Drogues?

[CJ13]

Does anyone out there have experience of Drogues? - silly question really.
We've recently bought a Bav 39, which has a Lalizas Prof Drogue No 1 as part of the inventory.
The throat is 2.0m across and it's 1.65m long - seems huge.
1. Is it a suitable size for a 12m boat?
2. How best to set it up / deploy?

 

[vyv_cox]

Useful article in the most recent YM or PBO. Based on that, your size drogue would be a very useful bit of kit. It won't be a sea anchor, you would need more than twice that diameter to compare with recommended size of para-anchor, but a great help in keeping you safe in big breaking waves.

 

[philip_stevens]

I have just finished reading "The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss" (Travel Book Club Edition 1950). He sailed around the world, at the end of the 1800's, in an Indian dug-out canoe over a period of 3 years.

He survived a great number of gales and storms (and on a later voyage, a typhoon - but his rope parted during the storm) - by using a "sea anchor" and a mizzen sail. He gives various dimensions for different sized boats and whether to have round or square mouth sea anchors.

 

[savageseadog]

Very fine shoes indeed

 

[beserksail]

[ Very fine shoes indeed ]

Who's gona tell im. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[LadyInBed]

He gives various dimensions for different sized boats and whether to have round or square mouth sea anchors.

That would be useful data to find on line /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[manlyp]

It sounds about the right size for a 39' boat. As a speed limiting device, I would deploy the drogue on a swivel on the end 50m of 18mm nylon line connected to the stern quarters of the boat on a bridle. Take the ends of the bridle to the primary winches so the drogue can assist steering.

 

[wooslehunter]

Never used a drogue for speed control in a storm but have used smaller ones to stabilise a tow many times. Deployment has to be the same. The smaller ones will cause all kinds of problems so bigger ones are worse.

Here's how we do it for a tow. The warp is checked for twists, snags & anything else that could cause a problem. The bitter end is made off to a bridle & the other attached to the drogue with a swivel. Next the warp is payed out from the bitter end until it forms a long loop back to the boat. The drogue is still in the boat. In fact in a big sea, short handed, it's a good idea to tie it in. The reason why the drogue goes in last is that if there's a problem with the warp you're just fighting a warp in the sea, not a drogue. Even a small one will pull you over if you step in a loop in the warp. Any snags can be sorted with no problems. Last of all, the drogue goes over. Getting it back in a tow situation is easy, you can just pull it in once the tow has stopped. At sea in a moving situation it's going to be much different.

How do people bring in a drogue at sea? Motoring astern could foul it. Pull the warp up to the bow & motor foreward seems a better idea.

 

[Graham_Wright]

[ QUOTE ]
Never used a drogue for speed control in a storm but have used smaller ones to stabilise a tow many times. Deployment has to be the same. The smaller ones will cause all kinds of problems so bigger ones are worse.


[/ QUOTE ]

??? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[2nd_apprentice]

[ QUOTE ]
He gives various dimensions for different sized boats and whether to have round or square mouth sea anchors.

That would be useful data to find on line /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You can download the entire book as PDF, DOC or TXT file on google books (and it's well worth the read) but since you asked for it: here's the appendix

 

[mbuco]

Its probably the sea anochor than drogue. I think for drogue the dimensions are too big.

 

[philip_stevens]

[ QUOTE ]
You can download the entire book as PDF, DOC or TXT file on google books

[/ QUOTE ]

can you show me where it is downloadable, please /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[2nd_apprentice]

Try here

 

[philip_stevens]

Many thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

I have a 43 ft boat and when I looked at the line loadings for a suitable sea anchor, it would have meant carrying a dedicated 18mm line on board.( recommendation: 1.9m dia, 3squ.m)
My solution was to go for two smaller sea anchors (1.3m dia) which add up to about the same cross sectional area so that the regular mooring lines can be used.
Here is a good article which discusses the options
http://www.sea-anchors.com/sail.htm

 

[vyv_cox]

Interesting sizes. They are a good deal smaller than recommended here. I have always understood that my 35 ft boat would need a parachute anchor of something like 4 metres diameter. It seems there are considerable differences of opinion and experience on the subject.

I thought the recent PBO article on the subject was very revealing. They had a much smaller drogue, about the size that you suggest, and found it very helpful.