovane rudder off in case we had our rudders disabled by the Orcas.  We would then have a limp home option. The strategy was to get clear of the area where attacks were happening, and then think about putting the Hydrovane rudder on. I obviously would not recommend doing this at sea in normal circumstances but we were lucky. We have a sugar scoop stern and with safety lines on two of us got the rudder on more easily than we thought it would be.

Anyway, I told the crew after it was fitted, ‘prepare to be amazed,’ and they were.

Anyway, I would like to order spare vane cover for our Stubby vane. I am sure you know but for avoidance of doubt it is 50 x 100cm surface area.

Could it please be delivered to my daughters address [removed].

Thanks All and Merry Christmas

Regards

MARTYN

s/v Timeless Odyssey

Rhodes 43 Sloop

“It was our first experience installing and using a vane and I’m already in love!”

From: Mark Chew
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 7:24 PM
To: Will Curry & Richard Minielly
Subject: Happy Customer

Just wanted to let you know that we fitted your Vane to our 65 year old boat in November and did our first serious cruise through the Bass Strait Island to Tasmania early this month. It was our first experience installing and using a vane and I’m already in love!

There is a short film of the trip here

https://southernwoodenboatsailing.com/news/wurundjeri-to-nipaluna-a-bass-strait-cruise

It really is miraculous!

Feel free to use any of the footage plus I have plenty of stills if they are of any use to you.

Regards and Thanks

Mark

(FAIR WINDS Rhodes 1956)

Contact

Regatek 41

“Merci Hydrovane pour ces 15 000 mn parcourus ensemble!”

“Thank you Hydrovane for these 15,000nm traveled together!”

From: Jean-Eudes DE PARCEVAUX
Sent: December 10, 2022
To: John, Will, and Sarah Curry
Subject: Fwd: Hydrovane : besoin de votre témoignage

Notre premier chantier dans la préparation de notre voyage de 2 ans en voilier fût l’installation de l’Hydrovane. Quelques émotions nous envahissent lorsque nous dégainons la perceuse pour transpercer la jupe des 6 trous nécessaires à la fixation de ce nouvel équipier 😅 !

L’Hydrovane nous a accompagné fidèlement pendant notre voyage, particulièrement pendant nos traversées de l’Atlantique. Malgré notre
voilier rouleur et gîtard et nos 2,5m de tirant d’eau, il a toujours piloté le navire avec efficacité !

Et quelle tranquillité d’esprit !! Nous naviguions seulement à deux, alors c’est bien rassurant d’avoir cet équipier modèle avec nous. Dans les scénarios catastrophes à imaginer pour être le mieux préparés possible, l’Hydrovane en compense plusieurs.Consommation énergétique trop importante ?
Problème de pilote automatique ? Plus d’électricité à bord ? Problème de barre ou de safran ? L’Hydrovane prendra le relais pour éviter que le rêve devienne un cauchemar.

Merci Hydrovane pour ces 15 000 mn parcourus ensemble !

Jean-Eudes & Pauline


English translation:

Our first project in the preparation of our 2-year trip on a sailboat was the installation of the Hydrovane. Some emotions overtook us when we brought out the drill to pierce the hull with the 6 holes necessary to fix this new teammate 😅!

The Hydrovane accompanied us faithfully during our trip, particularly during our crossings of the Atlantic. Despite our rolling sailboat and heeling and our 2.5m draft, it has always steered the ship efficiently!

And what peace of mind!! There were only two of us sailing, so it’s very reassuring to have this model crew member with us. In the disaster scenarios to be imagined in order to be as prepared as possible, the Hydrovane compensates for several of them. Too much energy consumption? Autopilot problem? More electricity on board? Shaft or rudder problem? The Hydrovane will take over to prevent the dream from becoming a nightmare.

Thank you Hydrovane for these 15,000nm traveled together!

Jean-Eudes & Pauline

Contact

Beneteau Oceanis 423 Clipper

“It performs even better in very light winds than electronic system.”

From: GILLES CLEMENT
Sent: December 11, 2022
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Re: Hydrovane installation Gilles Clement Nymphea

Hi Richard,

My Hydrovane is installed and tested during a 18 hours sailing.

It exceeds my expectations.

It performs even better in very light winds than electronic system.

Cheers.

Gilles


On 12 Dec 2022, Richard Minielly wrote :

Hi Gilles,

We’re so thrilled to hear this! Thank you for reaching out. Do you mind if we post your email to our True Stories page?

As an installation note, please remember to check the tightness of all the mounting bolts now that you have gone for a test sail. These should be checked periodically and before large passages. The bolts should be “snug, plus ¼ turn”.

Fair winds!

Richard Minielly


From: GILLES CLEMENT
Sent: December 12, 2022
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Re: Hydrovane installation Gilles Clement Nymphea

No problem to post my e-mail.

What train my decision to install an Hydrovane?

The story is that I was on passage between Panama and Marquesas Islands single handed (68 years old) in last June when my Auto pilot broke down at 1000 miles from arrival… So, 11days at the helm with 4 days of heavy weather and sea conditions.

Once is enough!

Gilles

Contact

ETAP 46DS

“Rounding Barbuda at the end, we were able to make the necessary course corrections (probably like 30degrees) entirely on the Hydrovane and sailtrim.”

From: Ludwig Hoogstoel
Sent: December 05, 2022
To: Sarah Curry
Subject: RE: HOOGSTOEL – Testimonial Etap 46 DS

Hello Sarah,

10K nm these last 12 months since we got the Hydrovane installed. On this last trip, from Hampton VA to Antigua we were VERY happy we had it as we had some issues with the upper bearing of the main rudder. So we managed the main rudder (which stayed functional for the trip) as to alleviate all pressure on it and had the Hydrovane do all the work, as is more or less our habit on ocean passages.

One remark/question though : we notice that the housing which needs to be 90degrees of the centerline of the boat keeps ‘shifting’.  We had that when we arrived after the Transat, then again when we arrived in New England for the summer. Now on this last passage, we made sure, prior to departure that we had ‘aligned’ everything as per your instructions and tightened everything we could possibly tighten. The result was indeed that we had our best sail yet with the Hydrovane. Rounding Barbuda at the end, we were able to make the necessary course corrections (probably like 30degrees) entirely on the Hydrovane and sailtrim. We thought we had this finally figured out. Then, upon arrival, when we checked the housing…it had shifted again. So, despite that shift, the Hydrovane performed better than ever.

Any input ? Should we not care as much about this “90 degree to centerline” ?

Best regards

Ludwig


From: Richard Minielly
Sent: December 5, 2022
To: ‘ludwig hoogstoel’
Subject: RE: HOOGSTOEL – Testimonial Etap 46 DS

Hi Ludwig,

Great to hear from you. Sarah and Will pass on their best, and we all congratulate you on the incredible distance traveled in the past year!

Your story is an amazing testament to your abilities as sailors and the Hydrovane. Do you mind if we add it to our True Stories page on our website?

Regarding the issue of the Drive Unit rotating, it sounds like there might be some residue or lubricating substance sitting between the Drive Unit and the shaft. I recommend removing the drive unit, wiping the shaft and the inside of the Drive Unit with alcohol or another quick evaporating solvent, then re-attaching the drive unit. You shouldn’t need to tighten the bolts extremely tight, as the unit should have a tight friction fit on the shaft assembly. We recommend going only to “snug, plus ¼ turn” on the bolts.

Another good idea is to replace the M10 nyloc nuts. Repeated tightening and loosening will wear down the nylon and make the nuts more likely to come loose again. By removing the old nuts, cleaning the threads, and replacing with a new nut, you should reduce the risk of loosening.

When adjusting the bolts at all, please be very careful to always adjust evening, keeping the gap in the casting equal, and not applying excessive force. If the casting is stressed unevenly it can crack.

If you are in good service, please send me some photos of your unit showing the upper portion and where it connects to the shaft. This can be helpful to spot any more obvious issues.

Cheers,

Richard Minielly

Contact

Oyster 545

“The vane performs great”

From: Dr Anthony Freeman
Sent: November 01, 2022
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: RE: Hydrovane spares

Hi Richard

We are only as far as Reunion [from Queensland, Australia] but leaving for Richards Bay tomorrow. The vane performs great and I have learnt a lot from other users. We are shorthanded and very dependent on it hence making sure I have plenty of spares. [Editor’s note: parts order details and shipping information have been removed]

Thanks, Tony

Gunfleet 43

“Watching the vane dip from side to side whilst Skyfall responds like an obedient dog, I am in awe of the ingenuity of past generations, unable to utilise modern electronics.”

Posted 21 November 2022 to https://www.skyfallrtw.com/post/a-question-of-balance:

A Question of Balance

Judo is a sport all about balance. A judicious touch, push or pull, executed in the right place at the right moment, can cause huge weights (your opponent) to move in ways they least intended. I was reminded of this by the recent Banksy artworks which appeared in Ukraine after the liberation of Kherson. Apart from the obvious symbolism, the picture of  ‘little guy throwing much bigger guy’  beautifully illustrates what timing and balance can achieve.

Which is perhaps a tenuous introduction to a piece about the Hydrovane self-steering on Skyfall. Let me explain. Clearly, if you want to carry your home around the world with you, it is going to be heavy. Skyfall is (loaded) the best part of 16 tonnes. And to move such a heavy object, as quickly as Skyfall sails, requires quite some power. The power comes from the sails. I forget the actual square metres of sail but the photo below makes the point.

So what if someone told you that they could build a system where the power to control all this weight and all this sail, would come from a small vane with about half a square metre of area? “Impossible!”, I hear at least some of you exclaim. But it is possible: with our Hydrovane system.

There is a small vane which is angled into the wind. The vane is fixed to the boat so if the boat changes course then the angle of the vane to the wind changes. The wind now exerts more pressure to one side (or the other), pushing the vane down. This force is transmitted, via a gearbox, to move an auxiliary rudder mounted below.  But the force from the vane is tiny. Firstly the area of the vane is small. But, more importantly, you need a rudder correction with a course change less than 10degrees. So there is a sine(10 degrees) multiplication factor too – which is also  small. It ought not to work but, of course, it does. It is all a question of balance.

I like the Hydrovane because it forces you to set your boat up correctly. A prerequisite for success is that the boat, without any external influence(i.e. a wave) or correction from the Hydrovane, is set up to sail straight. The sails need to be properly trimmed. You must reef down in time to prevent excessive heel and weather helm. In other words, keep everything in balance. In this case, a very small rudder correction is all that is needed to gain complete control.

The trip from Lanzarote to Cape Verde is the first time we have really tried to use the Hydrovane. As we sailed past Fuerteventura I played with the new toy. It would not matter (I thought) if I messed up here, there was no one watching. However, in today’s world, Big Brother is never far away. Or in this case Big Sister! Sheila had been following our progress on marinetraffic.com. “Why is your course so wobbly?”, she innocently inquired by text.

I like the Hydrovane for it’s simplicity and effectiveness. Watching the vane dip from side to side whilst Skyfall responds like an obedient dog, I am in awe of the ingenuity of past generations, unable to utilise modern electronics.

I also like the Hydrovane because it requires no electrical power. Although an electronic autopilot is quite efficient with no waves, on  an  ocean passage with wind and swell, it can easily consume 4A. Using the Hydrovane means there is circa 100AH less power to generate daily.

But the main reason I like the Hydrovane is that it provides a backup. Sure, it is not as efficient as a modern autopilot. And you would never use it if you wanted to push for maximum speed. But our electronic autopilot has failed twice in 6 years. If that should happen on a long ocean passage without others on  board to share the handsteering, then life would be tough on the skipper. Now we have a second simple, ‘agricultural’ system where it is hard to imagine a failure.

Apart from playing with the Hydrovane, the passage to Cape Verde has been largely uneventful. We have had all strengths of wind, varying from drifting along in sunshine to hunkered down, sailing with only a reefed genoa. But we managed to eat well, sleep reasonably and Annick’s new bucket remains unchristened. Annick is currently writing a post to elaborate further.

Feeling 1350

Just wanted to say how impressed we are with the Hydrovane steering in both light and fresh airs, dead runs and close reaching.

Tony Bale on Whatsapp, 11 November 2022:

Hi Richard, just a little Hydrovane update. Scáthach and crew are currently in the Canary Islands and heading to the Caribbean this winter. Just wanted to say how impressed we are with the Hydrovane steering in both light and fresh airs, dead runs and close reaching. We just let it get on with it. All best, Tony

Gaia 36 - Tapio Lehtinen

“Hydrovane is great! Just completed a gybe with the biggest spinnaker and a full main in a fresh F4 with boat under full control.”

@ggr2022 on 20 September 2022:

Sep 20, 2022, 6:10 PM 06: #TapioLehtinen (Finland) – Gaia 36 “Asteria”: Hydrovane is great! Just completed a gybe with the biggest spinnaker and a full main in a fresh F4 with boat under full control. Wasn’t doable 4 yrs ago.

Taling 33 - EMERGENCY - We lost our steering

“We lost our steering! Our quadrant broke…”

@sailingblackmoon on August 30, 2022:

We lost our steering! Our quadrant brokhttps://www.instagram.com/sailingmillennialfalcon/e -this triangle connects the steering wheel with the rudder. This could have gone wrong in so so so many ways.

Unfortunately at that moment we were at the Tuamotus – the most remote islands you can imagine…

Fortunately we discovered it in time and in calm conditions. Also we are so luckely to have a Hydrovane – this selfsteering system has his own rudder. So while sailing we always fixate our main rudder and let the hydrovane steer – which adapt it self on the wind.

We even used it as an emergency rudder while motoring. Also we attached a poke on the little helm to steer more controlled to anchor. We fixated the crack with a piece of stainless steel and the quadrant itself with a vicegrip. Kudos to Niels for macguyvering this all 💪

This way we made it safely to Tahiti to fix or even replace the quadrant. After 3 weeks back and forth with several machine shops there was no way to make a new one, but finally we found someone willing to weld it and he did a super job! Now it’s time for the big test 🤞

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