Sea anchors

[Observer]

I have one of the drogue type (like a windsock) sea anchors (not sure of exact size but guess about 1m diameter) which I bought when wandering around a swindlery several years ago. From the little I've read about them, I think it's far too small to be effective as a sea anchor for the size of boat (42' sportscruiser) to help weather a storm at sea. However, bearing in mind I'm unlikely to be ever caught out at sea in a storm, might it have some utility in (say) circumstances where engines have failed or props fouled to hold the bow to weather if the water is too deep to anchor in?

Would the panel recommend I test it out one day in suitable conditions, (say F4-5, moderate sea)? Longest line I have on board is 45m anchorplait. Would that be suitable? I assume deploy from bow?

Or should I just get rid of it cos it will never be good for anything and is taking up space?



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[Roberto]

afaik, to be effective a sea anchor should have a diameter roughly equal to the boat beam, yours seems too small to provide enough drag

but as always all this drogue-sea anchor things are far from being scientific..



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[Ohdrat]

I have read (note no personal experience) that chain can be better than rope for either drogue or sea anchor as the weight of the chain helps to keep the drogue/sea anchor submerged.. also the length or rope/chain used should be longer than the distance between wave crests, thus when the boat is ontop of one wave crest the drogue/sea anchor is below the crest of the wave behind/infront of the boat..

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[ChrisE]

Not sure about all chain rode

The latest edition of Heavy Weather Sailing, updated by Peter Bruce, has got the comparitive tests for drogues and make recommendations for their use. They tested theirs in calm conditions and pulled against the drogue using the engine.

I've got a series drogue which is 120m of 20mm multiplat with 120 7 inch min-drogues at 70cm intervals. You need some chain or a kedge to get the thing well submerged but I'd have thought chain for all of the rode might be too inextensible.

Fortunately, I've never had to deploy but those who have report good things about them

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[KevB]

Ask massive_pi\'s cousin

I seem to remember reading a thread recently which had an account of how someone used a parachute obtained from an Army surplus store as a sea anchor.

Was used on quite a large boat after suffering engine failure./forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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[tcm]

a small one is for "anchoring" out at sea, miles from anywhere, but obv in calm conditions, fishing etc ,and i wd use it for that.

Of course, being a mug who can't resist buying all sort of stuff, i have got a massive parachute anchor too, and sevral times the boat length in anchorplait too, but not had chance to try it yet....



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[KevB]

You didn't per chance buy your parachute anchor second hand, still attached to a cleat and two Sq mtrs of boat?

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[Talbot]

Re: Not sure about all chain rode

Interested that you are using multiplait. I asked the Australians about this rather than their recommended double braid, and they came back with no answer. To my mind the multiplait is better cause of its ease of handling, but how did you secure the little drogues?

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[ShipsWoofy]

nah, it had the tail fin of a harrier attached though!

And, at least the diameter equal to the beam of the boat, bloody hell, where am I going to get a 13ft 9" drogue that wont sink the boat!

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[ChrisE]

Re: Not sure about all chain rode

I used the recipe from YM about 9 years ago it was by ... (senior moment here*) ...

First of all you get your mother-in-law and her pal (I bless them to this day) to make the droguelets (120 of them) and get them to sew 3 18" long straps onto the little devils that run front to back. Then you weave each into the multiplat with a fid or as in my case surgical forceps. The idea is that you thread the droguelet onto the braid then attach the back straps fairly tightly and give the front ones sufficient play to allow the droguelet to fill. Took about 10 mins per droguelet to fix, it is without doubt the most fiddly job we (Liz did half) have ever done.

*I've remembered it was Noel Dilley

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[PaulJ]

Sea Anchors and Drogues are very different animals...... A Sea anchor is a big thing and for your boat would need to be about 15-18ft in Diameter. It would be deployed from the bow in "survival" conditions and would limit your drift downwind to maybe about a knot.

What you describe sounds like a Drogue and would be trailed behind on a long rope/chain to slow you down when running off with the wind behind you. Under these conditions the boat can go uncomfortably fast and even get out of control so the idea is to stop you surfing and overtaking the waves. Actually this thing sounds a bit small even for this purpose I think 5-6ft dia would probably be nearer the mark but I guess all you can do is try it and see what effect it has.

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[Gunfleet]

<<Or should I just get rid of it cos it will never be good for anything and is taking up space?>>
once you've started down that road there's no end to it. Imagine all the poor starving journalists and chandlers who'd end up on the beach!

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[dom]

Definitely a drogue. Be careful using a drogue with a motorboat if it has large glass doors at the back. These can easily get pushed in if you get pooped. Often planing hulls do better to run away from breaking following seas. I think even the lifeboats don't really use droges much or at all now.

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[Talbot]

Re: Ask massive_pi\'s cousin

The use of an ex wd parachute as a sea anchor is the way that early practioners of this art developed it. However, you need to use a cargo parachute which has the thick webbing and strong enough material for heavy loads, rather than one sized for a person. These chutes are still available, but you also need to get the correct size. One of the problems of a parachute on the bow is the need to ensure that the boat is actually stopped in the water, cause otherwise there can be fearsome loads on the rudder, and rudder failure was not unknown.

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[starboard]

sea anchor and drouge differant things...the drouge has a hole in its backside to let the water flow through, the sea anchor does not. In my RNLI days a lot off the old conventional lifeboats carried drouges, mainly to trail astern whilst running back up the beach in a big following sea ( beach launched boats that is) On our Arran class we carried a canvas douge of about 3ft diameter atached to half fathom of chain and swivel then attached to length of rope, to be honest the only time it was ever used was to trail from stern of any casualty that had lost rudder, steering whilst under tow. This would always help to keep the towed vessel stable and under control.

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[Observer]

Well I've definitely got a hole in my backside so must be a drogue. Suppose it's not much bluddy use then.

Anybody want to buy a lightly used (unused) drogue - all reasonable offers considered?

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[starboard]

Would'nt say no bluddy use...hang on to it, next time you loose the steering it will save the lifeboat passing over thiers to steady the tow!!

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[Becky]

We have a sea anchor that has actually been used on HWMBO's last Atlantic crossing. The advantage is that by staying roughly still, the storm passes over you more quickly. Or so I have been told. But it is ENORMOUS, comes in lots of bags, and is at this moment behind me in my study. Haven't found a space big enough on board yet. Be glad to see the back of it from home.
But preferably I will try to avoid really bad weather. If Andrew Simpson has managed it in all his years at sea, maybe I will too

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[boatmike]

Excellent equipment for light motor boats with big patio doors in a hurricane. Stick your head through the hole and tie the ends to your ankles. Keeps the rain off while you crap yourself......

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