Sailing with Hydrovane self-steer - how this windvane works

Описание: UPDATE: During my trip down the coast of Baja, bad weather caused my rudder to break free of the shaft - meaning I lost all primary steering. The Hydrovane not only saved my ass that night, but also steered me ~1000 miles to La Paz, where I was able to pull the boat out of the water for repairs. Definitely paid for itself!

Following the repairs it steered me another 3300 miles from La Paz to the Marquesas with ease. Onward around the world!

Description:
I took some short clips of my Hydrovane self-steering gear while under sail, just south of the Channel Islands in California. I chose the Hydrovane because I wanted to mount it off-center, have a small footprint on the transom, no lines running through the cockpit and to have a backup rudder.

Windvanes are not as easy to use as electronic autopilots, but their reliability and energy-savings have made them an enduring fixture on many long distance cruising sailboats.

Although the Hydrovane is a bit expensive, you'll likely come to terms with the investment quickly as I have found it to be reliable and simple to operate. If you understand the basic operating principle, the learning curve is brief. I had a Fleming servo-pendulum self-steering unit on my Albin Vega which was also reliable...though such a system is a bit more complicated and less functional in lighter winds.

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