Comments about Parachute Anchors from New Zealand
posted by John & Phyllis Web Site
Our heavy weather series continues to attract interesting comments and suggested alternatives from experienced ocean voyagers. This one comes from Lane and Kay Finley who have a lot of ocean experience and make films about sailing, which are mostly sold in NZ and Australia. They also have a great web site with lots of good information.
“During the filming we launched a parachute anchor according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It was a rather breezy day, but not storm conditions. Even in these mild conditions, the strain and stress that was generated to our boat’s substantial deck fittings was huge. We came away wondering what vessel could stand up to a real storm when tied to one of these anchors.
We decided we would not carry one onboard as we would rather take our chances running with warps, as this has worked well for us in several situations in the past. However, to bring it [the sea anchor] aboard, we merely cast it loose and then motored around to the top of it and picked up the trip line, which was floated on a buoy. It came onboard with no trouble.”
There are two interesting points in the above:
- It confirms our concerns about the stresses imposed by sea anchors.
- Casting off the main warp prior to picking up the trip line will reduce the chances of a tangle or getting a line around the rudder or propeller and makes a lot of sense.
Lane and Kay go on to say:
Just a note on warps and drogues: We have an 18mm (3/4”) garden hose onboard that is 25 meters long. When we begin sliding down the front of 10 meter seas we take the coiled up hose with the two ends threaded together, pass a 200 meter nylon rode through the coil and throw it off the stern with one end of the line on the starboard primary winch and the other end on the port primary winch. Because the garden hose has no flat surfaces (like a tire) it lies just under the surface of the water, does not have to be weighted and will not pop out and skip. It slows the boat down to around four knots and gives us complete control. There is no worry about chaffing because, well it’s a garden hose.
When we want to bring it in, or adjust the length, we just wind in on the primary winches and because the line is in a loop, there is a two to one purchase in our favour. When we get to the next port, we use it to wash the boat down and fill our water tanks. Don’t laugh – it’s the best drogue we have ever found! We used it in the Queen’s Day Storm in 1994, 85 knots and 16 metre seas. [One of the worst storms to hit a fleet of sailboats in history.] It worked a treat!
Who would have thought, a garden hose! Just shows that being innovative and keeping the goal in mind, rather than fixating on gear, can solve a lot of problems offshore.
Labels: Seamanship
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