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Gordon Wedman
 
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Default parachutes & drogues


"Bob" wrote in message
oups.com...
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.............

snip


Bob



The current issue of Cruising World has a couple of articles on drogues and
parachute type sea anchors. One article categorically states that these
devices should always be deployed from the stern. The next article is
written by a fellow who successfully deployed a parachute drogue from the
bow while crossing the Gulf Stream in a blow. I think the Pardeys recommend
a parachute from the bow adjusted to keep waves at some angle to the bow
rather than dead on. Techniques must vary with different styles of boat and
condition.