A stealthy fix

Tony O’connor recalls fixing Gypsy Moth IV’S self-steering gear.

‘Many, many years ago,’ said Tony, ‘I sailed from Connecticut to Plymouth (via Crosshaven and the Scillies), with two other guys aboard a 42-foot yawl.

‘We had a self-steering wind vane designed by Blondie

Hasler. After laying the boat up for the winter, we visited the spectacular maritime museum at Greenwich, London where

Gypsy Moth IV was displayed. She had a similar, earlier design of our Hasler self-steering vane. We noticed it had been rigged incorrectly. So what did we do? We climbed out onto the fantail and fixed it.’

Tony O’connor, on the right, with crewmate Tom Gochberg on the left, fixing Gypsy Moth IV’S wind vane set up