Drogue or Parachute on a Catamaran in a Gale?

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Going Walkabout:

I don't know whether or not you've seen it, but mikereed posted aboout using a series drogue with a catamaran. His thread provoked a lot of comment.

Ann

No I didn't see that thread. Ill search for it. Thanks Ann

Chaya

[ArmyDaveNY]

I have not been following all of the posts, so I apologize in advance if this was already said, but the drogue and the parachute sea anchor server two different purposes. You may want both.

[englishseadog]

Originally Posted by b_rodwell

This is a little off topic but actually relevant to choosing a Jordan series drogue.

It has been pointed out that deploying a correctly set up Jordan series drogue is quite easy. Retrieval is said to be a bit harder. I would like to know what you think of this idea.

1. Attach say 10m of floating retrieval line to the end of the drogue. It is not attached directly to the boat and it would stream after the drogue.

2. When you want to retrieve the drogue, bouy the boat end and cast it off.

3. Motor around to the retrieval line and pick it up.

4. Pull the drogue in with the cones collapsed.

What are your critical thoughts on this idea?

Brian

Brian. An interesting thought but not practical.

A series drogue has a weight at the outer end (anything from 7 to 20 Kg). The weight is a vital component of the design and makes the outermost part droop vertically. Once the boat speeds up and greater drag is required, the tail comes up to the horizontal and additional cones exert drag. It is a simple and effective self-adjusting design. Given the drogue's lack of bouyancy, the outer end could be up to 100 metres (330 feet) under water with your scheme.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by AD28

Drag Device Database:

Drogues on Catamarans:
Drogues on Catamarans | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base

Sea Anchors on Catamarans:
Sea Anchors on Catamarans | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base


pick yer poison. These are stories from people who have experience.

Interesting reading. Really illustrates the point that there is no out of the box solution, you must know your boat, the device you are using, and adapt to the current conditions.

[Privilege]

Originally Posted by AD28

Drag Device Database:

Drogues on Catamarans:
Drogues on Catamarans | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base

Sea Anchors on Catamarans:
Sea Anchors on Catamarans | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base


pick yer poison. These are stories from people who have experience.

Thanks for posting that. I just spent two hours reading it all when I'm supposed to be working! There is nothing more informative than the accounts of people who have been through it.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by Privilege

Thanks for posting that. I just spent two hours reading it all when I'm supposed to be working! There is nothing more informative than the accounts of people who have been through it.

But no discussion on those links regarding a Jordan Series Drogue.

[maxingout]

During our circumnavigation we used our 18 foot diameter parachute one time in a winter storm three hundred miles north of New Zealand.

We carried a series drogue but never had to deploy it during the circumnavigation.

I made an Abbott Drogue and ran before the seas for several days during a storm on a passage from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands. It worked really well. The Abbott Drogue gave excellent directional stability and kept the speed at four knots in the fifty knot winds. The boat behaved very well with the Abbott Drogue. I like the Abbot Drogue because I can vary the amount of drag according to the conditions I am in.

My modus operandi is:
Parachute for survival conditions.

Abbott Drogue for running downwind in winds to fifty knots

Series Drogue for running downwind in winds above fifty knots with significant breaking seas.

If you want to learn more, check out the following links:

Abbott Drogue: ABBOTT DROGUE

Abbott Drogue: SAILING UNI- JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

Parachute Sea Anchor: SAILING UNI - JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

Deciding between a drogue and a sea anchor is pretty easy if you have both on board. If you don't have room to run downwind, you are pretty much stuck with a parachute sea anchor.

[44'cruisingcat]

Nice to see you here again Dave.


How was the boat riding to the sea anchor?

[maxingout]

Thanks. Good to be back.

The Privilege 39 did great on the parachute sea anchor. We were on it about 19 hours and drifted about a quarter of a mile.

Once we were lying to the parachute, we could have cooked a three course meal inside the catamaran. Riding to the parachute turned a bad situation into a very manageable one. Once we stopped driving the catamaran into the seas, the pummeling stopped. It was more like being on an elevator riding up and down on the waves tethered to a parachute. During the pummeling, we broke more than ten trampoline eyebolts that I had to replace when we arrived in New Caledonia. I guess we got off light!

A freighter going by asked us what we were doing out there in the winter storm north of New Zealand as most of the crew on the freighter were sea sick.

Later on we found out that one container ship lost nineteen containers in the sea in that storm.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by maxingout

During our circumnavigation we used our 18 foot diameter parachute one time in a winter storm three hundred miles north of New Zealand.

We carried a series drogue but never had to deploy it during the circumnavigation.

I made an Abbott Drogue and ran before the seas for several days during a storm on a passage from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands. It worked really well. The Abbott Drogue gave excellent directional stability and kept the speed at four knots in the fifty knot winds. The boat behaved very well with the Abbott Drogue. I like the Abbot Drogue because I can vary the amount of drag according to the conditions I am in.

My modus operandi is:
Parachute for survival conditions.

Abbott Drogue for running downwind in winds to fifty knots

Series Drogue for running downwind in winds above fifty knots with significant breaking seas.

If you want to learn more, check out the following links:

Abbott Drogue: ABBOTT DROGUE

Abbott Drogue: SAILING UNI- JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

Parachute Sea Anchor: SAILING UNI - JOIN TEAM MAXING OUT AS THEY SAIL AROUND THE WORLD ON THEIR PRIVILEGE 39 CATAMARAN - EXIT ONLY

Deciding between a drogue and a sea anchor is pretty easy if you have both on board. If you don't have room to run downwind, you are pretty much stuck with a parachute sea anchor.

Thanks you so much for that invaluable first hand information. It is very much appreciated.

[maxingout]

When I am sailing offshore, I mainly focus on storm avoidance rather than worry about what I will have to do in a storm. During our circumnavigation, we had winds to 50 knots on only three occasions offshore. Nothing over 50 knots. It was all very manageable with a parachute and drogues.

Drogues and Parachutes are not rocket science, and which one you use will be dictated by your circumstances. You can read all your books and have all your discussions about which to use and which is better. But when push comes to shove, it will be obvious which will work best for you in the prevailing sea state and wind conditions.

I carried a parachute, Abbott Drogue, and series drogue, and so far they have covered all the bases in a trade wind circumnavigation.

Storm avoidance is everything. Parachutes and drogues get you through if you make a mistake in your storm avoidance.