Para Anchor?

[madforboats]

Has anyone use a Para-Anchor in a storm? Home - Para Anchors Australia
Does it work well? Hard to deploy? Worth carrying?
Seems to me that it is just a big sea anchor strung at the bow which would be a nasty old place to spend any time on your disabled boat in a storm. the advantage however of having our bow pointed upwind when you need it does sound very practical though. Interested in opinions.

[BriaF]

Try to get hold of a copy of
(DRAG DEVICE DATABASE )
This is a collection of drogue & parachute anchor
Factual events make very informative reading.

I am an ex sky diver who learnt on round chutes.
(C9-T10) & have great faith in their reliability.
After all I trusted my life many times to this
Technology.
I have not used one in anger, I would
however be more than happy to trust my &
Crews life to them any time nessecary !
Most if not all stories regarding their failure,
Would on investigation reveal incorrect
Sizing chafe or lack of knowledge in their
Setup to be the cause of of said failure.

Get hold of the database and read it

[LifePart2]

I am pleased to announce that the Drag Device Database is now online and FREE!

Having discovered that it was out of print, I contacted the author, Victor Shane, and negotiated with him for me to take over the project.

The result is that the DDDB is now online at:
Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base | Using Parachutes, Sea Anchors and Drogues to Cope with Heavy Weather – Over 120 Documented Case Histories

The site is now 99% finished. The plan is to add the ability to download the book as PDF, Kindle, Epub etc, and also to make it available, once again, as a hard copy. Both of these will be for very nominal costs. The goal is to make this as widely available as possible!

Since the site is VERY new, please do let me know of any errors that you might find.

Of course, it will never be 100% finished, as we will constantly be adding new reports. So if you ever do end up using your new drag device, please make sure you send us a report!

Fair winds,

Noel

[sapient sue]

We have one aboard but have not used it in a storm. However, we were crossing the Bass Strait with friends last season (they we in a very small boat - a Virtue) when a 50 knot front came through. We were ahead of them by a couple of hours and were able to complete the crossing to Tasmania before the seas became too rough. Our friends however, could make no headway and were concerned about being rolled in the large seas so deployed their parachute. They sat for 6 days on the parachute drifting towards NZ but in fact were doing circles in the current. They were snug below, non too comfortable at first being battered and bruised but they were safe. When the winds abated they successfully retrieved the anchor and continued sailing towards mainland Tasmania. Their comment was that the parachute worked well but they could not retrieve it as advised and had to motor up the line towards the chute retrieving the line during the progress as they could not see the buoy in the rough seas.

So we say yes to a Para Anchor
Sapient Sue

[LifePart2]

Hi Sue

Any chance of persuading your friends to submit a report to the DDDB at Submit Your Own Case Report | Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base?

Noel

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by LifePart2

I am pleased to announce that the Drag Device Database is now online and FREE!

Having discovered that it was out of print, I contacted the author, Victor Shane, and negotiated with him for me to take over the project.

The result is that the DDDB is now online at:
Victor Shane's Drag Device Data Base | Using Parachutes, Sea Anchors and Drogues to Cope with Heavy Weather – Over 120 Documented Case Histories

The site is now 99% finished. The plan is to add the ability to download the book as PDF, Kindle, Epub etc, and also to make it available, once again, as a hard copy. Both of these will be for very nominal costs. The goal is to make this as widely available as possible!

Since the site is VERY new, please do let me know of any errors that you might find.

Of course, it will never be 100% finished, as we will constantly be adding new reports. So if you ever do end up using your new drag device, please make sure you send us a report!

Fair winds,

Noel

Many thanks Noel for putting this wonderfull database online. Years ago I read an early version of the DDDB and its leasons have helped me the two times I have run with drogues. So I have two reports to contribute, and have freinds that can also add some reports. Very much looking forward to reading through the book again, with the benefit of being able to search the database. Do you have any objections to me linking to it on my blog?

Cheers Ben

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[LifePart2]

I look forward to adding your reports, Ben!

Please link away - the more people that read, the more informed they will be, and the more that contribute, the better conclusions we can draw!

Noel

[simonpickard]

Interesting read that database.

There's not much info out there on Sea Anchors, hopefully due to not many people needing to ever use them.

I'm looking into getting one shortly. We have a Hanse 385 which has a very flat stern. I'm thinking that pointing the bow into waves and just hanging around would be safer on this modern style of boat than trying to run before the waves but possibly have them crashing into the stern.

[LifePart2]

Simon,

That is exactly the purpose of the database: so that you can browse the different reports and figure out what the best solution for your own boat is.

It is also why we want as many reports as possible from as many different types of boat as possible, so that you can look up flat-sterned modern racing boats vs traditional full-keeled boats.

Like all safety equipment, you try to pick the best solution for your own situation, and then hope to never use it!

Of course, one thing about a para-anchor is that you may end up using it more than you might think - e.g. whenever you want a rest in a not-quite-storm but getting tired of the pounding situation.

[mikereed100]

Noel,

Great job with the website! The DDDB is an invaluable resource, and having it online will make it much more widely accessible and easy to add data points. I will add our experience with a JSD soon and will link to the site on our blog. Thanks for taking on this project!

[LifePart2]

Thanks, Mike, I look forward to receiving your report!