Practical Sailorvideo
The Wind Vane Snapped! Atlantic Crossing in 19 Days
9 August 2025 · 33 min · 15K views · Norfolk, Virginia
What this video covers
A family of four crossed the Atlantic in 19 days and 4 hours aboard a 1990 Beneteau Oceanis 500 Clipper, sailing with the ARC rally from the Canaries to St. Lucia with two additional adults aboard.2:09 The single most serious incident: a bolt on the Hydrovane wind vane snapped at night in open ocean, leaving one of six mounting bolts gone and the unit visibly straining.6:41 The crew removed the wind vane, put the Hydrovane in neutral, then unshipped the rudder from the swim platform in the dark while tethered — a manageable fix once the load was off, and the unit was back in service within days.7:13 The owner calls the Hydrovane essential for ocean crossings.8:06 Sail plan for the trade-wind run was two furled genoas poled out — one on the spinnaker pole, one on the boom with no mainsail — allowing both sails to be furled in three minutes, eliminating jibe risk that snapped booms on other ARC boats.20:54 The crew never flew the spinnaker at night and always reefed down before dark.21:35 Starlink was used 30 minutes daily for weather, fleet communication, and messaging, with power conservation limiting continuous use.9:38 ARC safety requirements added separately wired backup navigation lights and AIS.10:23 The boat, now in Norfolk, Virginia, faces a tariff jump from 10% to 30% on August 1st if not imported to the US before then.1:04 Crew compatibility, not sailing experience, is the key criterion for choosing Atlantic crossing crew.29:09
Boats in this video
More from Practical Sailor
From Practical Sailor — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.