Jordan series drogue

[Rorge]

I am in the throes of making a Jordan series drogue, which is normally deployed over the stern in heavy weather. Has anyone got any experience of using it deployed over the bow as a sea anchor, in clement weather?
I do like things to serve more than one purpose if possible.

Thanks in advance

 

[tugboat]

If you are using an inflatable Jordan, I suppose it could have a second purpose. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Talbot]

Proper series drogue will be at least 100m from boat to end of series drogue. I assume that you have a proper bridle located from each side of the boat and that you have really beefed up the fixing for these bridle fixings? The stress on these is enormous, and one of them pulling out would leave boat in a very dangerous position with a big hole in the side!

Why bother fixing from the bow, it will be much easier to recover from the stern.

 

[Becky]

I have no experience of deploying a drogue over the bow. But I would imagine it would be fairly useless. We have a parachute sea anchor thingy that is 18 feet in diameter, and has absolutely miles of very thick warp attached. It almost completely fills my poor little study. Bearing in mind that it is supposed to hold the yacht's head to windward while a storm rolls over it, it must be very big. Conversely a drogue is intended to slow a yacht down so that it remains controllable while surfacing down waves. Therefore it needs to be much smaller. All explained in 'Heavy Weather Sailing' and other similar publications.

Those dogs are talking about me again

 

[AndrewB]

No.

I don't see the point. If you want to mark time for a while in moderate conditions, heave-to.

Agree with you about doubling up stuff. Mine also serves as an extra long mooring warp - looks a bit odd, but works fine.

 

[Talbot]

Drogue (especially a series drogue) has a lot of similarities to the parachute - enormous amounts of rope. a lot of parachute area, but in the series drogue case, there are lots of little drogues (over 100 for 30ft boat).

the Parachute is designed to stop the boat completely, cause any sternway would run the risk of damaging the rudder.

The series drogue is designed to fit to the stern and enable the boat to make 1-2 kts, thus no strain on the rudder. Using it in much milder conditions, I would expect it to have very little sternway. This is not true of other drogue designs which are not designed to anchor the boat, but allow forward motion under more controlled conditions.

 

[jonjo]

Re: Only a drogue + anchor?

One of the mast ladder suppliers suggests that his ladder could be streamed as a drogue.

Just think you get a Ladder, Drogue, Sea Anchor and MOB recovery device for the price of one /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[philmarks]

That sounds like a good idea. How big is your boat, and what cup size are you using? Also, make sure that the straps are well oversized, to cope with the loading. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Forbsie]

As you have probably no idea what these reprobates are on about, Here is Jordan with a pair of serious drougues. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[philmarks]

You're obviously more reprobate than I am

 

[Forbsie]

Well THAT goes without saying!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Talbot]

The Jordan series drogue is a bit more expensive than the Australia one http://www.seriesdrogue.com/

 

[Rorge]

Many thanks for all your ideas, serious, frivolous and down right fascinating but irrelevant! In answer to Philmarks, the boat is 35 feet long, I'm using 5 inch cones, and I've been told that I need 109 of them. That will keep me quiet for a while, sewing them! The bridle attachment points have been beefed up with slabs of stainless under the deck. If they pull out, then I think the boat will be in two halves.

Thanks again