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Autopilot FAILURE 1000 MILES FROM LAND | Sailing Across the Atlantic Ocean – Ep.201
March 14, 2025 · 26 min · 82K views
What this video covers
A Leopard 44 catamaran crew faces a total autopilot failure five days into a 3,000-mile Atlantic crossing.0:51 The primary drive unit fails due to a worn belt and stripped gear teeth, forcing the crew to hand-steer in two-hour shifts.6:56 Initial attempts to repair the unit by elongating motor mounting holes to increase belt tension provide only temporary relief before the gear teeth strip further.7:08 The crew eventually restores limited functionality by rebuilding the damaged cog using epoxy and spare materials, allowing the autopilot to operate in light trade wind conditions.16:49 During the same passage, the crew replaces two splintered mainsail battens and repairs a torn batten pocket with adhesive sail cloth.3:02 They also deploy a symmetrical spinnaker without a pole by securing the tack and clew to the catamaran’s wide bows.15:59 The crew concludes that carrying a dedicated, high-capacity spare autopilot is essential for long-distance offshore passages, as small tiller pilots are insufficient for a vessel of this size.10:49
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