How many here have one or both of these and have actually used them?

"just me" wrote:

How many here have one or both of these and have actually used them?

We have a parachute type sea anchor, but have never been in a place
where we could try it out without the fear that it would be run over
by another boat.


grandma Rosalie

I have one (a Para-tech sea anchor) on each of my powerboats and
wouldn't go out on Lake Superior without one. Sailboats can do things
when things go wrong that powerboats cannot. Mine both assume a broach
position as soon as the power shuts off.

Capt. Jeff

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I have one (a Para-tech sea anchor) on each of my powerboats and wouldn't
go out on Lake Superior without one. Sailboats can do things when things go
wrong that powerboats cannot. Mine both assume a broach position as soon as
the power shuts off.

Capt. Jeff

Watched "The Perfect Storm" a couple weeks ago and kept thinking how they'd
be dead in a minute if the engine quit. Certainly cured me of any desire to
be out in serious weather in a power boat, at least a single engine unit.
Seems like drogues and sea anchors are even more important on power boats.
Don't read those magazines so I wonder what they say?

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 19:15:58 GMT, "Gordon Wedman"
wrote:

Watched "The Perfect Storm" a couple weeks ago and kept thinking how they'd
be dead in a minute if the engine quit. Certainly cured me of any desire to
be out in serious weather in a power boat, at least a single engine unit.
Seems like drogues and sea anchors are even more important on power boats.
Don't read those magazines so I wonder what they say?

===============================================

What you say is true in my opinion but you are less likely to be
"caught out" in a power boat unless you have a true long range cruiser
like a Nordhaven, Willard or similar.

Power boats have the advantage of speed which gets you back into port
quicker if need be, and they also have a finite range which usually
limits time at sea to a more predictable weather window.

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:35:36 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 19:15:58 GMT, "Gordon Wedman"
wrote:

Watched "The Perfect Storm" a couple weeks ago and kept thinking how they'd
be dead in a minute if the engine quit. Certainly cured me of any desire to
be out in serious weather in a power boat, at least a single engine unit.
Seems like drogues and sea anchors are even more important on power boats.
Don't read those magazines so I wonder what they say?

===============================================

What you say is true in my opinion but you are less likely to be
"caught out" in a power boat unless you have a true long range cruiser
like a Nordhaven, Willard or similar.

Power boats have the advantage of speed which gets you back into port
quicker if need be, and they also have a finite range which usually
limits time at sea to a more predictable weather window.


With a power boat you sure have the speed to get home quickly. But
suppose you have engine failure and don´t want to drift ashore. And
water is too deep to anchor.

Mike







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On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:17:56 +0200, Mike the Spamkiller
wrote:

With a power boat you sure have the speed to get home quickly. But
suppose you have engine failure and don´t want to drift ashore. And
water is too deep to anchor.

================================

That's a quandry for sure, but except for the most hostile coast lines
there is usually a zone of water shallow enough that your anchor can
grab. If not, you assume the nuclear attack position and kiss it
goodbye.

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

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

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 19:15:58 GMT, "Gordon Wedman"
wrote:

Watched "The Perfect Storm" a couple weeks ago and kept thinking how
they'd
be dead in a minute if the engine quit. Certainly cured me of any desire
to
be out in serious weather in a power boat, at least a single engine unit.
Seems like drogues and sea anchors are even more important on power boats.
Don't read those magazines so I wonder what they say?

===============================================

What you say is true in my opinion but you are less likely to be
"caught out" in a power boat unless you have a true long range cruiser
like a Nordhaven, Willard or similar.

Power boats have the advantage of speed which gets you back into port
quicker if need be, and they also have a finite range which usually
limits time at sea to a more predictable weather window.


Yes, I would agree. I was just commenting that if you do get caught out you
really are dependant on that engine (and your mechanic).

This discussion reminds me of another story I read once. This fellow in
Florida had a Cigarette-type boat that he used to zip over to the Bahamas
frequently. At normal cruising speed he got decent fuel mileage and got
there pretty quickly. One day a storm blew up when he was half way back.
He had to reduce speed a lot. His fuel consumption went way up. As the
waves got higher and higher he was sweating bullets wondering if he was
going to make it back before his fuel ran out. I think he had his family
along. He made it back and decided to pay closer attention to weather
reports in the future.