Sea Anchors and Drogues

[Sevi]

Hey All-

Does anyone have any experience or strong opinions regarding the necessity and use for sea anchors and/or drogue chutes? I'm planning on leaving in approximately 2 months for a five year circumnavigation.

Thanks in advance for your responses and help.

[LakeSuperior]

The answer is YES! Use the search function on CF. These very subjects are dissected down to the molecular level repeatedly on perhaps up to 100's of threads.

[thinwater]

Also look at the Drag Devise Database and Practical Sailor.

How Much Drag is in a Drogue? - Practical Sailor Print Edition Article

And if you add the boat type and other data to your profile it will improve the quality of the answers. For example, on a big enough boat, a drogue is probably not needed or very useful, but on a smaller boat perhaps vital. Mono or multi? Details matter.

[Don C L]

Here you go:
Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base | Using Parachutes, Sea Anchors and Drogues to Cope with Heavy Weather – Over 130 Documented Case Histories

What kind of boat do you have?

[Sevi]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Here you go:
Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base | Using Parachutes, Sea Anchors and Drogues to Cope with Heavy Weather – Over 130 Documented Case Histories

What kind of boat do you have?

I've got an IP38

[Snowpetrel]

I've used drogues twice. Both times I was pretty glad to have them, but these times were deep in the southern ocean. If you are staying in the tropics a big heavy seakindly boat like yours will probably fine without. The seabrakes aren't a bad unit. They store Ok and make an OK emergency steering device.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Sevi]

Thank you

[thinwater]

Actually, one of the best reasons, for ANY boat, is emergency steering. How many times have you heard of a boat being abandoned because of bent rudder? That's enough reason.

It is quite practical to steer with a drogue. Google it. The trick is getting the right size and rigging it right (short bridle).

[UNCIVILIZED]

They're also handy in that they give you more optiions to take a rest. Either before you're fully exhausted, or are past that point. Especially as a lot of people have decided to call for rescue simply because they were tired & scared.
So being able to get some time to recharge, or slow things down, in terms of boat speed or that events are happening at, can be pretty useful.

I'd really prefer to have one even if I didn't technically "need" one.

[reed1v]

We tried several different types but found they were a nuisance to deploy, a pain to get back in and created a mess on deck. Just lying ahull, going downwind under bare poles, and sailing off wind with a storm sail were easier to do, safer imho, and allowed one to quickly adjust to circumstances(floating debris, breaking waves, ice, and curious or out of control fishing vessels).

In really bad conditions, just going down below and letting the boat seek its own path is a workable strategy. Of course we had a heavy tub of a boat.

Was on a santa cruz 50 once when we had to sail through the edge of a hurricane. On that boat, it made sense to keep sailing regardless of the seas.

There may be times when you really need to stop the boat from running onto a lee shore, or buy time before it does; and then a sea anchor makes sense. Otherwise, you are just creating more problems for yourself. "Look honey, guess what we have wrapped around the prop!"

[buzzstar]

You may wish to read, as practical rather than technical or pure opinion material, Fatty Goodlander's book on the subject, and the Pardey book which also addresses the same subject. I think the Goodlander book is called, "Storm Tactics," but I simply cannot recall the name of the Pardey's book. In any event both authors are good writers as well as informative. They both focus on their own vessels (of different sizes,etc.) but they are also much more experienced and articulate than the typical commenter on CF.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Sevi

I've got an IP38

As do I, I have an 18' sea anchor and I believe 600' of rode, rode may be a little excessive, nothing says I have to pay it all out.

Its like a fire extinguisher, I hope I never need it, but if you do, you need it bad.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

As do I, I have an 18' sea anchor and I believe 600' of rode, rode may be a little excessive, nothing says I have to pay it all out.

Its like a fire extinguisher, I hope I never need it, but if you do, you need it bad.

Actually I think you may need more than that for your sea anchor rather than less. I don't have one but I thought it said 750' of no-stretch super strong line.. gotta check...
edit, ok I can't find it.. but Victor Shane's recommendation is 300' but I think that may be too short in more extreme scenarios because he then goes on to point out the importance of keeping divergence loads as low as possible, so you don't want to be on the crest when your para-anchor is in a trough.

[fuentes]

Look up" Jordan Series Drogue". I made mine. All the information as to how to make it, what you need, how many cones in relation to boat weight, etc. is on the internet. I made the cones of Hurculin (I think that is how it is spelled)(Ann suggested using that material). We have not used it, but I am a true believer of having one.

[barnakiel]

Both have use IMHO.

I myself never used the chute, only drogues.

My clients used a chute when waiting our Alex.

Local fishermen here use chutes when fishing.

Cheers,
b.