XTRIP SAILING · video

What this video covers

Micha navigates the 300-kilometre-long Scoresby Sound in Greenland, a fjord that remains ice-free for only three months annually.0:22 During a 21-hour, 95-nautical-mile passage to a protected lagoon, he encounters dense fog with visibility under 50 metres and heavy concentrations of glacial ice.11:40 Navigating the ice requires constant vigilance and slow speeds, often dropping to 1.5 knots to manoeuvre through narrow passages.7:45 While sailing downwind with a spinnaker in 15 to 18 knots of wind, the Hydrovane wind-steering system struggles to maintain course during high-speed surfing, as the increased boat speed reduces the apparent wind pressure on the vane.14:43 Micha notes that when the boat exceeds 8 or 9 knots, the system lacks the necessary force to correct quickly after a wave-induced yaw, occasionally requiring manual intervention to prevent the boat from broaching.15:30 He concludes that the Hydrovane’s performance limitations at high speeds are an inherent characteristic of the design rather than a mechanical failure, necessitating either manual steering or the use of an electric autopilot in similar conditions.16:28

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