In April, 1984, Gigi (a Contessa 32 sloop) sailed in under the Golden Gate Bridge after successfully retracing the path of the Clipper ships of the 1800's from New York to San Francisco. Gigi is supposedly the smallest yacht to have rounded Cape Horn from the East to the West. A NAVIK vane gear kept the boat on course from New York to California.

By now several thousand NAVIK systems have been sold and many circumnavigations and ocean passages have been completed with the NAVIK steering the way. The sail around Cape Horn is one spectacular voyage of many.

In single-handed or shorthanded racing, the NAVIK has always been the preferred choice for smaller yachts. Nearly 90% of the participants in the Mini TransAtlantic Race have been sailing with NAVIK vane gears. In 1980 the race was won in record time by Californian Norton Smith on American Express using a NAVIK. A NAVIK steered the winning boat in the Jester class in the 1980 OSTAR (Observer Single-handed TransAtlantic Race). A NAVIK vane gear was chosen by Guy Bernardin for his 38' entry in the BOC single-handed around the world race (1982-83) and steered his boat through some of the worst weather areas of all.