Does a sea anchor reduce rollovers?

[psneeld]

oil helps flatten the seas...old timers would put oil in a leather bag and put a pin hole in it to drip oil on the leeward side to smooth out breaking waves coming their way...

wildly different effects depending on the sea...but in many cases it does help.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by psneeld

oil helps flatten the seas...old timers would put oil in a leather bag and put a pin hole in it to drip oil on the leeward side to smooth out breaking waves coming their way...

wildly different effects depending on the sea...but in many cases it does help.

Thanks. I have heard of that but didn't connect it with "oil bag" for some reason.

[bobconnie]

Racuflames Most of the ones Ive seen and used were 20 30 lbs of rags wrapped in heavy burlap, and soaked in oil with a bunch of heavy line to lash it aft in the water to smooth breaking water behind your boat in extreme weather, works best when your running with a storm downwind trailing warp or a droge. Theres lots of folks who say they don't work, but Ive used one a time or two and they worked for me ! just my old fashion ideas maybe!

[sctpc]

At 11:45 A.M. the ship was overpowered by a terrific squall and lay nearly on her beam ends. I decided then that our best course of action was to get the ship before the wind under bare poles, with a small sea anchor streamed astern to steady her, and oil bags placed along both sides. Had we been in open waters she could have lain, as she wished, under bare poles with absolute safety; but the steepness and irregularity of the breaking seas made it essential, in my opinion, to keep her bow or stern on to them at all costs.
The sea anchor was bent to a 3 ½-inch warp and secured aft. Eight oil bags were filled with fish oil and placed along her sides, and knives were placed handy to cut away the trysail in case it jammed and left the ship temporarily out of control in a dangerous position.
Storms and Sea Anchors

Release oil
An old technique is to pour oil on the sea to reduce the breaking waves. Apart from the environmental considerations, few yachts would carry sufficient to have any effect. Although some people have reported success with pumping cooking oil out through the heads whilst lying ahull (hove to under bare poles).

The boat slowly slips to leeward leaving an oil slick and the extra surface tension of the oil on the surface reduces the tendency of the waves to windward to break and thus protects the boat.
Sailtrain: Seamanship, heavy weather conditions.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by bene505

What about the benefits from a drogue (sea anchor) of disturbing the upper water, such that the seas don't break? The Pardey's wrote about it in Storm Tactics.

I'd think that would be a big factor in preventing roll-overs.

Regards,
Brad

IMHO this would be a far fetched conclusion.

- the sea anchor must ride deep enough so that it does not get tangled and carried away by rolling seas - this will limit its ability to smooth seas,
- seriously breaking wave can be hundreds of yards wide - the sea anchor will be yards wide,
- the seas may break between you and the sea anchor - in fact white water that has just started breaking seems to be the most powerful one.

BTW people above who suggest using oil - are you topsides tall enough to avoid water covered with oil coming onboard? If not, think twice. I believe if such water/oil mixture comes onboard, you may find it very tricky to go on deck and carry out any job.

Just free floating musings and opinions of mine.

Cheers,
b.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

IMHO this would be a far fetched conclusion.

- the sea anchor must ride deep enough so that it does not get tangled and carried away by rolling seas - this will limit its ability to smooth seas,
- seriously breaking wave can be hundreds of yards wide - the sea anchor will be yards wide,
- the seas may break between you and the sea anchor - in fact white water that has just started breaking seems to be the most powerful one.

BTW people above who suggest using oil - are you topsides tall enough to avoid water covered with oil coming onboard? If not, think twice. I believe if such water/oil mixture comes onboard, you may find it very tricky to go on deck and carry out any job.

Just free floating musings and opinions of mine.

Cheers,
b.

I concur... oily decks would be hell... just a few drops of diesel spill while topping up at sea can be dangerously slippy if water on the deck mixes with it... and when you consider a drogue/sea anchor needs to be at least two waves away its not gonna have much effect on any breaking waves...

[woff]

Check-out The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss. Amongst other things, in 1901 he sailed around the world in the Indian dugout canoe, Tilikum.' He attributes surviving numerous storms and a typhoon to heaving to under sea anchor and riding sail. He made an extensive study including size and distance of the anchor. He also used oil bags, I think they used whale oil.
The Jordan site has some interesting links to more recent studies. I've not used either but it will be part of the safety gear when I return to the UK. Reckon could also be part of liferaft equipment would be great if it could double as a kite.

[barnakiel]

Read a book about Tilikum when I was a kid. I still am. That was truly inspirational.

b.

[coldfish]

Back when I was younger, I used to work as a deckhand on a long-liner. We had "the fish", which were basically like a couple upside-down kites made of steel. We'd hang them from the outriggers. (sometimes just one, but usually both)

Basically, we were pulling line in that was about a quarter mile long, so we were moving as fast as we could get the fish off, which isn't very fast! So, if the sea was running abeam, it was a mess. Drop the fish and it would cut the roll by half or more.

I looked everywhere and could only find this:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4905622A/en

[goboatingnow]

They are known as “ flopper stoppers “ often fitted to ocean capable slow motorboats

[Manateeman]

Sea anchor, never carried one, never will. Gale Rider or series drogue but you better have a real strong point or points to tie it off.
Menhaden oil is far superior and the decks were ok but then again we are high sided. The stern is always a mess.
Never use whale oil.
Sperm whales teach their young that whale oil smell means whale men with harpoons. They plan the attack as soon as the seas calm down. Using their huge bodies they batter ram the main vessel until it sinks and kill every sailor with tail slaps. They can detect the slightest odor of whale oil. Ambergris and case oils used in clocks and cosmetics and perfumes, will also cause them to attack. The manatee crew confiscates all mechanical clocks and cosmetics and takes them ashore to the pawn shop.
The recent orca attacks off Gibraltar might be caused by sperm whales orchestrating revenge for the French perfume that drifts from the bikinis babes on mega yachts headed to the med.
The manatee crew got this information from an old sailor for a few drinks.
Now “riders of the storm” is their next party theme.
Mark

[Cheechako]

Sure, I imagine a sea anchor will keep you from rolling over. I've often wondered if they really need to be so big as the ones sold.
But if you've laid in a big steep sea, hove to or not, you feel like you are going to be rolled at some point. The green water overwhelms the bow pushing it down and you then are broadside to the water. (Hove to, the water is stronger than wind in the trough)

[MicHughV]

Having been thru' weather where one has to consider a sea anchor or drogue, my personal experience was to opt for the drogue over the sea anchor, and faced with a similar condition, would do so again.

Having a modicum of control over the direction of your boats beats taking it on the chin in my view.

[goboatingnow]

How in gods name would a sea anchor prevent a roll over.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

How in gods name would a sea anchor prevent a roll over.

The theory (and it is mostly theoretical in my opinion) is that the sea anchor holds the boat's bow into the waves. The boat would have to go over backwards (unlikely).

However people I have talked to say that even with a sea anchor the boat does not stay pointed into the waves, but can surge forward when a crest passes then surf backwards when the next wave comes, as the line to the sea anchor comes slack then taut, etc. There will be extreme "yanking" on the sea anchor rode, and there will be times when the boat turns sideways to the wave.

One skipper told me that he was extremely happy when the sea anchor was deployed and took hold, a feeling supplanted by the one he felt when it finally broke free, the motion was so unpleasant.

Myself, I have never used (or carried) a sea anchor or drogue (for lack of room or money, but mostly by choices I made for other things, I admit).

Now, let's take a step back: Buying equipment to reduce roll overs indicates a fear of roll overs which I think is unfounded. This is such a rare occurrence that it is statistically in the "never gonna happen" category. (Yes, it has happened, but rarely). A skipper is much wiser to focus on more likely events like falling overboard, losing a mast, or getting equipment washed off the foredeck (or hitting a reef). I am reminded to what happens if, while giving a talk about seamanship, I mention the words, "roll over," or even 'knock down." Every new cruiser in the audience immediately grabs their chair, sits up straight, and goes white in the face, such are the fears those words can bring.

We are all better off spending the time and energy learning how to get good weather information, (and leaning to read the weather ourselves) so we can avoid conditions which could put one at a risk of a roll over.