Tamaroak wrote:
The trouble comes when you lose power. I wrote an article for
"Soundings" two years ago about a guy on Lake Superior who lost one
engine on a Bayliner 39' due to an injector problem and his shaft broke
and dropped out of the other, causing a bit of water to come into the
boat. He had no plugs and was in the bilge trying to pound gardener's
knee pads into the hole to keep from sinking when he broached in 8'
waves. His antenna mounts broke, his wife (on shore) had the handheld
VHF and water was coming over the gunwales as it flopped form side to side.

The wife called the USCG, who came out and rescued him. They confirmed
the sea conditions when I interviewed them.

This was a classic sea achor situation. He has one now.

Capt. Jeff


Hi
Got both. However the problem I see is a significant misunderstanding
on when to use either. I suggest reading Heavy Weather Tactics Using
Sea Anchors & Drogues by E.Hinz as a start.

Read around and most credible sources and authors, including Larry
Pardey, can't even agree on a common definition of either let alone
when either should be deployed. Very confusing at best.
However.............

My first experience with bow deployed "parachute" type sea anchors
was 1981. I was on an 80 foot Japanese catcherboat part of their high
seas salmon gillnet fleet. The fleet worked the north and west pacific
and also moved into the Bering. There were 50 catcher boats per mother
ship with three mother ship fleets. Big operation. When the weather
kicked up the catcher boats deployed a huge parachute off the bow to
maintain station. There was a swivel attached on the parachute where
the 5 inch plated hawser was also attached. It took about 3-5 guys to
deploy and retrieve. I can still remember that big hawser go rod tight
and watch the water literally explode out of it. Lots of force
involved.

It worked great in 30' seas and 40-50 knot wind. Only drifted about
1.5 knots. I asked the Sendo if he would use the parachute in greater
conditions. His eyes got big and said no. Too dangerous! I never could
understand why the Americans did not use or even discuss sea anchors at
that time. However, there is some great advice in an old Night's
Modern Seamanship book. Check out the section titled small boat
handling in breaking seas and landing boats through beach surf. Good
advice on the use of unitary drogues. I guess people have forgotten the
old ways of doing things.

Bob