Why I Chose a Backup Autopilot Instead of a Windvane for Cape Horn
April 7, 2026 · 7 min · 4K views
What this video covers
Pete, skipper of the 50-ft, 32,000-lb sloop Aqualibra, explains why he chose a second electric autopilot rather than a windvane as backup steering for a 9,000-mile passage from Panama around Cape Horn to Cape Town.▶ 1:49 The core technical argument: on a heavy boat that surfs in high seas, a windvane's air vane responds to apparent wind, which shifts forward when the boat accelerates down a wave face.▶ 1:55 On a deep broad reach or run, that triggers a steering correction mid-surf, risking a broach.▶ 2:24 Pete rates windvanes as reliable on beats, reaches, and broad reaches in lighter air where surfing is unlikely, but not on the downwind angles that dominate a Southern Ocean passage.▶ 3:18 Physical constraints reinforced the decision: Aqualibra's swim platform, boarding ladder, and heavy-duty dinghy davits leave no clean mounting point for a Hydrovane or Monitor windvane.▶ 3:49 In practice, the primary B&G autopilot steered to apparent wind angle; the original Whitlock/Raymarine unit served as backup but failed due to NMEA 0183 wiring faults caused by condensation after the heater failed.▶ 5:01 Electrical supply — 500 W of solar, a Watt and Sea hydrogenerator, and an engine alternator — was never a limiting factor.▶ 5:59 On a surfing boat with a cluttered transom, two electric pilots outweigh the power-independence advantage of a windvane.▶ 6:38
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