How effective is a HYDROVANE in a storm?
No human or autopilot can come anywhere near to matching the ability of a Hydrovane in comfortably (as possible) dealing with storm conditions. The secret for this superior performance is the stability of the boat resulting from the main rudder being fixed/locked. Nothing improves a boat’s stability in a storm more than locking the main rudder in a fixed position. This ability is unique to auxiliary rudder systems like Hydrovane. The result is the auxiliary rudder is steering a relatively stable boat. Your serious storm tactics need only a Hydrovane and a small storm sail – perhaps a staysail or just a handkerchief of a furled jib. Each boat’s methods of storm management is certainly different. My notion is to keep the boat running at 15 to 20 degrees off the wind with perhaps a staysail (or other small sail on the fore triangle) sheeted hard amidships to keep the bow from rounding up and trailing a warp or drogue (300 feet or 100 meters) to keep the boat speed under control. The HYDRO
