Parachute Anchor vs Series Drogue vs Tires - Thoughts?

[andrewsc]

We are on a 48 foot monohull with a swing keel. On board we have a storm anchor and a gale rider drogue. I have never deployed the storm anchor and have never had to deploy the drogue out of necessity.

I have deployed the drogue off the stern in 25 to 30 knots just to practice. I am also able to get the boat to heave to with the centerboard down. The boat will not heave to with the centerboard up. In truly dangerous weather I would prefer to have the centerboard up to allow the boat to slide in front of breaking waves similar to a catamaran.

My question is could I use the drogue with an asymmetrical bridle off a stern cleat and bow cleat on the same side to get the boat to lie 30 to 45 degrees off the wind. This would allow me to slip downwind with a hove to posture to the waves leaving a slick for protection as when hove to? This could be accomplished with no sails and centerboard up. Is this practical or should I just learn to get the more cumbersome sea anchor working??

[schoonerdog]

I met with a sea anchor manufacturer a while ago at the boat show. One thing he was very adamant about was how exactly to safely deploy the sea anchor. If considering a sea anchor, I would go to the manufacturer and ask them for what you need and how to deploy it safely. They are the only experts on their system, and they know how it works and why it has failed and will be more than happy to go on great length about it. Monohulls and catamarans are not the same creature when it comes to deploying things like sea anchors. The one horror story I remember for the manufacturer was a catamaran owner trying to deploy a sea anchor with minimal frontal exposure and deployed it from the wrong place. I don't think they survived. Contact the manufacturers for all the details, but what works for a heavy displacement monohull will have very, very different effects with a high windage, lightweight, shallow draft catamaran.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by andrewsc

My question is could I use the drogue with an asymmetrical bridle off a stern cleat and bow cleat on the same side to get the boat to lie 30 to 45 degrees off the wind.

The drogue would help keep the bow up, but I don't think anyone can tell you if it will help enough to make a stable hove-to attitude. That will essentially depend on the drag/size of the drogue vs the windage of the roller furler - I think you will only be able to answer by trying it, and the answer may well be different in 35kts than in 45kts.

I would guess a bridle would not help - that it would work best only attached it at the bow. That's been the case of the few people I know who have tried it.

The French cruisers we know with boats like yours (flat bottom centerboarders) have all liked running . . . with the board up your boat should run streight with almost no tendency to round up on the wave faces.

[Hotboy]

Pardon my ignorance as I have Monohull experience only, but as is it happens we (collectively) get to meet all sorts of interesting people who happily share their experience as we travel about. I have had the pleasure of knowing Kevin Lane who has circumnavigated Australia a number of times and written a cruising guide to the West Australian coast. Kevin seems to be a minimalist in sailing philosophy and has encountered quite a number of 50+knot winds in his 40ft cat. He has told me that he uses a car tyre at the end of a warp looped aft when sailing with a large following sea. I have not had his experience but respect him as a humble single-hander who knows more than he lets on.
Regards,
Hotboy

[Curmudgeon]

How do you expect these manufacturers of drogues to make any money when a car tire works almost as well?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

How do you expect these manufacturers of drogues to make any money when a car tire works almost as well?

(falling down laughing)

[Franziska]

Hi,

ok. I bought a Parachute anchor.
Great piece of kit, which gives also peace of mind to some degree.

My foul weather options are:

Level1)
Run from the storm
Level2)
Put a small drogue or warps over the stern to slow the boat to not hit the next wave
Level 3)
Deploy the parachute anchor over the bow.

Now here is the tricky part. I figure the switch from trailing warps to bow deployed parachute anchor is the most dangerous part, as the boat needs to be turned 180 degrees (Horizontally, hehe!!!).

Questions:
A)
Does anyone have a special technique to do this? Or is the only option to do this very early?
B)
How do you avoid careening down a wave backwards while paying out the extra long rode?
c)
When surfing backwards your rudder might get damaged and you are likely to end up being abeam to the waves and consequently being flipped, no?

Looking forward to your thoughts & ideas,

regards,

Franzi

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hi,

ok. I bought a Parachute anchor.
Great piece of kit, which gives also peace of mind to some degree.

My foul weather options are:

Level1)
Run from the storm
Level2)
Put a small drogue or warps over the stern to slow the boat to not hit the next wave
Level 3)
Deploy the parachute anchor over the bow.

Now here is the tricky part. I figure the switch from trailing warps to bow deployed parachute anchor is the most dangerous part, as the boat needs to be turned 180 degrees (Horizontally, hehe!!!).

Questions:
A)
Does anyone have a special technique to do this? Or is the only option to do this very early?
B)
How do you avoid careening down a wave backwards while paying out the extra long rode?
c)
When surfing backwards your rudder might get damaged and you are likely to end up being abeam to the waves and consequently being flipped, no?

Looking forward to your thoughts & ideas,

regards,

Franzi

Option A: early. that is what all ofthe manufacturers will recomend. This effectivly rules using drogues or warps early in a storm, if you think it will get worse or if a lee shore may aproach.

You can shorten the beam-on period by getting some tension on the sea anchor rode as soon as possible--I can think of a number of good reasons to do this and I have done this--but you will spend several minutes beam-on.

Early.

[Franziska]

One further thought.

If we do this 180 horizontal turn.
When do you think is the best moment?

A)
Before going down a wave?

Which would mean that the boat and the approching wave both hit at max speed when in the middle of the turn. Possibly desasterous...

B)
When in the bottom of the wace valley?

Any thoughts?