Should I get a sea anchor?

[Seajet]

Well I'll chip in; as well as blue water heavy weather stuff - for which the book ' Heavy Weather Sailing ' is the bible, sea anchors / drogues have another more common function.

On deep fin keelers, especially those using an anchor warp and not much chain, trailing a drogue from the stern prevents the warp wrapping around the keel, which if it happens puts the boat broadside to the current with a tremendous dragging force on the anchor.

Using a stern drogue does mean the boat will be at maximum swinging radius, probably to the surprise of others, so only really useable for short term or uncrowded anchorages and in good holding - jolly handy though.

 

[LadyInBed]

Using a stern drogue does mean the boat will be at maximum swinging radius, probably to the surprise of others, so only really useable for short term or uncrowded anchorages and in good holding - jolly handy though.

Well that's Drogues delt with.
The question was, should I get a sea anchor?
I've got one, but never used it.

 

[capnsensible]

Been in a few mid atlantic storms. Some since this thread was first written. Up to 60 knots of breeze.

Always just run off downwind with a bit of headsail. Gotta concentrate on steering tho.

 

[EdWingfield]

When you deploy your sea anchor, what shape, and what lights will you show?

 

[Seajet]

Well that's Drogues delt with.
The question was, should I get a sea anchor?
I've got one, but never used it.

Here's a shock; traditional sea anchors - ie not seabrakes or series jobs - ARE drogues...

 

[capnsensible]

When you deploy your sea anchor, what shape, and what lights will you show?

I would say Restricted In Ability To Manouver rather than Not Under Command, but I bet there will be 437 alternative views!

 

[capnsensible]

Oh, its rule 27 if anyone wants to get warmed up!

 

[Neil_Y]

When you say offshore Europe you will be in most cases a day or two from a safe haven and in a cat you'll have the advantage of speed. If you watch the weather then you should have time to get to a harbour. The only route where you will be more exposed would be crossing Biscay in one hit from UK where you can be a two or three days out. I would think a cat would benefit from a sea anchor that could keep your bows into waves as I guess they don't heave to in breaking seas to well? My experience is all in in mono's (and racing F18 cats) and it's been heave to or in one storm with where there were two swell directions and breaking seas of around 10m we decided to run with a storm jib and trail warps which worked very well, slowing us and helping prevent the breaking waves on the stern pushing the back end round into a broach. In a cat it would have been too fast and would have risked tripping up I think.

 

[jac]

When you deploy your sea anchor, what shape, and what lights will you show?

Sod that.

The burning question is should you still lower your blue ensign at local sunset.

 

[LadyInBed]

Here's a shock; traditional sea anchors - ie not seabrakes or series jobs - ARE drogues...

Certainly is a shock, I thought it came from drag, like aircraft pull a drogue behind them.
ie:
drogue
drəʊɡ/
noun: drogue; plural noun: drogues

• a conical or funnel-shaped device with open ends, towed behind a boat, aircraft, or other moving object to reduce speed or improve stability.
  
  • an object resembling a drogue, used as an aerial target for gunnery practice or as a windsock.
  • (in tanker aircraft) a funnel-shaped part on the end of the hose into which a probe is inserted by an aircraft being refuelled in flight.
  • a small parachute used as a brake or to pull out a larger parachute or other object from an aircraft in flight or a fast-moving vehicle
  • noun: drogue parachute; plural noun: drogue parachutes
  
  which is a bit different to an anchor.

 

[KellysEye]

A sea anchor can only be used on a long keeler because the rudder is attached to the keel or a skeg hung rudder. A spade rudder would be torn off because the boat moves backwards. Spade rudder boats must use drogues. The only possible downside is if the storm last for a long time you need a lot of sea room. Para anchors and drogues are usually only kept on long distance sailing boats because you have to take whatever weather comes along. If you are not intending to do that I wouldn't waste money buying either of them.

We had long keel cutaway forefoot steel ketch and carried a para anchor, it was attached to the bows with a length of chain in hose and rope spliced to each end of the chain, fed through the metal/rope eye on the end of the parachute rope, then the ropes were tied to the foredeck cleats. Fortunately we never had to use it but it gave peace of mind.