Should I get a sea anchor?

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Guest

Guest
I am considering buying a sea anchor. I have seen information on the US Coastguard site and it has more or less left me confused. Should I get a parachute type or a daisy chain of small cones (drogues). Other things I have read say you should not have a sea anchor and you are safer without anything. Has anyone experience in this and can offer advice. The US Coastguard article is at http://www.sailrite.com/drogue_information.htm
 
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Guest

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Be careful that some things sold as sea anchors are droges and completely different.

A couple of years ago YM did some tests on sea anchors that should tell you alot.
 
G

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What sort of sailing are you planning?

I have never been in a situation where I have had to deploy even warps so I have no practical experience to draw on, though I have been involved in some trials of drogues including the daisy chain type. Drogues are devices with the power to slow a yacht running before the wind and keep its stern to the seas. A sea anchor is more power full and will old a yacht more or less stationary head to wind. A parachute anchor is a very powerful sea anchor.

The daisy chain is not available commercially, as far as I am aware, so you will have to make it up yourself and it is a despeately long and fiddly process. It does, however work pretty well, by all accounts, though it can take a bit of recovering.

Bill Cooper, I know, has views on this and is worth listening to. In the meantime, I would say that for general coastal cruising and cross Channel stuff, a sea anchor is not necessary. Don't buy one ahead of a storm jib (with a practical means of hoisting if you have roller furling), nor, I would suggest, a radar.

In my view, the first defence, in winds up to Force Eight and nine, is to heave to. If you want to/have to run down wind, and you are worried about broaching and being caught beam on, trail as long a length warps as you can in a bight to keep your stern to the sea. A purpose-made drogue will do the same job a bit more efficiently.

Next stage up is to lie bow to a sea anchor using a bridle, or spring, to keep the bow at about 60 degrees to the seas. The Pardys have done some interesting work in this field.

The parachute anchor has its problems, according to reports and trials. It is a very powerful stopping mechanism but is the devil to deploy in bad considitions and must be set up before the weather really deteriorates. It is also hard to recover, but that is not so important. It has very little give so snatch loads can be huge and may well overwhelm the deck hardware on many production boats. It is popular with catamaran owners and may be the only device with the power to hold one of these high windage boats head to wind.

But to return to first principles, I would only consider a sea anchor one if I was planning serious long term cruising
 
G

Guest

Guest
Read "Heavy Weather Sailing", but ...

... NONE of the 50 or so blue water cruisers I spoke to in 1997 about their heavy weather tactics had used a sea anchor in anger, even the 12 who had been in extreme conditions (F10+). Heaving-to is the invariable heavy weather tactic, either with a storm jib, or with no sails at all. It depends on the boat, but I'm fairly convinced (with some personal experience) that its better with a tiny storm jib, or better still a stay-sail, that will balance the rudder.

The Pardey's make a strong case for their bridle system, but there seems to be little support generally among the blue-water fraternity for this approach. Launching such a device in extreme conditions is daunting, and people fear being the yacht being thrown backwards if held to firmly by the bows.

I've tested warps in heavy conditions and plan on carrying a series drogue in future. But this is only useful if you have stacks of sea-room, and are facing large breaking swells, not the kind of chop we see round Britain.

I'm sure James is right - put storm sails first.
 
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Yes if you are going Blue Water cruising. Like flares and liferaft you hope you never need them. But the day that you do.....
 
G

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I'd suggest not, unless you intend to do oceanic passages through cyclone areas.

There are two schools of thought about paranchors - those who consider them the panacea for all ills (Pardeys and USCG) and those who consider them a dangerous toy (Dashew & others).

There's no doubt about the value of a well-designed drogue - thy're commonly used by the RNLI for reducing sheering under tow.
 
G

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Re: Why......

A sea anchor holds you in place on the sea. It invariably is deployed from the bows and thus in severe weather the boat will occasionally 'fall' back onto its rudder with the risk of steering damage.

As it is recommended by the USCG there are many interesting American experiences with these monsters. Many appear to part the warp due, not to load, but to heat generated in the warp itself.

I have one. It came with the boat and is made from seriously heavy canvas. It lives in my garage where I suspect it will stay.

The Americans also have a drogue which is known as a 'galerider'. Its a webbing system that doesn't produce the drag of a sea anchor.

Altho it received very little publicity here in Europe, there was a severe storm in the South Pacific in the late 90's which was known as the 'Queens Birthday storm'. It caught out many yachts sailing from the Pacific Islands to NZ. Many different tactics were used including sea anchors, drogues, lying a-hull and running off. See if you can get some info on it.

Many people were severely injured and thus did nothing...and their vessels survived.

Your own tactics depend upon location and how much room you have. Heave to, lie a-hull or run off. You can even try 'dodging' which is a fishing boat tactic. You motor very slowly into the seas with enough steerage way control the vessel.

Best of all....spend the money on a good weather fax system and avoid the storms.
 
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Guest

Guest
Thanks all for your comments. The general advice seems to be to look to other storm tactics first. I do have a self tacking storm jib / stay-sail. My boat is a 27ft cruising catamaran and I intend to sail offshore Europe. I think I will hold of buying the sea anchor until I have been out in a storm (not too severe I hope) and practiced my bad weather sailing first.

As suggested, the money might be better used put towards a weather fax and radar or even extra time at the bar when the weather forecast is bad.
 
G

Guest

Guest
You should have mentioned that you had a Catamaran as I believe it is accepted that sea anchors are worth using for multi hulls. I am not at all experienced but very well read! Actually I have just got back from a "Heavy Weather Techniques" course run on the Challenger Yachts. Very good value and very useful although the weather was not heavy that week! (I was quite happy about that actually!) The very experienced skipper said that his only tried and trusted survival storm tactic ws active helming dead down wind, perpendicular to the wave train. That was for monohulls.
 
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Guest

Guest
You should have mentioned that you had a Catamaran as I believe it is accepted that sea anchors are worth using for multi hulls. I am not at all experienced but very well read! Actually I have just got back from a "Heavy Weather Techniques" course run on the Challenger Yachts. Very good value and very useful although the weather was not heavy that week! (I was quite happy about that actually!) The very experienced skipper said that his only tried and trusted survival storm tactic ws active helming dead down wind, perpendicular to the wave train. That was for monohulls.
 
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Guest

Guest
Where are your catamarans windows? If large when lying ahull the breaking crest that would knock down a monohull could smash in your windows and swamp you. It happened to a Catalac a few years ago with the loss of one life. Far better to take the seas bow on lying to a sea ancor or run before with a droug. The question then is;- have you the room to run, and could she pitchpole? are the forward windows any safer than the side ones?
 
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Having used the "dodging" technique on fishing boats (with large powerful engines) and on my HR Rasmus/NAB(with long keel and bigger than average engine for a yacht) , yes it works, but does rely on being able to use power to move the boat out of the path of the breaking crest. I don't know if fin keel,spade rudder and minimum powered engine could achieve the desired effect.
 
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