After Cape Leeuwin. The hardness of the Vendée Globe does not even spare our Alessandro, who is continuing his race nearly 5,000 miles from the leader, with all the Pacific Ocean to do before being able to round Cape Horn.
For three days, Alexander must in fact deal with a problem with both autopilots (1 and 2, it remains the third in reserve) and is forced to frequently turns at the helm. The skipper took the time to find a viable solution to the problem, reducing the good average speed that had marked his navigation in the last days. Since the last posts of this night, it seems that Alessandro has found a solution to “buffer” the problem. Di Benedetto, in the last communication, says he acted on the control unit that governs autopilots, finding a compromise and partially solve the problem by changing the information on the source of the speed of the boat, which drew in deception autopilots.
Another problem has also distinguished this not an easy start to the year of Alessandro: the circuit that keeps the rudder blade in the water has broken. For some time, Alessandro has also taken into consideration to seek shelter sailing to the Auckland or Campbell isles, a few hundred miles to the east, and then decided to take action immediately. Under a storm of hail (…I could gather a few handfuls of ice on the bridge and get a good sorbet with lemon juice and sugar…) Alessandro was able to lift the rudder blade, change the circuit and replace the rudder in the water. With this compromise to reset the autopilot he was able to restore the optimal sail area and increase the speed, but also recover lost sleep staying so long at the helm.