Fish oil will get rid of the breaking waves. Or any vegetable oil. Mineral
oil does not spread but makes sort of globule patches here andthere and
besides it's illegal to dump. If not fish oil which seems to be the best
use some other organic matter such as wesson oil. Doesn't matter if it's
left over from the deep fryer! To keep the para style anchors from passing
through the troughs and crests of waves deploy them about three wave crests
out or more and put the boat on a 40 deg. orso angle tothe wave crests. (p.
81 Good Ole Boat Jul/Aug shows one good method) When your boat is on a
crest the anchor will be on another one and so on. For the mulitple drogue
system to work and it does work well you have to have enough to cover at
least one full wave length crest to crest to ensure a part of it will be
biting in to a sectionof one wave inthesame place as your boatis on another
one. Still need three plus waves for distance though. The multiple drogue
system is useful when you don't have time left to do much else. But then .
.. . .like reefing why did you wait? Never mind . . .lots of reasons and in
astorm is not time tobelabor the point. Now having gone through all that -
I have both systems plus five or more gallons of fish oil and I don't sail
during storm seasons. Careful . . . . but still prepared.
M.
"Bryan Glover" wrote in message
om...
Para anchor,sea anchors dont provide the protection in storms
advertised by the manufacturers. The leading yachting magazines
perpetuate the myth, because para anchor manufacturers are prolific
advertisers. Both parties show themselves as little better than bilge
raised haddock. Here is some examples of what research has concluded
about para anchors.
“Even with a large sea anchor the bow of a modern yacht will
tend to yaw
away from the wind when the towline goes slack as it will when the
boat passes through the trough of the wave. For these reasons the use
of a sea anchor deployed from the bow is not recommended”
U.S. Coast Guard Report No CG-D-20-87 sec 6-6
A series type drogue provides significant advantages over a cone or
parachute type drogue/sea anchor”
U.S. Coast Guard Report CG-D-20-87
“ When we were doing our research for Surviving the storm, we
did not find a single positive experience in these conditions using
para anchors. And the unmistakable conclusion for us from this is that
in dangerously breaking seas, tactics other than a parachute anchor
have a higher chance of success – for most situations”.
Steve Dashew
“With a series drogue deployed, a well-designed and properly
constructed fibreglass boat should be capable of riding through a
Fastnet type storm with no structural damage. Model tests indicate
that the loads on the hull and rigging in a breaking wave strike
should not be excessive”
U.S. Coast Guard Report CG-D-20-87 sec 6-4
“Para anchor users interviewed all find their parachute
anchors extremely difficult to retrieve in other than moderate wind
and sea.
A major factor regarding both personal comfort and one’s use
of parachute anchors in breaking seas is the boat’s tendency to
sail at anchor. As stated earlier, if your boat sails on the hook, the
odds are it will sail around even more fiercely while lying to a
parachute in the middle of the ocean. This oscillation creates extreme
loads, presents the bow at a wide and dangerous angle to the sea, and
is extremely uncomfortable.”
Steve Dashew
There is much more of the same on my web site www.seriesdrogue.com
I have the following questions:-
Do product description codes/laws cover para anchors
Is it legal to advertise para anchors as safe in open ocean storms.
Do yachting magazines do any research when writing articles, or are
they spoon fed by interest groups.
Regards
Bryan Glover