Velero Regina · video

What this video covers

Javi, sailing the boat Regina from the Azores to the Iberian Peninsula, reports a mechanical failure of the Autohelm 7000 autopilot on the fifth day of the passage.0:02 The unit’s internal plastic gears within the rudder actuator failed under the stress of heavy seas, rendering the system inoperable.0:48 Lacking spare parts for the legacy unit, the crew transitioned to hand-steering for the final two days of the voyage to Cabo de San Vicente.1:51 Earlier in the passage, the vessel experienced severe, erratic motion caused by a cross-sea condition where a swell originating from a low-pressure system near Galicia conflicted with the local wind direction.2:35 This misalignment created violent rolling, which subsided once the wind and wave directions synchronized.3:38 The crew expects to complete the transit in approximately six days, anticipating increased wind and wave heights upon arrival at the coast.3:41

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