Emergency Steering

[wooslehunter]

Following on from the post about tillers breaking it'd be interesting to hear if anyone's actually tried this one:

Rig a line in a loop around the ends of your spinny pole. Tie a bucket or small drogue to the loop via a short line so it can be pulled from one end to the other. Rig the pole horizontally across the transom & trail the drogue.

By pulling the drogue to either end of the pole you create drag on one side & pull the boat round.

It sounds as if it would get you home but anyone actually tried it?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Ships_Cat]

I personally know one boat that sailed itself home during an ocean crossing using a towed drogue - as far as I know they did not have to use a pole or anything, just towed out towards one quarter or the other.

I know the owner and see him most weekends - I will ask him.

In their case they lost the whole rudder as the stock sheared where it entered the hull. Sure not to be as easy, of course, if the rudder is jambed, etc.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[maxi]

Yes, saftey requirements for the YM Triangle races demanded an emergency steering device & we employed a drogue from the transom. Deployed from the mid beam section was more effective but tended to eat the gel coat around the transom.

It does work & works even better when you achieve a good working balance on the sails, but I certainly wouldn't consider it other than in open waters as a last resort.

We also experimented with the locker lid/spinnaker boom solution, but it was a non-starter in anything of a seaway.

<hr width=100% size=1>