Do I need to carry a drogue or a parachute anchor

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I think they were a “fad” experience now has suggested active dynamic sailing in rough weather is better. Hence they have faded into history. Small drogues are more in vogue

In your short handed or even solo they still have their place.

You can only steer for a limited time in very rough weather. It wears you out.
Not every one has a high end modern autopilot capable of handling very rough weather.

Still there is also the option to heave.

[jamhass]

Should you go with a drogue, pay attention to how it will be attached to the boat. The loads are / can be much higher than usual deck cleats can handle safely, and most experts recommend dedicated, reinforced attachment points.

It is also useful to consider how you will retrieve it.

[alctel]

There are lots of different types of drogues are I think some people are conflicting them.

A series drogue, a normal drogue and a parachute anchor are all very different, have different use cases and have very different ways they are used

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by jamhass

Should you go with a drogue, pay attention to how it will be attached to the boat. The loads are / can be much higher than usual deck cleats can handle safely, and most experts recommend dedicated, reinforced attachment points.

It is also useful to consider how you will retrieve it.

Parachute yes enormous loads well over most modern boats attachment points

Stern drogue actually no. If you have huge loads the drogue is too big and trying to stop the boat. Not a good idea.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by alctel

There are lots of different types of drogues are I think some people are conflicting them.

A series drogue, a normal drogue and a parachute anchor are all very different, have different use cases and have very different ways they are used

So which have you used? And what do you recommend for the OP?

[alctel]

Originally Posted by wingssail

So which have you used? And what do you recommend for the OP?

I used my parachute anchor to heave-to in heavy weather once, and carry a series drogue but never had to use it (thank goodness)

A friend of mine carries a shark drogue and uses it when running in high seas when their windvane would get squirrelly - apparently it helped keep the boat going straight.

No idea what to recommend for the OP - I don't know much about catamarans and I'd not want to give bad advice.

[Uplander]

Greetings Geeza. What a good question. We have a 40 foot monohull and carry a drogue and a sea anchor. We have never used the drogue in anger (but we should have) but once sat in the Tasman for 2 days with the sea anchor deployed. We were very pleased with the result. Suggest you discount comments that they are a fad or out of fashion or that a storm jib and hand steering will get you through. That is not our opinion. Dealing with the sea anchor we practiced deploying it and that made things easier. In the Tasman Sea we knew bad weather was coming and we wanted to stay well out to sea. We deployed it early and in the light. Good decision. One advantage is that it acts a bit like a reef and some waves break on it. Not a big advantage though. There has been some comment on anchor points. We attached to an anchor point on the foredeck then tied back to the mast also ran a line back to a couple of winches in the cockpit. Worked ok but needed regular attention. In the event of a dis-masting it would certainly buy time until help arrived. The Drogue is a different beast. We have a Gale Rider and always thought it could be used to retrieve someone in the water. Would be pretty effective in a following sea but a little difficult to recover especially with our windvane steering getting in the way. Always thought the series drogue was a good idea as the amount of drag was controllable. Anyway we have no experience of use on a multihull but one multihull we met got their sea anchor tangled somehow and it held them side on to the waves. Not ideal. Anyway the answer to your question is it depends. However we always carry both.

[Fore and Aft]

Geeza I have zero experience in this area but if you could pick up a used one cheap in your area why not take one. Here in Australia there's a used Parachute for $1500 and a Jordan series drogue for $1200. That sort of cost is peanuts.
I know nothing about offshore sailing but I love the psychological factor of having another weapon to fight rough weather. That's probably why we have a liferaft on our yacht even though we're only coastal sailors.
Cheers

[Sos]

Fishermen have used Parachute anchors for years and I guess still do. They don't care about "fads", just what works.
Trailing a drogue is great as long as you have sea room. If not a parachute would be better and gives you a rest. With modern satellite forecasting you should be able to see the approach of trouble and deploy before it is too late or get out of the way!
Maybe satellite forecasting, a storm jib, at least 3 reefs in the mainsail and "parking" would be a better option???

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Parachute yes enormous loads well over most modern boats attachment points

Stern drogue actually no.

The design loads and attachments are discussed here:

https://www.jordanseriesdrogue.com/D_5.htm

The potential loads are certainly high. If a cleat is used the recommendation is for:

“A large steel cleat would be acceptable if the deck is thick solid fiberglass and a steel plate is provided underneath.”

Many modern boat cleats are not built to this standard and will require reinforcement.

[Glenn.Brooks]

One other quick comment. A series drogue can be used as an emergency steering device if your rudder fails. A few cones in the water, tied off at a judicious angle astern will give some limited steering ability…

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

One other quick comment. A series drogue can be used as an emergency steering device if your rudder fails. A few cones in the water, tied off at a judicious angle astern will give some limited steering ability…

So can a single point drogue... and arguably is easier to deploy and use in steering.

Jim

[Sailor Sailor]

I suggest you do some research beyond this listserv. Victor Shane's Drag Device Database has 10 episodes of catamarans deploying drogues: https://dragdevicedb.com/boat_type/catamaran/?s=drogue

Rather than rely on the opinions of folks who have never deployed a drogue off a catamaran, why don't you read what happened to those who actually did. While you are at it, check out para-anchor deployments, too. They are hardly a thing of the past.

If you care to do further research on how catamarans handle storms, read Rescue in the Pacific by Farrington, about the Queen's Birthday Storm.

[argonauta1]

To be properly equipped for every eventuality offshore, one should equip the vessel with both. Objective though is to manage the weather patterns and forecasts so as to need neither. We had both on our keel boat throughout a circumnavigation and they remained untouched other than for trial deployments. Yes, the parasail type sea anchor is a handful to deploy by a short handed crew (The Usual Case) which is one reason we carried a drogue.

[MaTao42]

It's easy to deploy a drogue...but not so easy to bring it in if conditions change. I have heard stories of some sailors being forced to cut them free? I recall one famous old salt that used a heavy rope in a loop that could be let go at one end and then pulled or winched in when not needed.