A gap year and victories

After exploring the corners of the Southern region with his family, pilot Hans Hutzler made history in the International Recife-Fernando de Noronha Regatta (Refeno) and came second in Cape2Rio

In the year of his fiftieth birthday, pilot Hans Hutzler, from Pernambuco Pilotage Zone (ZP-09), took a gap year with his family and focused on races aboard the catamaran Aventureiro 4

From January to July 2022, he sailed in the Southern region with his wife Karina and 10-year-old son Felipe. Then he competed in the Ilhabela Sailing Week in São Paulo, winning all six races in the multihull class. In September, he made history by winning the International Recife-Fernando de Noronha Regatta (Refeno). Hutzler completed the 30 nautical miles to the archipelago in 32 hours, 49 minutes and 56 seconds. A lone sailor has never completed the race in such a large boat – the Aventureiro 4 was built in 2020 in France and is 51 feet long.

In November, after a thorough overhaul of the boat, the family set off to Cape Town, South Africa, departing in January 2023 for Rio de Janeiro in Cape2Rio, the only long-haul regatta in the southern hemisphere, held every three years. He was runner-up, achieving the same feat as Brazil in 2003, after having sailed 3,646 nautical miles in 20 days.

Hans Hutzler’s adventures, however, began long before, when the family left from Recife (Pernambuco-PE) for Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul-RS) to explore the three southern states. At Lagoa dos Patos (RS), they visited amazing places, such as Porto do Barquinho, Cristóvão Pereira, Saco de Tapes and São Lourenço do Sul. In Santa Catarina, one of the highlights was Armação da Piedade. And in Paranaguá Bay (Paraná-PR), they were delighted with the Medeiros Community in Guaraqueçaba, Puruquara Island and Varadouro Canal that flows into Trapandé Bay, in São Paulo.

In fact, in Paraná, they confronted the worst hazard of the voyage on their way to the Medeiros Community. It was a calm day, and the catamaran sailed on automatic pilot. Hans Hutzler saw on the electronic chart a rock submerged four meters in depth, but he was unaware of anything and went down for some chocolate. On his return the rock was ten meters from the bow, only “three and a half inches outside the water".

“There was only time to press the automatic pilot and turn the wheel around completely. Luckily I’m a harbor pilot. The boat turned the stern over the rock. Just in time to press the automatic pilot and turn the entire wheel. Then I turned the wheel to the other side to save the stern. We passed less than one meter from the rock”, he reported on the YouTube channel Hashtag Sal.

One of the negatives of the voyage was seeing how much plastic there is everywhere, now a global concern. For the family, each sailing and anchoring is a learning experience, mainly due to the welcoming nature of the Brazilians.

“We visited some fantastic places. But what stays in my mind are the people and human warmth that we encountered on our way. Every day is a school day.“

After competing in the Ilhabela Sailing Week (SP), Hutzler faced a major challenge: sailing a catamaran single-handed for the first time in the 300-nautical mile Refeno regatta (Recife-Fernando de Noronha). It was also the largest solo sailing boat in the competition. And, thanks to a different strategy than the other competitors, he left behind the Pernambucan Patoruzú, three-times champion of the regatta.

It was not a fast race. A few hours after the start on September 24, a fair wind began in relation to the island (crosswind) and Hutzler chose to force the course (more open to the wind), gaining speed but unable to make for the island. That night, the tracking system showed that it was the right tactic and, as the wind opened, the Aventureiro 4 took the lead, not to lose it again.

“In the early dawn of Sunday morning, I caught sight of the Patoruzú 2.2 nautical miles astern. At 6:30am a heavy storm was imminent (a rain cloud bringing very strong wind). By then I was 2.5 miles ahead of my adversary. The wind was 33 knots, I managed to take down the prow sail just in time.”

The Patoruzú did not catch all this wind, but suffered a breakdown which left it drifting for six hours, missing its opportunity to dispute the race for the Blue Riband. In 2021, the Aventureiro 4 had arrived just 12 minutes after its "rival".

“This was the first Refeno for this boat, I felt it had a lot of potential. Weight, however, is a very important factor with catamarans. The best strategy was to sail as light as possible”, Hutzler explained.

Eighty-one vessels competed in Refeno 2022. The Zero Mark start is always a major event and attracts a huge public. You can watch it on YouTube with narration by Karina Hutzler, Hans’ wife and sailor too, who detailed every boat that passed.

In November, the family left for Cape Town to prepare for Cape2Rio. In fact, the preparation began in 2020, with the

Aventureiro 4 still in the French shipyard, undergoing changes to meet the race’s 93 safety requirements, the last being completed a few days before departure to Rio de Janeiro. That year, Hans Hutzler competed in Cape2Rio as navigator of a Rio de Janeiro boat and ended in fourth place, a valuable experience that contributed to the new challenge.

Planning also involved a weather study analyzing historic data and simulating routes, essential for a regatta. During the crossing, with updated information, these plans are reviewed using specialist routing software. This year, the conditions were atypical with weaker winds, and even no winds at all in some regions, causing him to change the routes.

According to Hutzler, his pilot experience helps a lot in competitions in the sailing world:

“We bring a baggage of nautical expertise. We study weather and navigation not just for the pilot practitioner selection process. That certainly helps”.

The captain-cum-navigator’s family boat had six crew members, among them his son Felipe, the youngest of the group. He has been sailing since he was six years old in the Optimist class and ventures as a writer. In his third book, with his own illustrations, Felipe will describe the voyage to Africa and return to Rio. In his first publication, Sailing in Trunks, the theme was the Aventureiro 4’s arrival to Brazil from the shipyard. The second book will describe his gap year, every adventure in which he had the good fortune to be aboard.

His father is not sure if he will compete in Cape2Rio in 2026. In his horizon, he intends to dedicate himself to his son’s races in the Optimist class, since Felipe was unable to compete in the 2022 Brazilian championship. A good cause, isn’t it?

FOR 215 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN SAFELY STEERING SHIPS INTO PORTS, PROTECTING MARITIME TRADE, PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY LIVE

Event

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Navigation Aids

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Condolences

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Anniversary

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Solidarity

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