sailboat drogue chute

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Drogues and sea anchors: we test a Jordan Series drogue and a ParaAnchor

• Toby Hodges
• September 3, 2015

Toby Hodges tries out a ParaAnchor sea anchor and a Jordan Series Drogue on a heavy weather sail training weekend in the English Channel

Drogues and sea anchors are designed to slow a boat or allow it to hold station in extreme weather conditions. They can prevent a possible capsize, roll or broach by keeping the bow or stern facing the weather. Debates about the pros and cons are rife among cruisers.

In Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Series he reveals that he isn’t in favour of streaming warps, let alone using a drogue or sea anchor. Yet there are numerous testimonials from long-distance sailors who place their faith in these devices.

Intrigued to see how practical this equipment is to use, I joined Rubicon 3, a sail training and exploration company, during a heavy weather sail training weekend. I was particularly keen to see how easy it is to deploy and retrieve a drogue or sea anchor, and compare their benefits.

We sailed from Portsmouth aboard the 60ft Hummingbird , an expedition yacht built for the original Clipper Race in 1996. We needed to sail 15nm offshore into the English Channel to reach a depth of 20m to set the sea anchor, which has a diameter of 26ft, and find enough sea room to retrieve the 110m drogue. Once these contraptions are deployed, the yacht’s ability to manoeuvre is limited.

60ft Hummingbird expedition yacht

Bruce Jacobs, together with Rachael Sprot, founded Rubicon 3 to offer a unique crossover of adventure sailing and sail training. They had requested we muster early in the morning so we could check and load the equipment. They ran through the theories of using drag devices and how we would deploy and recover them.

“The main thing you have to look for when in heavy weather is breaking seas,” said Jacobs. “The boat can handle breaking waves if they are in the right orientation – 20° each side of the bow and similarly to the stern. The thing you don’t want to do is end up sideways to the sea.”

Choices in heavy weather

Yachtsmen have the choice of battening down and riding out extreme weather by heaving-to, forereaching, or lying ahull. But these techniques will not prevent capsize if a yacht is hit by a breaking wave.

There are three choices of purpose-made tackle to help keep a yacht stable in big seas: a single drogue towed off the stern to stop it surfing, a series drogue (a series of multiple miniature drag devices or cones on one line) or a sea anchor. The latter two are bulky, expensive items to ship, but are proven to keep a yacht bow or stern to the waves.

Jacobs explained that it is easier to keep a yacht stern on to waves as it sits better to the wind and is stable running downwind under bare poles. The counter argument is that the bow has been designed to point into waves, whereas the stern can poop and take waves into the companionway. Both the theories and test accounts of using series drogue and sea anchors are wide ranging.

“Most importantly, if you can keep a fit and healthy crew, you can get around bad weather,” said Jacobs. “If you can keep the boat stationary, then the average storm will blow through in 24 to 36 hours. But most people go with it, which turns that into three to four days, with a tired crew.”

A Force 5 wind against tide produced enough chop to make life uncomfortable on board. It demonstrated how quickly crew can become ill or tired. As soon as we dropped the main, the motion changed for the worse and we struggled for balance as we prepared the drogues. “Even here, where conditions are not severe, the choppy sea has made half the crew feel seasick and want to retreat into their shell,” said Jacobs.

Para Anchor

We trialled a ParaAnchor from Ocean Safety. The main towline is made from Nylon to keep elasticity in the system. A buoyed snag line improves retrieval and stops the anchor sinking. A parachute anchor has a huge surface area however, so its retrieval is not straightforward.

“We want the sea anchor to be on the same wave cycle as the boat, to rise and fall with the wave pattern,” said Bruce Jacobs, “otherwise you have huge snatch loads. So it’s worth keeping line in reserve so you can pay it out if you’re on a bad wave cycle.”

It is also worth double-checking the sea anchor is set up properly. Flaking out the line so it can run freely without snagging helps, but may not be practical. We paid out 100m of towline, which took up most of the side deck to flake. However, sea anchors are available with a deployment bag, which can simply be thrown into the water.

We rigged a bridle to help spread the load. Depending on hull(s) and keel shapes, the correct rigging of a bridle is an important factor in keeping a yacht head to wind. Ocean cruising veterans Lin and Larry Pardey advocate the use of a bridle with a scrap of sail to help prevent rolling. “Improvements may be found in leading it to an aft quarter cleat to allow you to trim it to an angle, or even putting up a scrap of main,” said Jacobs.

“One of the biggest causes of failure is chafe, so we also use a chain first to prevent this,” he added. The preparation and deployment of the ParaAnchor is time-consuming, but it certainly felt reassuring once in action. We drifted calmly, dead in the water, the motion instantly very much more comfortable.

The helm can be lashed and left once the anchor is set. A concern with sea anchors is that they can hold the bow too securely into oncoming waves, with the potential to shunt the boat astern. Allowing some flexibility in the helm lashing, by using a shock cord for example, provides a fuse to prevent rudder damage if this happens.

Other worries with sea anchors are that they place a lot pressure on the bow fittings. Cleats may need reinforcing with backing plates. If not under pressure a sea anchor can sink and pull the bow down. Equally, too much pressure means it may rise up and break the surface, so monitoring is needed.

When in the trough of a wave the towline can go slack and the yacht may yaw away from the wind – the reason the US Coast Guard could not recommend a sea anchor deployed from the bow in its 1987 report .

Jordan Series Drogue

A series drogue comprises a multitude of fabric cones spliced in series onto a line with a weight on the end. The original series drogue was designed by Donald Jordan and it is trailed from the stern. The purpose of a series or ‘medium drag’ drogue is comparable to a sea anchor in that it is designed to hold the boat near-stationary – to prevent capsize in the event of a breaking wave.

The number of cones is determined by the yacht’s displacement, but a typical Jordan Series Drogue (JSD) has between 100 and 200 cones of 5in (12.7cm) diameter attached to a tapered line. The load is spread across the multitude of cones, 172 in the case of Hummingbird ’s JSD.

“The danger with the wind behind is pitchpoling,” explained Jacobs. “The JSD will hold you back, stop you from surfing and prevent that happening.” The yacht is still able to accelerate down the face of a wave, but the JSD will slow it enough for the wave to pass through without dropping into a trough. The drag force is applied softly, allowing gentle acceleration until enough cones bite.

The potential to be pooped is an obvious concern. Can the cockpit drain quickly enough? The drogue’s inventor says crew should be below, as steering is not required. So the companionway hatch needs to be sufficiently watertight.

The JSD can flake neatly into a mesh deployment bag. A bight between each cone is attached to the bag, bridle to one end and chain weight to the other. Deployment is then just a case of setting up the bridle on winches and paying it out. We were aboard a robust yacht, but once again I could appreciate the need to make sure the attachment points for the bridle are reinforced.

Once the drogue was set, the motion changed immediately. We went from rolling and lurching to comfortably taking tea in the cockpit, making 4.4 knots SOG, but just 0.1 knot through the water.

Rachel Sprot with bridle and deployment bag, which keeps the drogue neatly flaked

If the ease of deployment is a benefit of the JSD, its retrieval is its downside. Jacobs says it can take over an hour. But a snag line can be used, and during our trials retrieval took approximately 20 minutes with the aid of a winch.

“You have to find a method that is comfortable for you and your boat – and this [JSD] obviously is for Hummingbird ,” said Jacobs. See also Jeanne Socrates’s article on those who have used a Jordan Series Drogue in anger

Conclusions

The trials demonstrated the value of preparation. Trying to sort out one of these drag devices, including the bridle and chafe gear needed, when the storm has already hit, would be daunting. So knowing how to set and use the equipment is key. It was also surprising to see how quickly a drogue or sea anchor can change the motion on board for the better, and the benefit this has on the mood and fatigue of the crew.

It is quite evident that, with practice, either could be a useful tool for riding out heavy weather. I remember setting a sea anchor during a Pacific delivery, for example, to stop the boat to cut a fishing net free from the stern gear. But during our trials with Rubicon 3, I found the series drogue easier to deploy and adjust than the sea anchor, with less to go wrong.

Prices and contacts For a 45ft yacht of 15 tonnes displacement:

• Pacific 20 Para Anchor £1,829
• Yacht Drogue (single) £395. Both from www.oceansafety.com
• Jordan Series Drogue – 139 cones – £739 (Plus £82.40 for the bridle and deployment bag from £75) from www.oceanbrake.com

Also www.jordanseriesdrogue.com

See Skip Novak Storm Sailing Techniques Part 8 Drogues and Sea Anchors

Rubicon 3 – ‘sail’ ‘train’ ‘explore’

Rubicon 3 is owned and run by RYA Yachtmaster Ocean instructors Rachael Sprot and Bruce Jacobs. They bought Hummingbird two years ago.

“We wanted to do something different to what is already out there,” said Bruce Jacobs. “There is nothing really like what we do – you can typically only do adventure sailing or sail training, but this combines the two. It’s sailing with a purpose, sailing to get to great places.”

Their clients are typically aged between 35 and 60, around a quarter are new to sailing, and most sign up to sail on their own. The company has launched a series of Ocean Crossing Masterclasses. www.rubicon3.co.uk

Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Which drogue should you buy? 7 drogues on test

• Ben Meakins
• December 15, 2015

When your boat’s being battered by a storm and you want to ride things out, a drogue will make things more comfortable. But which one should you buy? We tested 7 to find out...

Of all the safety kit we’re told is essential to ensure our safety at sea, a drogue is fairly low on most people’s lists, especially if they only sail in sight of land or in coastal hops. But drogues have many uses aboard, and could help you ride out a storm, enter a harbour safely, steer after the loss of a rudder or keep you safe under tow. They could, then, save your boat and your life. With many models available, we put seven to the test.

Drogue vs sea anchor?

Drogues and sea anchors are often lumped together as one and the same – in some cases by their manufacturers – but there is a difference in function. In appearance, they are similar, but they perform very different roles.

Sea anchors are designed to stop and ‘moor’ a boat bow-to the waves. They are used to ride out a storm, or to heave-to and take a rest. Drogues, or speed-limiting drogues as they are sometimes called, are used to keep a boat stern-to the waves. Unlike sea anchors they are not designed to stop the boat in the water, but instead to slow her down while keeping her from broaching beam-on to the waves. Sea anchors tend to be much bigger and must be deployed on a much longer and stretchier line.

There are also design factors at play. A sea anchor is relatively static in the water, whereas a drogue is designed to be towed at speed. That makes the design of a drogue important as it must produce less drag than a sea anchor, and yet be stable and resist any attempt to spin, slew or ‘porpoise’. An acknowledged authority on the subject is Victor Shane’s Drag Device Data Dase: using parachutes, sea anchors and drogues to cope with heavy weather. It lists the attributes that make a good drogue: ‘It must pursue a straight course, must track straight, must be faithful in retaining its shape. The standard for sizing is that a yacht should average 3-6 knots with a speed-limiting drogue in tow.’

Manufacturers address this in a number of ways, either by adding vents to the side or incorporating swivels to allow it to rotate safely.

7 of the best drogues available right now

Plastimo sea anchor (drogue) review.

Plastimo sea anchor / drogue review

• RRP: £59.95 
• Diameter: 60cm • Length: 120cm

Plastimo’s offering is called a Sea Anchor, but its small size makes it much more suitable as a drogue. It’s made of vinyl in a cone shape, with a wire ‘hoop’ sewn into the open mouth to give it shape.

It deployed to its correct shape instantly at 3.5 knots, reducing the boat speed to 1.8 knots and putting a strain of 30kg on the line. At 7 knots, it reduced the boat speed to 4.3 knots, with the line strain increasing to 90kg.

Plastimo sea anchor/drogue review – view from the stern of the boat with product in action

It stayed well submerged, and didn’t break the surface. It tracked straight but had a tendency to rise and fall in the water. The addition of a length of chain helped to keep it lower in the water and improved this problem.

Recovery was relatively simple, although it took some time for the water to drain from the narrow exit. A tripline rigged from the point of the cone would make it easier to recover.

Buy it now from Amazon

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Lalizas professional drogue review.

• RRP: £65.99 
• Diameter: 1.4m • Length: 1.65m

The Lalizas drogue is available in a number of sizes: we chose the smallest. However, with a 2m-wide mouth and measuring 1.65m long, it was enormous compared to the other drogues on test.

It gave us the highest readings of any we tested: When deployed at 3.5 knots it took 15 seconds to assume its shape, due to its size and the lack of wire to keep the mouth open.

The Lalizas Professional drogue was enormous compared to the others on test

But once it assumed the correct shape it stopped us completely, taking our 3.5 knots to nothing in seconds, which exerted 120kg on the line.

At higher revs, it took us from 7 knots to 1.7 knots, putting a strain of 150kg on the line. At these high loads it sat very near the surface, but didn’t porpoise or snake around.

At high loads it sat near the surface, but didn’t snake around

This would be better suited as a sea anchor, the purpose of which is to stop the vessel, rather than a speed-limiting drogue, which should keep the vessel under controlled lower speed.

Recovery was hard work, but was made simpler if the drogue was capsized while pulling it onboard. A tripline, rigged to the loop at the narrow end of the cone, would make recovery much easier.

Oceanbrake Series Drogue review

Oceanbrake series drogue review

• Diameter: 15cm • Length: 60m

This series drogue had 75 small cones on 60m of line, and a heavy loop of chain at the aft end. Oceanbrake say this is suitable for vessels of light displacement – 100 cones would normally be recommended. Nonetheless, it was very effective.

Deployment was simply a case of paying out the line, and it was much easier than the single drogues as the strain increased gradually, with none of the violent snatching experienced with the single-cone drogues.

Streamed astern in our engine tests, it reduced our speed from 3.5 knots to 2.1 knots, with the line experiencing 24kg strain. At higher revs, our speed was reduced from 7 knots to 4.9 knots at 104kg strain.

Recovery of the Oceanbrake series drogue was easier than with a single-element drogue

In the waves, we found the Series Drogue to be easy to deploy and to recover, and to be very controlled. There was no porpoising or snaking around, and the load increased in a gradual, controlled fashion. As a wave rolled under the boat, it kept a steady pressure on the line, keeping the stern to the waves, and the heavy chain and series of cones kept the pressure constant.

Recovery was easier than with single-element drogues: there was no need to collapse the multiple drogues and hauling in got easier as the line in the water got shorter. Its bulk and weight would be a lot to stow on a small boat, however.

Buy it now on oceanbrake.com

Para-Tech Delta Drogue review

Para-tech delta drogue review – deployed underwater

• RRP: $199 (£118)
• Diameter: 65cm • Length 47cm

Designed so that it cannot turn inside out, the Delta drogue is made from vinyl-coated nylon, and has a design akin to a tricorne hat. It is supplied with a meaty stainless swivel. Ours was a 36in model.

View from the stern of the boat – the Para-tech delta drogue occasionally broke the surface in use

It reduced our speed from 3.5 knots to 2.2 knots at low revs, exerting 20kg on the line. At higher revs, it reduced our speed from 7 knots to 4.9 knots, exerting 80kg.

It broke the surface occasionally at higher speeds, but the addition of a short length of chain between the line and swivel kept it below the surface and made it much more controllable. We found it ideal as a steering aid. Recovery was simple thanks to the small size of the drogue.

Buy it now from seaanchor.com

Seabrake review

Seabrake review – deployed underwater

• Diameter: 62cm • Length 80cm

The Seabrake, made in Australia and sold in the UK by Emsworth-based Sea Teach (now Ocean Chandlery ), comprises two parts – a cone and a body, with a vent between them.

It reduced the boat speed from 3.5 knots to 1.9 knots, with a strain of 32kg on the line. At higher speeds, it reduced the boat speed from 7 knots to 3.9 knots, exerting a 110kg force on the line.

The supplied length of chain kept the Seabrake well below the surface

Sea Teach supplied it with a 2m length of heavy galvanised chain, which kept it well below the surface and out of sight. Without the chain, the speeds and loads were unchanged, but it was visible, although it never broke the surface and was controlled and tracked straight. Recovery was simple, but a tripline would help collapse the cone to aid hauling on board.

Sea Teach also supplied a line and chain, ready-flaked into a mesh bag that was ready for deployment: a foam hoop kept the mouth open, which made both deployment and recovery easy with a crew member flaking the line into the bag.

Buy it now from eBay

Ocean Safety Para Drogue review – BEST ON TEST

Para Drogue review – PBO best on test – drogue deployed beneath the surface

• Diameter: 65cm • Length 60cm

The Para Drogue, made in Southampton by Ocean Safety, comprises two linked parts; an open-ended cone and an adjustable ‘mouth’. It deployed to its correct shape immediately, slowing the boat from 3.5 knots to 1.7 knots and experiencing a line load of 34kg.

The Para Drogue stayed submerged, with no porpoising and very little yawing

At 7 knots, it reduced the boat’s speed to 3.5 knots with a line strain of 120kg. It stayed submerged, with no porpoising and very little yawing.

It’s well constructed, and its shape meant that it was easy to recover as the water drained out very quickly. It stows in a small, neat pouch. No tripline is required as recovery is simple.

Buy it now from oceansafety.com

Jimmy Green Yacht Drogue review – BEST BUDGET BUY

• Diameter: 54cm • Length 80cm

Jimmy Green, based in Beer in Devon, make a number of sizes of drogue – this one was a size 10, suitable for the 29ft Mohraina .

It comprises a PVC cone and at low revs reduced our speed from 3.5 knots to 2 knots, exerting 28kg on the line.

Flat out, it reduced the boat speed from 7 knots to 4.5 knots, exerting 100kg on the line.

A short length of chain helped to keep the Jimmy Green drogue submerged

It set immediately on immersion despite the lack of any stiffening to hold the mouth of the cone open, and behaved well underwater, with no spinning, slewing or porpoising.

A short length of chain helped keep it well submerged. It was simple to recover, and a tripline will help to collapse the drogue on recovery.

Buy it now from jimmygreen.co.uk

PBO Drogue test results

We were unable to test these drogues in extremis, but gathered some useful data from our test. It was reassuring that none of the drogues experienced problems at high speed: while some slewed around underwater, none of them broke the surface.

The Series Drogue was by far the easiest to handle, and would be extremely useful if heading off on a long trip in open water, where its ease of use and reputation in large waves would earn it a place in the lazarette despite its bulk relative to the others on test.

For the average coastal sailor, a single-element drogue is likely to be more use. Of these, the Para Drogue was well made, gave the most drag and came in a usefully-sized package. The Seabrake GP24 performed almost as well, for much less money. At the budget end, the Jimmy Green Marine Yacht Drogue 10 was a worthy performer at low cost.

7 drogues compared: percentage speed reduction at high speed and at low speed

7 drogues compared: Drag in KG at low speed and at high speed

7 drogues compared: all specifications in one view

Types of drogue and uses for a drogue

There are two main types of drogue – standard single-element cone-shaped drogues and their variations, and series drogues.

Single-element drogue

These come in many shapes and sizes, as we found out. Some solid plastic and metal drogues are available, but we were unable to obtain one in time for our trials.

Far more common are the fabric-types, which come in a range of sizes. Some are simply scaled-down sea anchors, but other drogues have a vent system or secondary body to keep them under control as they are dragged through the water.

Series drogue

Developed by the late Don Jordan, the series drogue comprises a long warp with upwards of 100 mini cones attached and a weight on the end. The warp is long enough to span two wave-lengths and the series of cones provides not only a backup and failsafe, but is also far less likely to pull out of the front of a wave, while the weight will keep the whole structure from snatching.

Using a drogue as emergency steering device

J-109 J-Fever arriving safely into Cherbourg without a rudder thanks to deploying and steering with a drogue

Many drogues are kept aboard as an emergency steering device. We looked at how to do this in an earlier feature . This photo shows how a J/109 made it into Cherbourg under sail after her rudder broke in 2010.

Using a drogue to stop surfing

A drogue to help navigate bars and narrow entrances

A drogue to help control a boat under tow

7 drogues tested: how we did it

We borrowed a Contest 29, Mohraina , moored at Poole’s East Dorset Sailing Club and owned by Dick Hanraads. We headed out of Poole Harbour with our seven drogues aboard. A test in extreme conditions was not possible, but a comparative test of each drogue’s holding and slowing power is a useful exercise. For our controlled tests, we deployed each drogue on a 40m length of line, and recorded the boat’s speed at two sets of engine revolutions that had given us 3.5 knots and 7 knots of boat speed respectively. This meant that, initially, the boat was travelling at around 3.5 knots as the drogue was deployed, to simulate the likely speed that you’d deploy the drogue in reality. We looked at the time it took to reach its correct shape and deploy. We also measured the drag force of each drogue using a 100kg spring balance in one side of a 2:1 purchase. The figure, doubled, would then give us the strain on the line.

From a RIB, we monitored the behaviour of the drogue, checking that it pursued a straight course and that it remained below the surface – no problem in our flat water conditions, but a big problem in waves. We then examined how easy it was to retrieve each drogue.

Finally we headed round Old Harry Rocks to sit in the overfalls off Handfast Point. There was a brisk south-westerly, blowing around 15 knots, which gave use some wave conditions to play with, and we tried steering with the drogues as well as handling them in rougher water and seeing how the boat responded.

Streaming warps vs drogue – which is best?

Read classic Hiscock, Chichester, Knox-Johnston or the Smeetons and you’ll not have long to wait before reaching tales of warp streaming. Streaming warps we tried to use the same test methods as for the drogues, but registered low readings of 4kg strain with 0.1 knot difference for a 40m warp streamed astern, and 8kg and 0.3 knots respectively for the same warp streamed in a bight. If you don’t have a drogue this is worth trying, and might keep your stern to the waves enough to make things more comfortable, but it will have nowhere near the same level of drag as a dedicated drogue.

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Surviving a Force 11 storm with a series drogue

• Katy Stickland
• September 1, 2021

Small cruising boats are not fast enough to sail away from bad weather. Tony Curphey shares how a series drogue was vital while sailing the Southern Ocean in a Nicholson 32

When the windvane steering can no longer cope with the seastate, it is time to deploy the drogue. Credit: Tony Curphey

There is no textbook procedure to follow when, in a small boat, you are faced with seas and winds which are a threat to the survival of you and your boat, writes Tony Curphey .

Every storm is different and so is every boat and circumstance.

I’m writing from my own experience of Southern Ocean sailing and about 16 deployments of my Jordan Series Drogue, four of which were on my last voyage as a participant in the Longue Route 2018 (which like the 2018 Golden Globe Race , was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the event).

My boats in the Southern Ocean have been 27ft, 32ft and 41ft overall length in the past 17 years.

It is good practice to heave-to by whatever means your boat will do that, even if just for a rest from gale conditions.

Tony’s Nicholson 32 has proven to be a tough seaboat, even in the Southern Ocean. Credit: Tony Curphey

It’s a huge relief to have the sudden calm.

If weather conditions worsen, some sailors advocate lying ahull which usually means letting the boat take its own position in the sea with no sail up, and having the helm lashed to the lee to try to keep the bow a little into the wind.

Both these tactics are fine in moderate or even severe gale conditions, but as wind and seas rise beyond gale force it is necessary to change tactics as the boat will be knocked down and that is a prelude to being rolled, in which case the mast will probably be lost.

I might mention that it is proven that the longer the vessel is, the less likely she is to be rolled. However most boats will be rolled, regardless of length, if caught sideways in the trough of a wave.

My present boat, Nicky , a beautiful Nicholson 32 Mk X, will run downwind under control with the Aries (or other windvane ) steering, with or without any sail up until Force 10 or even 11.

Tony Curphey has completed four solo circumnavigation in small boats and has deployed a drogue in true survival conditions 16 times. Credit: Tony Curphey

Under these conditions, if I have any sail up, I use a spitfire jib of 54sq ft (5m2).

You can’t go directly downwind because the sail will back and fill with tremendous force and will soon destroy itself.

It is better under these conditions to have no sail up. If the Aries can’t handle it any more the boat will broach and will be in danger of being rolled.

If the hull is fouled, as Nicky ’s was in the Southern Ocean on my last voyage, she will go out of control sooner.

Then it’s time to start thinking of survival .

Using the drogue

In my case I use the Jordan Series Drogue which I made myself about 17 years ago.

If the direction in which you want to go is upwind then you will probably be thinking of putting out a drogue, or something to slow you down, much sooner.

One man, or woman can only hand steer for so long under these violent conditions. And I mean violent!

But usually in the Southern Ocean the systems are moving from west to east so with a drogue out you will be making 2 knots or so in the right direction or more likely to the north east or south east.

It is a better idea to deploy the drogue from the inner end, that nearest the boat, into the water first.

Purpose-build chainplates are required to take the load of the drogue bridle on each quarter. Credit: Tony Curphey

It goes out under more control and is less likely to snag cones or anything else.

Make sure the drogue does not foul the windvane servo paddle if you still have one down.

Last of all drop in the 25lbs weight and make sure it is clear of the bridle.

On Nicky my drogue is led out under the lower guard rail on the port side.

If you deploy under the rail directly astern, drop the weighted end in first but be careful because it will be snaking out fast and a lot of weight will come on to it as the cones start their work.

Once deployed, the drogue will quickly pull the stern into the seas.

Continues below…

‘What I learned deploying my series drogue in a gale’

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Heavy weather sailing: preparing for extreme conditions

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Storm tactics from the Golden Globe Race: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede

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Adventure: guide to sailing in storms

Award-winning sailor and expedition leader Bob Shepton regularly sails some of the most storm-swept latitudes in the world. Not bad…

In a confused sea , a breaking wave strike may come on the quarter but the drogue will pull the stern to the seas within two seconds.

I have experienced that many times.

There is tremendous force on the fittings where the drogue is attached so it is essential that these fittings are built accordingly strong.

Yet, there are no shock loads on the boat or fittings because of the elasticity of the drogue.

It’s like being on a huge bungee, contrary to a single element cone or parachute drogue whether on the bow or stern.

The series drogue is always deployed from the stern on a monohull .

Remove the windvane servo paddle if possible.

Thicker, stronger rope as you get closer to the boat where the loads are greatest. CreditL Tony Curphey

Fold down and lash the sprayhood and anything else which could be damaged or swept away.

Solar panel gantries are vulnerable. I do have one and have sustained damage there.

Lash the tiller or wheel amidships and scoot below with the servo paddle, securing the companionway hatch on the way.

A good shot from the whiskey bottle is now a plan; your series drogue will look after you.

On Nicky I have a fast closing hatch which can be opened or closed from inside or from outside, with one hand if necessary and it can be dogged down like a submarine door.

It is made from 18mm polycarbonate, is see-through, very strong and totally watertight.

Tony Curphey was 74 when he completed the Longue Route. leaving and returning to Emsworth, UK. Credit: Tony Curphey

A standard companionway hatch with washboards may be strong enough but it will not be watertight.

When you have a striking wave hit from astern, water will squirt all over the cabin.

It is awesome in the old-fashioned sense of the word to watch the weather from behind the see-through hatch.

Those moving mountains which sometimes pile up on top of each other and seemingly drop from the sky as the top breaks and topples over and buries the boat from astern.

The most unnerving part is the noise; the screaming and howling of the wind.

During the Longue Route, Tony Curphey had to deal with all sorts of gear failure including a damaged boom, which he lashed, following an accidental gybe . Credit: Tony Curphey

That gives you the first indication that the storm is easing as you suddenly realise it is not so noisy. But not yet.

The barometer is rising, the wind could be at its strongest now and there will be a windshift and the seas become confused.

The series drogue is doing its work through all this but it could be some hours before the confusion of the opposing seas allows the movement to ease enough to work safely on deck and bring in the drogue.

Retrieving a drogue

There are many stories about the difficulty of recovering a series drogue.

It’s very physical but you have to be patient and just take in the slack as it occurs and keep a turn on the cockpit winch.

Getting it started is the hardest part.

Some have suggested using a trip line but don’t be tempted.

It will end up in a huge mess and seriously jeopardise the efficiency of the drogue.

However, I do use a trip line to the end of the bridle.

Tony Curphey get the drogue ready to deploy. Credit: Tony Curphey

It is looped just aft of the shackles which join the bridle to the main drogue.

If you use a bowline for this purpose, make sure it is tight and has a couple of half hitches around the standing part, for even a bowline will shake itself loose without weight on it for many hours.

The other end of this trip line is made fast to the railing on the port side.

This is a great help and there is no chance of it tangling with the drogue.

It normally takes me 30 to 60 minutes to recover the drogue and then it is carefully flaked down behind the small bulkhead with the weight at the bottom to go out last, all ready for its next use.

How to make your own Jordan Series Drogue

A lot of yachtsmen have heard of a series drogue but very few have used one in anger.

They are time consuming to make and expensive to buy.

My drogue is made in three lengths all shackled seriously together.

The final length, the one furthest from the boat, is of a smaller diameter rope because there is less strain there.

Credit: Maxine Heath

The overall length of the drogue is 107m (350ft) and is attached to the boat by a bridle, in Nicky ’s case, of about 4.5m (15ft) long.

Each arm of the bridle is shackled to a dedicated chainplate on each quarter of the hull.

This is by far the best way to attach the drogue to the boat.

Mine is permanently shackled to the boat and is flaked down at the after end of the cockpit behind a small bulkhead to stop it sliding forward, and is held with two quick-release lashings so it is always ready for quick deployment.

Tony Curphey completed the 2018 Longue Route in his Nicholson 32, Nicola Deux ( Nicky ), sailing around the world in 308 days. Credit: Tony Curphey

The bridle is joined to the main length of the drogue by more shackles which are tightened and carefully moused with seizing wire.

At the far end of the drogue is a weight of 11kg (25lbs), in my case a length of chain in a canvas bag.

Along the length of the drogue are small cones or parachutes.

The number of cones required depends on the displacement of the boat. In the case of a Nicholson 32 it is 110 cones.

It is important to have the correct type of rope , double braided nylon which gives the elasticity and strength, and the bungee effect.

Full details can be found at www.jordanseriesdrogue.com

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How to Deploy and Use a Sea Anchor or Drogue

Sea Anchor, Storm Drogue, Sea Brake, Parachute Anchor, Drift Sock: these are several names used to describe devices deployed to create drag on a vessel in open water. No matter how many different monikers you find out there, they are referring to one of two types, 1) a parachute or cone shaped piece of fabric dragged from the bow (most accurately called a Sea Anchor), or 2) a fabric cone or series of cones dragged from the stern (most accurately called a Drogue). In this article we’ll look at the differences between the two, their uses, and how to deploy and retrieve them.

To Stop or to Slow

This illustration highlights the main differences between Sea Anchors and Drogues. More detail follows below.

The primary use of a Sea Anchor is to stop the drift of a vessel downwind and keep her bow windward, into the waves.

Sea Anchors are set off the bow. You would use a Sea Anchor in open seas where ground tackle is not possible or practical and you want to hold position in moderate to high winds and seas. They are often deployed to wait out a storm, or in emergencies when there is a loss of power and you need to keep the boat from turning beam to the waves or drifting into obstacles such as shoals. Sea Anchors are generally larger than Drogues, and parachute shaped.

A Drogue on the other hand, is used to slow down rather that stop a vessel in following seas.

Drogues are deployed off the stern. You would use a Drogue to stay stern to the waves and to keep your boat from surfing, therefore reducing the chances of broaching or pitchpoling. A Drogue can also be used as a steering assist in case of power and/or rudder problems. As well, fishers use Drogues to slow their drift for trolling without a motor. Drogues are generally smaller than Sea Anchors and cone shaped.

Tackle requirements

Anchor rode should be similar in size and strength to what you use for regular anchoring. The general rule of thumb is to carry 10’ of rode for every foot LOA to use with your drift anchor. A length of chain (up to about 20% of the length of your rode) is also helpful to achieve the best angle on the drift anchor and avoid chafe. The cleats you use to tie off your drift anchor lines must also be very secure, ideally, they should have backing plates to handle the extra stress. Your rode should be made of nylon for its elasticity. You will need a trip line and floats for anchor recovery. The trip line does not need to be strong but is best if it floats, so use polypropalene, 1/4” to 3/8” braided. Drift anchors tend to turn in the water, so use a stainless steel swivel between anchor and rode. Finally, have chafe protection on hand to use where ropes touch your boat when the anchor is deployed.

First, ensure none of your rode is tangled and that it is ready to pay out from coil. Make sure everyone is standing clear so that legs won’t get caught in lines. All line segments should be secured with shackles or swivels and seizing wire should be used for added safety.

• The trip line and floats go out first, remember to deploy sea anchors from the bow and drogues from the stern. Allow the trip line to drift out and clear.
• Toss the drift anchor in next, making sure to toss it into clear water.
• As the boat drifts away from the anchor, pay out about 50’ of rode and snub the line with half a turn on the cleat just to hold it momentarily. Wait a minute or so for the drift anchor to open.
• Note: for drift fishing in favorable conditions, you don’t need a lot of scope. Start with 15’ of line to open the anchor, and then as needed let out 10’ at a time until you have a steady comfortable tension.
• Secure your rode to your cleat or a prepared bridal if you have a multi-hulled vessel.
• Add chafe guards where necessary

Getting your drift anchor back on board is simple if you use a trip line (highly recommended). Motor to your trip line float circling so as not to run afoul of your rode or anchor. Use a boat hook to grab the float as you would a mooring buoy and haul the trip line in. Since the line is attached to the apex of the cone or chute, pulling in this line empties the anchor of water, allowing you to haul it into the boat easily.

Final Thoughts

Published January 24, 2020

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How to Use Drogues and Sea Anchors

• By Kevin Falvey
• Updated: March 8, 2017

Generally thought of as staple goods for transoceanic cruisers and, perhaps, those who fish the far offshore grounds, drogues and sea anchors have a place in the kits of coastal and inshore boaters too. Granted, unlike anchoring or docking, the skills and techniques needed to deploy a drogue or sea anchor are not universal and may only apply to certain boaters in specific situations. Remember that good seamanship encompasses knowing one’s options, and so, even if you think you’ll never need a sea anchor or a drogue, read on. For one thing, “never” is a long time. For another, you may be surprised by some of the scenarios I present in which a drogue or a sea anchor might prove useful.

Let’s start out with definitions. A sea anchor is deployed off the bow and is used to keep a drifting boat’s head to the wind and waves so that it may ride rough seas more comfortably. A drogue is deployed off the stern and is used to keep the boat straight while motoring down-sea. Also, by slowing the boat as it races down a wave face, it reduces the chance for broaching or pitchpoling to occur; a drogue may also be used to steer a boat that has lost its steering system.

You don’t simply throw one of these overboard. There are procedures and guidelines, including, but not limited to, sizing the drogue or sea anchor correctly, using a trace of chain for weight or chafe protection, rigging a bridle, and making sure the cleats or bitts aboard your boat are installed with bolts and a backing plate. The manufacturer can supply much of that information — and the rest you should know, or will come to know, by your existing experience and by running drills.

Now, the drag created by a sea anchor can keep a drifting boat in more or less one place — or at least prevent it from drifting too far too fast. If you break down in water too deep to deploy your regular anchor, or if you lose your anchor, you could deploy a sea anchor to buy time for the towboat to come before you wash up on the beach.

Too dramatic a scenario for you to believe it applies? Try this.

You run out of gas and your boat, like most powerboats, weathercocks and adopts a somewhat stern-to-the-waves attitude. It’s an uncomfortable drift, and water may be splashing in over the transom. If you deploy your sea anchor, your boat will ride bow-to the seas, making everyone aboard less seasick — not to mention safer — while waiting for your buddy with the gas can or towrope.

Fishermen often use sea anchors in order to slow down a drift. Sometimes, these are deployed from the windward beam of the boat in an effort to make the boat drift side-to the waves. It’s uncomfortable but allows the drifted baits to spread out along the entire length of the boat.

A drogue, as stated, creates drag astern the boat, helping to ensure the transom does not pass the bow (broach). This can be useful if you find yourself caught by mountainous seas too big to run on plane in. But, more realistically, let’s say you spin the hub of your prop. Or one of your twin engines quits. Or your main engine conks out, and you are coming home on the trolling motor. In any scenario where the boat remains operable yet cannot achieve enough speed to maintain easy directional stability, a drogue can be deployed. It will help you to keep the boat straight — in many cases, with your hands off the wheel. (Not that I am recommending that.)

Which brings us to using a drogue as an emergency steering system. By rigging a bridle between two cleats port and starboard and shortening one or the other, you can induce your boat to turn. You probably won’t run a snaky channel bordered by flats with this rig, but if your steering goes south in open water, you can use a drogue to steer the boat to a spot closer to shore before a hired towboat, or good Samaritan, is required to bring you the last mile.

I’m striving at food for thought with this short exposition on drogues and sea anchors — tricks to stow in your bag for future reference if needed. Remember that few things in boating apply to everybody — some things work some of the time; nothing works all the time.

• More: anchoring , How-To , Seamanship

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Using a Jordan Series Drogue for Steering

Photo by Drew Frye

Thanks for this discussion of using drogues for controlling a boat with a rudder lost or jammed over (see Sailing Without a Rudder , Practical Sailor , April 2017). I carry a Jordan Series Drogue (JSD), and I think that by bridling it somewhere in the middle, such that some of the cones open to resist water flow, and some are collapsed one could adjust the amount of drag that was appropriate for the conditions. Have you considered testing this?

I have a Wylie 43, a rather unique high performance 12,000-pound cruising boat with an electric auxiliary, lifting keel, unstayed mast, composting toilet, and recirculating shower. Details of her design and construction are at Prestissimo.org .

Joseph Huberman

Prestissimo Wylie 43

Portland, Oregon

Using a short bit of JSD as a steering drogue, instead of the full length, seems like a good idea. About one-third of the full length should provide the correct amount of drag based on earlier PS testing. This size would also be easier to handle, having no large elements, and would be easy to adjust drag by varying the number of cones in the water. Several makers of the Jordan drogue reported that the had, in fact, built shorter Jordan drogues for this purpose, but could offer no details on performance.

Intrigued, we tested a short series drogue and to our slight surprise, found it less stable and useful than a conventional steering drogue. The reasons are subtle.

First, cones are the least effective and most unstable drogue element design (see PS September 2016, How Much Drag is in a Drogue? ), particularly when running near the surface, and the JSD cones are very crude cones. They work in a JSD because the tail runs deep and the speeds are very low. However, the whole JSD provides far too much drag for steering, practically stopping the boat. But what if we use only 1/3 of the drogue? Unfortunately, because of the increase speed and load-per-cone, the tail no longer droops at all and the cones run very near the surface. Many of them pull right out, and the rest skim, since they are too small and poorly designed to bite in, and the speeds are much higher. Those in the water are simply inefficient at these higher speeds. The result is that the drag is not steady, pulsing considerably as each wave passes and the number of cones in the water changes. The behavior is now completely different than a JSD because it is running on the surface and because the cones are running at 4-6 knots instead of the 1-2 knot design speed.

Second, cone durability is not very good. Instead of running under water, most of the cones are now in the shock zone, filling and dumping every few seconds and generally getting knocked around. They are also running at two to three times higher speeds and experiencing much higher loadings than a JSD cone will see in a severe storm. This seems counter-intuitive, but strain is far more about the speed through the water than the wind speed. And while a JSD is expected to survive for a few days in storm conditions, we may be asking for a week or more at up to nine times the stress level when using it as a steering drogue. If you then need to use the full drogue in a storm, the cones may be too weakened to be useful.

Could the stability problems be resolved with greater cone spacing or added weight? We tried several variations and the results were unimpressive. Obviously, the cones could be made more durable, but the impact zone is a tough place to live, and a reinforced series steering drogue would be heavy, expensive, awkward, and ineffective when compared to commercial items.

The bottom line is that while a JSD tail could be used as a steering drogue in an emergency, a purpose-built steering drogue is better.

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Bow & Stern Exposure

Large diameter parachute sea anchors are deployed off the bow, in deference to the way in which naval architects design hulls. Most naval architects design hulls to part the waves with pointed, low-buoyancy bows. Very few sailboats can part the waves with their sterns. In fact, with the exception of Polynesian Proas, no sailboat can sail backwards efficiently. The basic shape does not allow it. The design of the hull encourages forward motion relative to waves. It discourages backward motion relative to waves.

A large diameter parachute sea anchor is not intended for use off the stern, at least not in storms. Why not? Because in this case the pointed, low-buoyancy bow, designed to penetrate and drive through a wave, is usually replaced by a blunt, wide, high-buoyancy "barn door" transom. Think of the boat as a knife, and the wave as a huge tomato. It is easy for the tip of the knife to push through the tomato. But if the tomato strikes the blunt handle instead, the knife may get thrown end over end. On page 67 of The Sea Anchor & Drogue Handbook , Shewmon uses formulae to show that the green water behind a 50-ft. tumbling breaker may be expected to exert a ton of force on each square foot of flat transom area, adding the following:

      For example if a relatively slow sailboat being overtaken by the above breaker has a stern area of 20 sq ft, the vessel would be subjected to a force of 40,000 lbs, or 20 tons.... Even for vessels towing drogue-type devices, the sudden acceleration of their sterns by an average ocean breaker must result in snapped ropes, failed hardware, or the destruction of the drogue, not to mention further vessel destruction from being so struck. ( The Sea Anchor & Drogue Handbook , 1995 Edition, copyrighted - by Daniel C. Shewmon.)

Bungee Jumping

What happens when a yacht is anchored to a large parachute off the stern and ten tons of water - moving at 30 knots - slam into the buoyant and flat surfaces that make up the transom and cockpit?

Quite likely the yacht will be blasted forward like a golf ball off the tee. At this critical moment, a small drogue might get pulled through the sea for a few seconds. The large parachute, on the other hand, is not going to budge. Something will have to give, usually the nylon rode, which may stretch to breaking point or beyond the limits of its elastic recoverability.

If the rode doesn't snap - and if the breaking wave doesn't smash through the companionway and flood the interior with tons of water - there is a possibility that the boat will be slingshotted backward into the next wave. In short, she may engage in some dangerous "bungee jumping."

Theme park bungee jumps are designed for safety. One usually gets released from a height, stretches the bungee, and springs back up. Bungee jumping to a large sea anchor in a storm can be dangerous for a yacht however. Why? Because the vessel may run into another breaking wave on the rebound.

One can imagine the scenario. A huge wave lifts up the stern and breaks squarely on the transom. The boat gets sledge-hammered into a free fall. The nylon rode stretches to the limit, arrests the free fall and begins to recover. The boat gets slingshotted backwards and slams into another breaking wave on the rebound.

With her stern pointed to the seas the yacht wants to race ahead. Anytime the line goes slack (per orbital convergence, for example) she will try to take off on a sprint. If a wave breaks while she is gathering speed, she will be blasted forward, and the inertial loading on the cleats, the rode and the sea anchor (for the most part a product of the mass of the boat and its acceleration) may very well exceed the limits of those of components. If they don't, the yacht will start "bungee jumping," for better or for worse.

Shock Loading

Imagine a 1000 lb. iron weight hanging from a crane. The load swings from side to side: this is analogous to the boat swinging on a big parachute off the bow.

The entire dynamic changes when a large parachute anchor is used off the stern. Here the load is no longer merely swinging: It is being dropped as well .

Now the drum is released, the load dropped ten feet, and the brakes applied again: this is analogous to using the same parachute off the stern.

Question: How much force does the crane have to absorb when a load of 1000 lbs. is dropped ten feet? Given a normal stopping distance, about 10,000 lbs. The force is about ten times greater when the load drops than when it is held firm and merely swinging.

When a large parachute is used off the stern one ends up working at cross purposes to the intent of the naval architect who designed the yacht. One is now faced with the possibility of extreme shock loads, precisely the sort one is trying to avoid. Literature published by the Cordage Institute of America ( 350 Lincoln Street, Hingham, Massachusetts 02043 ), includes the following paragraphs on dynamic loading:

Avoid sudden strains - shock loads can exceed breaking strength. Shock loading can cause failure of a rope normally strong enough to handle the load. Working loads are not applicable when rope is subject to significant dynamic loading. Whenever a load is picked up, stopped, moved or swung, there is an increased force due to dynamic loading. The more rapidly or suddenly such actions occur, the greater this increase will be. In extreme cases, the force put on the rope may be two, three, or even more times the normal load involved.... Examples could be picking up a tow on a slack line or using a rope to stop a falling object.... Users should be aware that dynamic effects are greater on a low elongation rope than on a high elongation rope, and greater on a shorter rope than on a longer one. Excessive dynamic loading of a high elongation rope is equally dangerous, because of stored energy which will cause the rope to recoil dangerously if it breaks.... The load must be handled slowly and smoothly to minimize dynamic forces....

Large para-anchors are designed to stop, orient and align small craft bow-on. If one desires to stabilize the attitude of a yacht while running, one has to use the partial braking mechanism of a drogue instead.

Drogues fall into two basic categories: low-pull and medium-pull. Low-pull drogues are designed to be constantly towed off the stern as speed-limiting devices. Medium-pull drogues are also designed to be used off the stern, but they cannot be constantly towed: they bring the boat to a near stand-still and place it "on standby," being pulled through the sea only when the yacht gets struck by a breaking wave.

In making a calculated decision as to which drag device to use in a given situation, a sailor has three different choices:

(1) Parachute sea anchor.

(2) Medium-pull drogue.

(3) Low-pull drogue.

A parachute sea anchor does not get dragged through the sea. A medium-pull drogue does, but only when the yacht is struck by a breaking wave. A low-pull drogue gets dragged - towed - through the sea all the time. The table below is intended to give a rough idea of how the three different types of drag device relate to one another in terms of diameter.

Speed-Limiting Drogue

A low-pull speed-limiting drogue is towed off the stern to help keep the boat aligned in strong following seas. Its partial braking mechanism limits the speed of the boat and her angle of yaw. In this category fall the various items that may be towed behind a boat to reduce its speed down to a safe and sane 3-6 knots.

Warps, bites of chain, automobile tires, bells, buckets and small drags of all shapes and sizes. And, of course, modern speed-limiting drogues designed specifically for that purpose, such as the Galerider.

A speed-limiting drogue produces a fraction of the drag that a para-anchor does. Yes, in some respects it is a scaled down sea anchor, but that's where the similarity ends.

Speed-limiting drogues must posses certain additional virtues that one would not ordinarily require of large parachutes. Why not? Because large parachutes cannot ordinarily be towed through the sea, whereas speed-limiting drogues have to be. Indeed, a speed-limiting drogue must possess certain "missionary" virtues. It must pursue a straight course, without wandering off to either side. It must track fairly straight, without "kiting," zig-zagging and porpoising. And it must be faithful in retaining its shape as well: It must not get turned inside out . This poses a problem, especially with textile fabrications. But there have been many clever solutions.

One cannot merely scale down a parachute and use it as a speed-limiting drogue. A large - 18-ft. diameter - para-anchor is inherently stable because the vessel that it is intended for cannot tow it through the sea. A 2-ft. diameter parachute is another matter.

Unless properly designed, small textile drogues and parachutes are very much prone to instability. They misbehave under tow. They yaw. They zig-zag. They flutter. They are subject to surface action. They dive and surface like a porpoise. And they have another unforgivable vice: they tend to get turned inside out in slack cycles, and pop violently open when the load is taken up again.

An illustration: A speedboat is barreling along at 30 knots on a lake when the operator suddenly cuts the throttle. What happens? The boat gets overtaken and swamped by its own wake.

Towed drogues run into a similar problem - they tend to be overtaken and swamped by their own wakes when the load suddenly drops to zero. This particular vice - partial inversion, followed by a violent re-opening - is mentioned in two official reports on drag devices, namely the U.S. Coast Guard's Investigation Of The Use Of Drogues To Improve The Safety Of Sailing Yachts , and the Wolfson Report, commissioned by the RORC to assess The Use Of Drogues And Similar Devices To Prevent Yacht Capsize In Breaking Waves . The Coast Guard report puts it this way:

This behavior results from the fact that the mass of water in the wake behind the drogue continues to move forward, after the tow line force has dropped to zero. This wake can collapse and even tumble the drogue.

The Wolfson Report states it thus:

Under cyclic loading, drogues and small parachutes can collapse and start to tumble so that they either cause themselves structural damage or tangle so badly as to be rendered ineffective. Large parachutes can avoid collapse by virtue of their higher drag causing the tow line to stretch rather than to pull the parachute through the water.

Stability Under Tow

The problem relating to drogue stability can be approached from a number of different directions. One solution, for example, would be to design and construct solid drogues made of ABS plastic and/or aluminum.

This was the initial approach taken by John Abernethy, inventor of the Australian Seabrake . Obviously solid drogues have no problem retaining their shapes, and they can be made to track like torpedoes as well. The disadvantage of a solid drogue, of course, lies in its weight and storage volume. Weight and storage volume are important considerations on small cruising boats.

Drogues manufactured from modern textiles provide more strength and drag per pound of weight or storage volume than solid drag devices. They fold up into a small size and are easy to store.

The trade off again has to do with stability and shape retention. Existing textile cones, for example, are notoriously unstable under tow. The principle cause of their instability has to do with the non-uniform wake - vortex trail - that forms at the separation edges of the cone. In short, the flow of water around and through the cone is not uniform at high speeds: it fluctuates, producing changes in the cone's "angle of attack," which disturb the wake, which produces oscillations, which produces unstable side to side, or up and down moments.

How does one solve this problem? What does it take for a textile drogue to remain directionally and structurally stable under tow?

The parachute industry has been wrestling with the same problem for decades and has come up with various stable drogue configurations. Indeed the legacy of Messrs. Smith, Ball, Russel and Irwin (those of the original 1919 McCook Field group that were responsible for most of the parachute development of the next thirty years) is now a highly articulated component of Defense and Aerospace industries.

By way of a brief digression we should take note of the fact that Parachute Recovery Systems have reached a high degree of reliability, as documented by the 31 consecutive successful manned spacecraft landings. Huge Ringsail drogues were used as the main descent parachutes for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft. Guide surface , Ribbon and Ballute drogues have been used successfully at speeds in excess of Mach 4.0 at altitudes up to the limits of the atmosphere, and at dynamic pressures to 15,000 psi. Disc-Gap-Band parachutes were used to land Viking and Pathfinder spacecraft on Mars, and to lower the Galileo probe into the gaseous atmosphere of Jupiter.

Nowadays Conical Ribbon drogues, larger than football fields, are routinely used to recover the Space Shuttle's reusable SRBs (solid rocket boosters). The recovery sequence starts at 349.4 seconds after launch when the 11-ft. diameter pilot chute is deployed as the spent booster is jettisoned. This is followed by the deployment of a 54-ft. diameter drogue chute, going through three inflation stages in 12 seconds - accomplished by the use of explosive reefing line cutters. At T + 371 seconds "main parachute cluster" deployment occurs when the three 136-ft. diameter Conical Ribbon chutes go through three inflation stages, sequentially slowing the 185,000 lb. SRB down to a 45 miles per hour splashdown near a recovery ship, which brings it back for re-use on another mission.

Millions of dollars have been spent by Defense and Aerospace to develop a wide variety of stable drogue systems, the technical aspects of all of which can be found in a thick book called Parachute Recovery Systems (T.W. Knacke, 1992, Para-Publishing ). See also the Wikipedia article on parachutes .

How were the problems solved? By two basic tricks:

(1) Increased Porosity.

(2) Guide Surface Principle.

Increased Porosity: Very few of the exotic drogues used by Defense and Aerospace are of solid construction. Most are slotted, or fabricated from open weave materials. Some are gapped. Others have open areas. Others still have multiple vent holes.

In short, all have relatively high geometric porosity (defined as the ratio of total open area to total canopy area). All are designed to allow considerable flow-through of air. The greater portion of the air flows through , instead of around . This reduces the non-uniform vortex trail at separations boundaries, in turn reducing the side-to-side oscillations that lead to instability.

Drogues with high geometric porosity produce stable drag force to decelerate airplanes and sailboats alike.

In many respects the Ringslot parachute used to decelerate a Typhoon fighter on a runway has a great deal in common with the popular Galerider drogue. Both achieve stability through a marked increase in geometric porosity. Galerider is the brainchild of Frank V. Snyder, Vice Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. Snyder put the original prototype together with the help of Skip Raymond, of the sail making firm of Hathaway, Reiser and Raymond .

Galerider is made from heavy two-inch nylon webbing. It has a collapsible stainless steel wire hoop sewn into the skirt to keep the mouth open, and comes with a swivel termination to compensate for any rotation. It is stable under tow and its parabolic shape would be very difficult to turn inside out - scoring high points where it counts. See File D/M-3 about how the Galerider was first made and put to use.

Guide Surface Principle: The second way of achieving drogue stability has to do with addition of a guide surface. Guide surface drogues are among the most stable in existence - the ones most often relied on for initial extractions.

When a billion dollar bomber lands on a runway the little pilot chute that extracts the big ringslot parachute may be of guide surface fabrication. Many of the drogues used to recover missile components and test instrumentation are likewise of guide surface fabrication.

Although the term guide surface smacks of technical jargon it involves a very simple idea. A "guide surface" is something that is sewn to the leading edge of a drogue to create a strong, uniform airflow separation around the edges (the same principle that lends credence to the use of spoilers on race cars).

The addition of the guide surface smooths the airflow around the drogue, reducing unstable moments and increasing directional stability at lower speeds. And those angled leading edges create a massive normalizing force at higher speeds as well. This normalizing force combines with the stable drag force to create extraordinary righting moment when the drogue is displaced from its zero angle of attack position.

The diagrams above show the addition of a "guide surface" to an ordinary cone. Textile drogues manufactured by Para-Tech and Seabrake have a great deal in common with Defense and Aerospace guide surface fabrications. They use the same basic principle to create a more uniform water flow around leading edges.

Note the textile "guide surface" positioned ahead of the conical drag element of the Seabrake GP-24 .

Inventor John Abernethy told Victor Shane that in addition to increasing stability, the interaction between the guide surface and the conical element produces a "staged" effect as well, somewhat similar to the spring-loaded mechanism that "kicks in" on his solid Seabrake MK I (spring-loaded gates open at seven knots to increase drag by about 70%).

The GP-24 is heavily constructed, and does not spin, obviating the need for a swivel. It is stable under tow and would be difficult to turn inside out, also scoring high marks where it counts. See File D/M-10 for more on the story of how Seabrake was conceived in Australia's Bass Strait.

Para-Tech's Delta Drogue is simple in both design and construction. It has a triangular - Delta - shape with angled leading edges that utilize the same "guide surface" principle to provide uniform flow. It makes partial use of the "ballute" principle as well - use of interior water pressure for shape retention. And its three radial slots have the effect of increasing drag as the speed increases.

The Delta Drogue by Para-Tech Engineering is heavily constructed and comes with a swivel termination to allow for rotation. It is stable under tow, and its small mouth makes it all but impossible for it to get turned inside out, also scoring high points where it counts.

There are other interesting drogue concepts on the market presently, and others will no doubt follow.

Shewmon came up with a Variable Pull drogue whose drag could be adjusted by means of a secondary line leading to the crown of the drogue - see Dan Shewmon's Sea Anchor and Drogue Handbook for details. The idea of a drogue whose pull can be varied on the fly is very desirable, even though the concept is difficult to perfect, especially with textile fabrications that are prone to inversion in heavier storms. Unfortunately it seems that Shewmon's drogues are no longer available on the market.

Neil Attenborough of the UK invented a stainless steel "mine sweeper" drogue. The angled louvers of the Attenborough Sea Drogue make the device want to dive, increasing resistance in proportion to speed.

Australians Gavin Le Sueur and Alby McCracken have similarly experimented with solid and textile fabrications, creating a para-drogue along the lines of a ringslot parachute.

No doubt over time there will be other variations that appear.

Heavy Weather Uses

(Speed-Limiting Drogue)

Reducing Storm Time: If a gale is moving steadily, one might use a large parachute to anchor the yacht and allow the system to pass overhead more quickly, cutting down on "storm time." While most gales do traverse oceans quickly and predictably, some other systems are downright fickle.

Tropical depressions, for example, are notorious for moving about erratically, and it is not at all uncommon for a tropical storm to get stalled in place for a day or two. To be trapped in the dangerous quadrant of such a stalled system will obviously increase storm time. Since most tropical disturbances have relatively small diameters - typically seventy miles - a distance of even forty miles may mean the difference between thirty and fifty knots of sustained wind.

In view of this, a skilled shore-based route forecaster may, after carefully assessing a particular situation, advise the owner of the yacht to crowd sail and try to distance the vessel from the developing system.

While it makes sense to try to escape the clutches of a tropical depression that has very rudely parked itself overhead, we have already ascertained that running full bore in certain conditions may be hazardous. The vessel may broach, capsize, or fall off waves.

A red-blooded sailor may say: "No problem! Leave it to me! I'll just strap myself in the cockpit and use the rudder to keep her from broaching!" Unfortunately small craft cannot always be kept in alignment by means of the rudder alone.

The fact is that the rudders of big ships have been known to be lifted out of the water in storms, and we have already alluded to the difficulties involved in steering a boat that's being swept along on river rapids. Trying to keep the boat out of trouble by means of the rudder is not as easy as one would imagine.

This is not to say that it cannot be done. Many legendary sailors - among them Vito Dumas and Bernard Moitessier - have managed to pull it off, and for them the near miss may have been "as good as a mile." The rest of us may not be as skilled - or as lucky.

In the case of a yacht that is running downwind, the orbital rotation of the waves causes helm control to increase in a trough, but decrease on a crest. As the boat is picked up and accelerated by a wave crest, the flow of water past the rudder diminishes and the helm goes limp for a few seconds (as it would on a fast-flowing river).

Those few seconds can amount to a large window of vulnerability. If the yacht is out of alignment when she gets struck, the wave-induced yawing moment may be greater than the restoring moment available from the rudder, and she may broach or capsize.

This is where the directional restraint of a drogue - situated elsewhere on the wave train - is called for. The drogue helps keep the vessel aligned in the few seconds when the rudder is useless. The drogue may not be able to close the window of vulnerability entirely, but it can reduces its size. Speed-limiting drogues can therefore be of immense value when running before strong following seas.

If running through or from a storm system is the last remaining option, a speed-limiting drogue - properly positioned on the wave trains - can increase the odds of successful escape.

Just dumping the drogue into the sea and hoping for the best may not be enough, however. Positioning the drogue properly might be quite important because for one thing the drogue is itself subject to orbital rotation. If it becomes abundantly clear that the yacht and the drogue are working against one another on the wave trains, one should try repositioning the two. Fortunately this is not too difficult. One lets out or takes up the rode, a few feet at a time, to obtain a more uniform pull - reduce jerkiness, excessive slack and "bungee jumping."

In this connection there are a number of additional drogue options and combinations that sailors should clearly understand and apply to further improve the odds of a safe run downwind. Do not gloss over the following points. Read and study them carefully. Your life may depend on it.

Speed Adjustment: If the boat is obviously moving too fast (beginning to broach now and then), try paying out more rode. If we can ignore the effects of orbital rotation for a moment, the general rule is as follows: The longer the rode, the higher the pull. The shorter the rode, the lower the pull. If the boat is obviously moving too slow try taking in some rode. If winching in a hundred feet of rode is out of the question (and usually it is), try hoisting a storm jib. And don't forget that the engine provides one more option as well.

Options are the stuff of survival! Always know your options. Visualize, number and prioritize them in your mind. At the same time don't be overzealous in applying every single one. "If it ain't broke don't try to fix it." No boat feels completely safe in heavy weather. If she seems to be doing all right and there are no obvious problems, leave well enough alone. Rogue waves and chafe notwithstanding, you stand a good chance of coming through in fair shape.

Try to conserve your own physical and mental resources. You may need them later on. Repeatedly going on deck to fuss with this and that may sap your strength, and if the boat does get thrown by a rogue wave you may not have the strength to make it through a search and rescue operation. You should always leave enough strength to deal with that eventuality. The boat is replaceable. You are not.

Minimum Steering: If you are running squarely downwind, if you are tired or shorthanded, if you want to try to get the drogue to "take over" and do most of the steering for you, then use a bridle off the corners of the transom (Fig. 22). Multihulls use a bridle off the extreme outboard ends of the amas. Adjust the bridle for the safest ride.

MINIMUM MANUAL STEERING - boards raised and bridle attached

Moderate Steering: If you are not running squarely downwind, if you prefer to steer manually, if you prefer to quarter the seas the way that Dumas and Moitessier did, or if you must steer in order to dodge nasty waves, then do not use a bridle. Bring a single tow line to a stern cleat instead . Still too much interference from the drogue? Need even more helm override? Bring the tow line to a cleat or winch well forward of the rudder.

Have you ever tried to tow another boat? If so you know that it can reduce your own maneuverability, that is, unless you bring the tow line to a cleat or winch well-forward of the rudder. Have you ever noted the location of the big sampson post on an ocean tug? It is not on the transom, is it? No, it would be impossible for the tug to maneuver with a ship in tow if the bollard were on the transom. Rather it is situated in the middle of the after deck, well forward of the rudder. Moral: The attachment point of the drogue has a great bearing on the maneuverability of the yacht. Aft of the rudder = less steering control. Forward of the rudder = more steering control.

Maximum Manual Steering: Need still more helm control? Lower swing keels and board/s .  CAUTION : Lowering board/s and keels, or lowering them all the way, may give the yacht something to trip over. By and large, and as an important rule of seamanship, boards and keels should be raised while running so that the yacht can "slip-slide," and not have something to trip over.

Need even more steerability? Raise the storm jib, only this time let it fill and pull like a spinnaker - do not sheet it in amidships. You should then be able to steer the boat through an arc of 90°, usually enough to help you avoid navigational obstacles, and/or play dodgem with the nastier waves.

Options are the stuff of survival. These are your options . There are ten of them. Here they are again (memorize them):

- Adjust the rode

- Use a bridle

- Use a single tow line

- Attach tow line aft of rudder

- Attach tow line forward of rudder

- Use the storm jib as a vane

- Use the storm jib as spinnaker

- Raise swing keels or boards

- Lower swing keels or boards ( CAUTION)

- Use the engine

If running is your only option, if there is plenty of searoom to run in, and if your boat is well-crewed, these are the combinations that you can tinker with in order to optimize your chances.

Bear in mind, also, that the above options can be used in various combinations to improve the performance of a makeshift drogue as well. If the line chafes through and you loose the Galerider, don't panic. Use an anchor, some parceled up chain, a spinnaker pole, a bit of sail, a submerged dinghy - or the kitchen sink - as makeshift drogues. Then tinker with the ten options listed above to get your money's worth and maximize your chances.

General Uses (Speed-Limiting Drogues )

Speed-limiting drogues have a number of other uses, any one of which can justify the money spent in buying one. Some of those uses are listed below.

Trade Wind Use: On a downwind leg in stiff trades, a speed-limiting drogue can turn an uncomfortable roller-coaster ride into a "Sunday afternoon sail."

We all rely on the 'engine' of the trade winds to power our sails when we embark on major ocean passages. Unfortunately, the seas are quite large and lumpy in the trade wind belts. The wind itself blows around the clock, and is occasionally reinforced by a vicious squall or two. Suddenly it's gusting thirty-five at midnight, and the over-canvassed yacht is careening out of control.

Multihulls in particular have a way of "going ballistic" in such conditions. They do some madcap surfing, and have been known to spin out dangerously. While a spell of controlled surfing can be exhilarating, chaotic midnight surfs can be downright dangerous.

This is where the partial braking mechanism of a speed-limiting drogue can make all the difference. And the transition from chaos to control is nothing short of miraculous. No sooner the drogue takes hold than everything calms down. Suddenly one can relax, go down below and try to regain one's composure and sanity. Victor Shane speaks from firsthand experience on his tiny trimaran in which he sailed from Maui to California.

Bars And Narrow Entrances: A speed-limiting drogue can help maintain directional stability and control while negotiating dangerous bars and narrow harbor entrances. Some of the harbors lining Australia's Bass Straight are notorious in this respect, and it should come as no surprise to find that Seabrake was born there. Inventor John Abernethy, speaking from a lifetime of firsthand experience, recommends that the drogue be towed off the windward quarter to facilitate safe entry. The drogue will help keep that quarter from slewing around, making the job of the helmsman much easier.

Emergency Steering Device: Towed off the stern with an adjustable bridle tied to corner cleats, a speed-limiting drogue may be used as an emergency steering device in the event of normal steering failure. Get the drogue properly positioned in the wave trains and then shorten one bridle arm and lengthen the other until the boat is pointing in the direction you want to go.

Safe Tow: A great many vessels are damaged when they are taken in tow by a tug or a ship in heavy seas, usually because the ship and the yacht are diverging and converging on the wave trains. At any rate the tension in the tow line is seldom constant. It has a way of grabbing and letting go, sometimes producing a dangerous whiplash effect. If your vessel ends up needing a tow in mature seas, you can make that tow much safer by deploying a speed-limiting drogue behind your own boat. Properly positioned, the drogue will immediately smooth out the ride and eliminate "whiplash."

Autopilot Assist: Deployed off a quarter, and properly positioned on the wave trains, a speed-limiting drogue can significantly increase the efficiency of your autopilot when the wind is off the beam. It may enable a weaker autopilot to take over the job of steering your boat, allowing you to go down below and get some rest. This is especially true of mechanical windvanes on downwind legs, where the wind needed to activate the vane decreases in proportion to the speed of the boat. The faster the boat sails, the less the apparent wind - and the more sluggish the windvane. Use the drogue to slow the boat down, and instantly the wind-vane's performance increases.

The criterion that sets a speed-limiting drogue apart from other drag devices is that its low pull allows a significant amount of directional control through the helm. It is an interactive - steering-assist - device, in some sense doing the job of a long steering oar trailing far behind the boat. You can - and may have to - steer the boat while towing the drogue.

All of which brings us to a certain "catch-22": The same low drag that allows for steering control may allow the boat to broach, capsize and even pitchpole in a once-in-a-lifetime storm. The forces that pitchpole yachts are so explosive that they may just yank the drogue through the water as they are throwing the yacht end over end.

The mathematics of this "catch-22" were dealt with by Donald Jordan in the research that he undertook for the US Coast Guard, culminating in the development of the series drogue . In a letter to Victor Shane, Jordan explained it in this way (reproduced by permission):

I would like to emphasize that the drogue must have a certain minimum drag - equivalent to a 3 to 5 ft. diameter chute. The conventional 21-inch cone or trailing warps, etc., are ineffective. With the proper size drogue the boat lies essentially dead in the water.... However, in the event of a large breaking wave strike, the drogue is pulled through the water for several seconds.... The motion of the drogue reduces the peak loads - although the load can still be very high, of the order of the displacement of the boat.

Medium-Pull Drogue

The table below is taken from the Coast Guard Report (CG-D-20-87) co-authored by Donald Jordan. It shows the single-element drogue needed to produce the effect he describes above. A 25,000 lb. boat, for example, will require a cone or parachute with a diameter of about 4.5 feet.

With this, the boat will lie essentially dead in the water - no steering involved or possible, the crew inside and "strapped in by aircraft type seat belts." When the boat is struck by a breaking wave the drogue will get pulled through the sea for several seconds, (a) reducing peak loads, (b) keeping the vessel aligned and (c) gradually pulling it free of the wave.

Here is the ten second play-by-play: The yacht is stationary... she gets struck by a breaking wave... she accelerates to wave speed briefly... she is held in alignment by the building resistance of the drogue... the resistance reaches a peak... the yacht decelerates, working herself free from the mass of moving water... now she is stationary once again, ready to negotiate the next breaking wave.

Recommended Size

Jordan's Coast Guard research and the research conducted by Barry Deakin at the University of Southampton have both shown that the use of a single-element - medium-pull - drogue leaves a great deal to be desired in breaking seas.

For one thing there is again a good chance that the smallish cone or parachute will foul itself, or get turned inside out.

Another basic disadvantage has to do with the potential delay between wave strike and drogue reaction. When the boat is lying to a single-element drogue at the end of a long line, she may get "derailed" in the few seconds that it takes for the drogue to react.

If the cone or parachute is not positioned properly, orbital rotation may induce enough slack to open a window of vulnerability, perhaps allowing the load to be "dropped" on its side. And since the boat is swinging on the end of a long pendulum, the jeopardy increases if rogue waves - from a secondary storm system - are intersecting the existing wave trains at an angle. If, by some stroke of luck, the resulting breaker/s strike the boat squarely on the transom, the yacht may do a bungee jump and somehow survive. But if the avalanche strikes her at an angle, she may get smashed down on her side before the pendulum can finish its swing.

 Jordan Series Drogue

To do away with these disadvantages and still retain the benefits of the medium-pull concept, Donald Jordan conceived an articulated drogue, better known as the series drogue.

Depending on the displacement of the boat, 90 or more 5-inch diameter cones are spliced into a 300-ft. tow line at 20-inch intervals, their combined drag being the equivalent of a single 3-5 ft. diameter cone or parachute.

The figure below, also courtesy of the US Coast Guard, shows the number of 5-inch cones required to produce the effect Jordan described in his letter to Shane. Note that a 25,000 lb. boat will need about 130 cones.

A 35 lb. weight (usually an anchor or chain) is attached to the end of the array, causing the system to hang down at an angle.

The whole of the array should ordinarily remain well submerged and for the most part unaffected by orbital rotation. Upon moderate wave impact some of the cones may surface. In a severe wave strike many - or all - of the cones may surface.

One can imagine what it might feel like to be in a storm with the series drogue deployed off the stern and a wave breaks: one feels a brief acceleration... one feels a pronounced deceleration. The sensation should be very much like that of a theme park bungee jump. This particular bungee jump should be a relatively safe one. Jordan engineered it that way.

Unlike the concept of a long tow line with a single-element drogue at the end, which in effect puts all the eggs in one basket, the series drogue spreads the drag over 90-150 cones and about 300 feet of tow line, usually enough to span two wave lengths.

In theory the heavy weight at the end of the array should always be sinking, pulling the drogue away from the boat, reducing the possibility of excessive slack - and a large window of vulnerability; and the existence of cones near the boat means that the pendulum doesn't have to swing so far to render assistance.

If a rogue wave is approaching from an angle, there will be cones near the boat where tow line stretch is low. Those cones will build up load much faster than a single-element drogue at the end of a long pendulum. Jordan's own research - a computer study - indicates that two seconds after wave strike the series drogue will develop 40% more load than an equivalent single element drogue.

As promising as it appears to be, the series drogue has an obvious disadvantage in that it exposes the relatively vulnerable stern of the boat to the mega-force of breaking seas. In some respects it tries to make capital of the vice of a boat and, in a scientifically calculated, ingenious way, turn that vice into a virtue. No small accomplishment. There is caution due, nevertheless. The truth is that many production boats just cannot handle mammoth breaking seas on their sterns.

Jordan himself was quick to point out that the wide open, exposed and vulnerable stern areas on such boats must be reinforced and waterproofed to accommodate the series drogue.

A somber reminder: In chapter sixteen of Coles's Heavy Weather Sailing (third edition) we read how that the yacht Marie Galante II was running under bare poles "with two warps streamed aft, but at about 1800 hrs.... she was struck by three heavy breaking seas. The first smashed the transom and stove in the cabin doors and flooded her."

Note that Marie Galante II was running, and not standing still. Even so, the first breaking wave smashed in her transom, broke through the companionway and flooded her interior.

Understandably, many sailors are reluctant to expose the vulnerable sterns of their yachts to the mega-force of breaking waves. Indeed many an existing production sailboat is in a compromising position when her stern is exposed to a storm. And it is sobering to note that Marie Galante II did not survive the deathblows to her stern. The second wave capsized the yacht and broke her mast. The third caused her to fill and quickly sink, with loss of one life.

Ask yourself some questions. How would your boat fare if she were positioned stern to a twenty foot fall in the rapids of the Colorado, with her transom bridled to shore rocks with thick bungee cords? Would she be able to withstand the tons of water falling onto her stern for twenty-four hours? Would the attachment cleats be able to handle the loads, or would they need major reinforcement? Would the hatch boards withstand the battering ram of tons of moving water, or would they need major reinforcement as well? Have you visualized the cockpit looking like a perpetual swimming pool? Have you ever plugged the drain holes and deliberately filled it to the brim to see what it might look like?

Breaking waves are rare. One may spend a lifetime crossing oceans in a wise and deliberate manner, and never run into one. But if one does, the series drogue will keep one's sailboat optimally aligned. Purely in terms of vessel alignment, the Jordan series drogue excels other drag devices. Is it panacea? Hardly. There is no such thing at sea. Only human ingenuity, coupled with the discipline of seamanship.

In, of and by itself, alignment is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of sea-state tolerance. Ultimately our goal is to improve the survivability of the vessel and the crew, not to see who can come up with a better way of keeping a yacht aligned.

We have already inferred that people can somehow survive inside modern sailboats, as long as the hull/s can be kept afloat; and we have examples galore,  in Fastnet '79, the Queen's Birthday Storm and in later storm reports, of boats that were prematurely abandoned only to be found floating afterwards.

So then, if a drogue in some way increases the risk of sinking, that risk has to be weighed in a proper balance. And it goes without saying that the orientation of the boat prior to sinking will be immaterial to the crew that ends up in a life raft. Whether the dear old girl sank because she was rolled while lying a-hull, or whether she sank because a wave broke through the companionway while she was being held in perfect alignment by a series drogue is besides the point.

Things You Will Need  (Speed-Limiting Low Pull Drogue)

Drogue: See Appendix III at the back of this publication for a list of manufacturers. Refer to manufacturer's recommendations for sizing. Drogue sizing is not a precise art.

A grossly undersized speed-limiting drogue has a peculiar advantage in that it can be routinely deployed in the course of ordinary passages. After all, if it enhances off-the-wind helm control at the expense of a knot or two of speed, there's nothing wrong with that is there?

On the other hand, a grossly oversized drogue has a reciprocal advantage in that it can come closer to producing the medium-pull effect described by Donald Jordan.

Notwithstanding, the "standard" for sizing, if it can be called that, says that a yacht should average 3-6 knots with a speed-limiting drogue in tow. This seems to be the general consensus among the more experienced drogue users interviewed by Shane.

Rode: For speed-limiting drogues it makes a little more sense to use a low-stretch tow line (less chance of bungee jumping if the load happens to get dropped). All the same, most of the sailors who submitted drogue files to this publication used nylon tow lines. Refer to manufacturer's specific recommendations.

Chain: Most speed-limiting drogues ride near the surface of the sea where they are prone to surface action. In fact they may loose much of their "bite" if they surface in certain conditions. The use of a short length of chain will help minimize this. Fifteen or twenty feet of chain, attached to the drogue itself, will help to keep it better submerged. It will also help keep it from being pulled out into thin air on steep wave faces. Refer to manufacturer's recommendations.

Rode Length: Positioning the drogue is quite important because of the possible effects of orbital divergence and convergence. In some cases, convergence may allow the vessel to turn sideways in the troughs. A little rode adjustment will usually smooth things out. Ordinarily one lets the rode out, a few feet at a time. One does this only if the yacht and the drogue are very obviously "out of synch" on the wave trains. Otherwise one leaves well enough alone.

Proper positioning is important for another reason: again, if the drogue is being used in steep, wall-like seas it may get pulled out into thin air. Peter Blake ran into this problem on Steinlager II - see File D/T-1 .

One should try to position the drogue in the "meaty" part of the wave so that it can't be pulled out of one wave face when the boat is surfing down another. The general consensus among the more experienced drogue users interviewed by Shane goes something like this: Try to position the drogue so that it is on the back of the second wave when the boat is on a crest.

Chafe protection: Same as sea anchors - refer back to the sea anchor section. All things considered, chafe is the remaining monkey wrench in the whole works. Never take anything for granted about chafe. Let there be no doubt in your mind that after you have done all the difficult work of deploying, adjusting and properly positioning that expensive drogue, you stand in constant jeopardy of losing the whole rig to Murphy and the little green chafe demon in his hire. For your information this little devil gets paid overtime in storms, in addition to which he gets an extra bonus every time he succeeds in getting a line to chafe completely through.

Things You Will Need  (Series Drogue)

Drogue: At the time of this writing there are a few companies around the world that will either make up a complete series drogue for you, or provide you with an easy to assemble kit (see Appendix III). Pay meticulous attention to Donald Jordan's guidelines as to how many cones you will need, and how the whole system should be rigged. For starters, you should find out how much your boat will weigh when she is fully loaded, in order determine how many five-inch cones you will need (refer back to diagram ).

The cones themselves are easy to make. A few resourceful sailors have bribed their wives to put the household sewing machine to work. Jordan's Coast Guard fatigue tests have shown that the individual cones need not be heavily constructed. Since the load is divided over so many cones, the bulk of the array should continue to function even if a few individual cones fail. The series drogue is easy to make albeit time consuming. It can be made out of spinnaker cloth and a few rolls of 3/4" nylon tape, using a household sewing machine and a pair of scissors.

Many years ago Victor Shane obtained a single five-inch cone from Donald Jordan, made up some prototypes, and later a number of complete series drogues. In early trials he soon found that he could not load a single five-inch cone for anything more than 250 lbs. no matter how hard he tried.

In one sea trial a single cone was spliced to a weighted line, lowered off the transom of a stationary test boat and allowed to hang fifty feet straight down in calm water. The 360 hp Mercruiser was then punched full bore and the performance of the cone measured on a calibrated Dillon Dynamometer as the boat sped up to 30 knots. In the course of two dozen controlled runs the load always peaked just before the cone could surface, and it was never anything more than 225 lbs.

It is important to understand that the series drogue must be well-submerged to do the job it was intended to do, whence the need for the heavy weight at the end of the array. These tiny cones all but lose their purchase once they surface.

By way of a digression, Shane once approached Donald Jordan with the idea of a multi-purpose series drogue. The clever idea went something like this: "What about letting out just a few cones to get the effect of a speed-limiting drogue, and then letting out additional ones as the storm builds?"

Jordan's answer was an unequivocal "NO!" It seems he has designed the series drogue for one thing only: capsize prevention in breaking seas. He did not design it for partial use as a speed-limiting drogue. Besides, the tiny cones all but lose their bite once they have surfaced.

There is a great deal of redundancy built into the series drogue. If a single cone can easily pull 200 lbs. then a hundred cones should easily pull 20,000 lbs. So the individual cones need not be fabricated from ballistic nylon. Even spinnaker cloth rip stop will do (one sailor made up a series drogue from an old spinnaker). The pattern of the cone is easy to cut with scissors. And even easier if you have a $15 Eastman Wheel Cutter (model ST-810) and a $20 cutting pad (both available from most sewing outlets).

If the cloth has a good coating on it the edges of the cone need not be hemmed, which cuts the sewing job down in half. In Shane's experience, hemming the curved edges of the cones was the hardest part of the sewing - a nightmare, given the tight radius. Coated cloth is therefore highly recommended. Otherwise the newly cut edges should be basted with some sort of fabric glue to keep them from fraying.

Note that non-stretchable floating Dyneema can also be used for the tow-line. It's main advantage is that the overall weight of the drogue becomes much lighter and so is much easier to man-handle on board.

Series Drogue Assembly: Ordinarily one would buy the cones already manufactured - in kit form - and splice them into one's own tow line. Splicing a hundred or more cones - six attachments per cone - is easy but time consuming. This is why the labor cost of a ready-made series drogue can double the cost. Assembling an entire series drogue is not the sort of thing that can be done in a few hours. One should allow several relaxed weekends. A large, clean work bench, a little music and a bottle or two of refreshments will make the job more pleasant. Make yourself comfortable and start attaching the cones to the tow line size recommended by Donald Jordan as per the diagram above.

A specialty splicing tool conceived by Donald Jordan is usually included in the kit. There are six easy splices on each cone. Using the splicing tool, one physically inserts each tape through the outer braid of the rope and ties a knot at the end. These knots have not been known to pull out of the rope under load (remember the rope will be bar tight when a wave breaks).

IMPORTANT : The attached cones should hang loose on the tow rope. When attaching the cones fore and aft, a loose fit is paramount. The aft attachments are relatively unimportant (the only thing they do is to keep the cone from getting turned inside out by its own wake). If the fore and aft attachments are too far apart the cone will get stretched, as though on a rack, and the mouth may not be able fully to open under load.

Always attach the front three tapes first, and when attaching the rear ones leave enough slack so the mouth can fully open. The result should have a limp look about it, the fore and aft tapes hanging rather loose - not pulling on each other.

USEFUL TIP : After attaching the very first cone, stuff it with crumpled up newspaper so that it looks as though it is wide open and under full load. Stretch the tow rope, and then check the rear tape tensions on the cone. They should still be loose. Bear something else in mind: the nylon tow rope will itself be stretching under load as well. Three hundred of the splices of the first series drogue made up by Shane had to be disassembled and redone because the cones had been fastened onto the tow rope too tightly!

Drogue Deployment

Never take anything for granted when it comes to deploying any sort of drag device, even a low-pull speed-limiting drogue. All lines must be properly organized, flaked out, coiled etc. Keep arms and ankles out of the coils as the line goes out. This is easier said than done, especially at night, and especially in the case of a madly surfing multihull. Multihulls running at higher speeds should brace for a jerk when the drogue takes hold. In the case of a Westsail 32 running at seven knots there should be no jerk when the drogue takes hold. In the case of a 60-ft. Newick trimaran screaming along at fifteen knots there may very well be one. Here is the same good advice you've heard before: Don't leave it too late.

Series drogue deployment is not difficult, but may take a while. Most of the users interviewed by Shane said they let the series drogue out a little at a time - meaning they didn't just dump the entire three hundred foot array into the sea.

To be fully effective, the series drogue must be attached to the stern via a bridle (same diameter rope). Make certain that this bridle will clear all stern objects - pulpits, davits, windvanes, solar panels, etc. Remove all removable stern objects, or the sea will remove them for you.

Drogue Retrieval

Unless the wind and seas have completely died down, retrieving any sort of a drogue while underway can quickly sap the strength of the stoutest sailor. After half a day of deploying and retrieving drag devices in windy conditions off Diamond Head, Hawaii, Shane's arms began cramping to the point of uselessness. This was in spite of the fact that a cockpit winch was being used, and in spite of the fact that he was being partially assisted by two other able sailors, one of them Earl Hinz himself.

Winching a drogue in off the stern, with the boat underway, is like working against the pull of a tractor. This method of retrieval may be unavoidable at times. Usually, however, it is a lot easier to "switch cleats" and bring the drogue in off the bow. Switching cleats is recommended if conditions allow it.

One merely leads the bitter end of the tow rope around and outside all stays, stanchions, etc. and attaches it to the bow-cleat. One then comes back to the cockpit and takes the drogue line off the stern cleat. The boat should then round up ninety degrees, stop, and lie broadsides.

With the drogue now leading off the bow, it can be pulled in with relative ease (no more fighting the tractor), although one should allow plenty of time for this as well. Don't force anything. Don't strain your wrist as one sailor did. Give the rode half a turn around a cleat and wait for slack. Pull in a few feet and repeat until the drogue is in hand.

7 thoughts on “Drogues”

I have a Attenborough Drouge it is stainless steel and shaped like a 4 rung ladder I do not know how to use it can you point me in the right direction to get assistance my boat is a Contessa 26

Unfortunately we don’t have any case reports of Attenborough Drogues specifically. However, it is a “low pull” drogue, so the case reports about other types of low-pull drogues (such as the Galerider, Seabrake, Delta etc) will apply to yours. Likewise the sections about drogues and lessons learned.

My suggestion is that you read through the DDDB to see how drogues are deployed, and then go out and do some test deployments. For your first try you can go out in a calm under motor. Then, once you have an idea of how it works, try it under sail in a moderate wind. Then you should be pretty well organized in case you need it in a real blow. Seeing as it is made of steel and not cloth, you probably do not need to add any extra weight (such as chain) to it, as you might with the soft drogues.

Hope that helps!

Dear Noel, Thank you very much, I will try your suggestions. regards john

Several sources (Steve Dashew, Earl Hinz) recommend use of a drogue to stabilize an anchored vessel in wind-against-current situations. Can you point me to any information on this subject, particularly sizing the drogue, and appropriate conditions?

I have corresponded with one manufacturer of drogues who was of the opinion that a drogue would be ineffective in this usage.

That is certainly an interesting idea, though I cannot see that it would really be useful except in very unusual situations.

A drogue would certainly help to align the boat with the current. But, unless the current is pretty weak, it usually wins out over the force of the wind trying to turn the boat into the wind. The exception might be if you are in a power boat, with a strong cross- or counter-wind, in an anchorage full of sailing boats. The sail boats, having keels, will probably align with the current. You, having no keel, but a large superstructure, might align with the wind. Thus you might be pointing a different direction to the other boats or could even be hanging off your anchor in the opposite direction, which could cause issues. In such a case, a drogue on a very short rode (so as to not create more of a hazard!) might help to turn you into the current the same as the sail boats.

Having said that, a drogue’s power increases with the square of the speed of the current. In slight currents it may not have the power to turn your boat from the wind. In strong currents you will probably lie to the current anyway. In strong wind against strong current situations you will probably want to find somewhere else to anchor anyway, though this is the situation in which it would be most likely to work.

The turning moment of a keel is different from that of a drogue pulling from the stern. As a boat turns away from the current, the force on the keel dramatically increases as it presents a larger surface area to the current. This acts as a powerful force to keep the boat headed into the current, where the force on the keel is at a minimum. This the exact same reason why feathers on an arrow keep the arrow on a straight course.

In contrast, the force on a drogue will be constant. It then depends on the angle the rode makes to the centerline to produce a turning motion on the boat. This obviously decreases as the boat comes into alignment with the current. With a strong cross wind, it is likely that the drogue would only have a partial affect on realigning the boat with the current. On the other hand, with a full wind-against-current situation, the drogue would likely work to pull your boat downstream, the same as the sailing boats.

As with trying to steer a boat using a drogue, you would want to attach it using a short bridle with the arms as far apart as possible.

So, all in all, it is not a tactic that is likely to work too well in most situations, thought certainly one to keep in your bag of tricks for that unusual case.

Thank you for your quick reply. The case I’m looking at is indeed for a monohull sailboat, anchoring in gale or near-gale conditions in the channels between the Bahamas islands, particularly the Exumas. There we may see reversing currents on the order of 3 kt, and the boat is “pushed by the wind, and aimed by the water,” so pointing into the current and up-current from the anchor during half of the tide cycle. This is an unstable attitude, as the wind attempts to spin the stern around, causing much charging to an fro, with the occasional piourette. The intent of the drogue would be to stabilize her in her position (bow into the current), resist the efforts of the wind to make the stern pay off, and to some extent counter the force of the wind overall. For a 15T sailboat in 30 kt of wind it looks like we need to counter about 1000 lbs. of wind force. Since Mr. Hinz recommends the tactic in one of his books, if you are in touch with him, it would be gratifying to hear his comments. Thank you.

That would, indeed, seem to me to be a situation in which it could help. I am sorry that I am not in contact with Mr. Hinz. If you have a drogue aboard (but not a series drogue), it would be an interesting experiment. But be careful, with reversing tides, that the drogue rode itself does not get tangled around your prop or your ground tackle. Also 3 kts of current would be way too much to use a parachute anchor.

Let me know how you get on!

BTW, I enjoyed browsing through your blog 🙂

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Using Parachutes, Sea Anchors and Drogues to Cope with Heavy Weather – Over 130 Documented Case Histories

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Parachute Sea Anchors and Drogues

Most offshore sailors view parachute sea anchors and drogues much like storm jibs and trysails; items we should have aboard but hope we're lucky enough never to have to use them.

But luck's an unreliable commodity at best, with a tendency to run out altogether - and usually at the most inopportune time.

So if you're venturing far offshore, there's no doubt you should have aboard either a sea anchor or a drogue.

The basic difference difference is that the para-anchor is deployed from the bow and will stop the boat head to wind and sea, and the drogue is deployed from the stern, slowing the boat down considerably.

With one eye on your bank balance, you'll probably choose either one or the other, but which one?

Parachute Sea Anchors

Artwork by Andrew Simpson

Many offshore sailors now advocate the use of a parachute sea anchor for heaving-to, which will bring the boat directly into the wind and stop it dead in the water.

It must be of sufficient diameter to completely stop the boat, otherwise the sea will be flowing past the rudder the 'wrong' way, and serious damage is likely to occur.

Often known as para-anchors, they're derived from circular aerial parachutes, and are deployed from the bow on a long rode.

The rode is chain-to-nylon rope, but reversed so that the chain is at the bow end.

Rigged thus, chafe in the bow roller won't be an issue, and the para-anchor will remain submerged.

It's a totally passive device; once it's deployed the crew may well opt to go below and sit out the storm.

Running before a full gale on the edge of control may be acceptable for a fully-crewed racing yacht, but not so for the likes of us sailboat cruising types. The risks are enormous; falling off a crest into the trough may cause huge damage to the hull, and the prospect of being hurled end-over-end - pitchpoling - is almost unthinkable.

The sailboat must be slowed down to a manageable speed of 6 knots or less. Traditionally this was done by towing warps astern to create drag and keep the boat stern-on to the seas. There are a number of purpose-made drogues of various designs on the market, which when properly deployed have a more predictable and consistent speed-limiting affect than warps.

They fall into two basic categories - medium-pull and low-pull devices. 

Medium-Pull or Series Drogues

Probably the best known of the medium-pull types is the series drogue, designed by the late Donald Jordan. As its name suggests, this is a string of a hundred or more cone-shaped drogues tied at intervals along a length of nylon rode.

One of these, providing it's correctly sized for the boat, will reduce boat speed to around one knot or so. Not enough to provide steerage way, so as with the parachute sea anchor, you may wish to go below and sit it out.

Low-Pull Drogues

These will slow down the boat to a much lesser extent - typically limiting boat speed to around 4 to 6 knots, which enables the helmsman to steer the boat, at least to a degree.

One of the benefits of the low-pull drogue is that it can be used effectively in situations other than extreme conditions. 

For example a speed-limiting drogue can turn a roller-coaster downwind ride into an easy, subdued sail without adding much to your passage time, as would a medium-pull device - just the thing in boisterous trades when sleeping is next to impossible.

A speed limiting drogue will usually be constructed of heavy canvas and/or webbing, and is deployed on either a bridle or - if increased steering ability is required - from the quarter on a single rode.

A great deal of research has gone into the design of drogues of this type, much of it developed from the design of devices used to slow down space re-entry capsules and bringing expensive jet fighters to a stop before they reach the end of the runway.

Consequently you shouldn't be tempted to make one yourself - the odds are it will let you down when it really matters.

Drogues & Sea Anchors: A Few FAQs...

When should I use a parachute sea anchor or a drogue?

The choice of using a parachute sea anchor or a drogue depends on several factors, such as the size and design of your boat, the strength and direction of the wind and waves, the availability of sea room, and your personal preference. Some general guidelines are:

• Use a parachute sea anchor if you want to stop or minimize your drift, if you have enough water depth and distance from shore, if your boat has a strong bow structure and can handle the strain of being pulled head-on by the anchor, and if you are comfortable with being exposed to the full force of the wind and waves.
• Use a drogue if you want to maintain some forward motion, if you have limited water depth or are close to shore, if your boat has a weak bow structure or a large rudder that can be damaged by being pushed sideways by the anchor, and if you prefer to run with the wind and waves and reduce their impact.

What is the difference between a parachute sea anchor and a drogue?

A parachute sea anchor is a large, circular device that is deployed from the bow of a sailboat to stop or slow down its drift in a storm. It keeps the boat facing into the wind and waves, reducing the risk of being rolled or capsized by breaking seas.

A drogue is a smaller, cone-shaped device that is deployed from the stern of a sailboat to reduce its speed and stabilize its course in a storm. It keeps the boat running with the wind and waves, preventing it from surfing or broaching.

How do I deploy a parachute sea anchor or a drogue?

The deployment of a parachute sea anchor or a drogue requires careful preparation and execution. You will need to have the appropriate size and type of device for your boat, as well as enough line, shackles, swivels, chafe protection, floats, trip lines, and bridles. You will also need to check the weather forecast, select a suitable location, and monitor your boat speed and heading. Some general steps are:

• For a parachute sea anchor, you will need to attach it to a bridle that runs from both sides of your bow, preferably through strong cleats or chainplates. You will also need to attach a float and a trip line to the apex of the parachute, which will allow you to retrieve it later. You will then need to lower the parachute into the water from the bow, paying out enough line (at least 5 times the water depth) until it fills with water and pulls your boat into the wind. You will then need to secure the line with a cleat or a winch, adjust the bridle for balance, and lash down your helm amidships.
• For a drogue, you will need to attach it to a single line that runs from your stern, preferably through a strong cleat or bollard. You will also need to attach a float and a trip line to the mouth of the drogue, which will allow you to retrieve it later. You will then need to lower the drogue into the water from the stern, paying out enough line (at least 1.5 times your boat length) until it fills with water and slows down your boat. You will then need to secure the line with a cleat or a winch, adjust your helm for steering, and trim your sails for balance.

How do I retrieve a parachute sea anchor or a drogue?

The retrieval of a parachute sea anchor or a drogue can be challenging and dangerous, especially in rough conditions. You will need to have enough crew, strength, and patience to haul in the device and its line, as well as avoid any entanglement or injury. Some general steps are:

• For a parachute sea anchor, you will need to release some line until you can reach the float and trip line attached to the apex of the parachute. You will then need to pull on the trip line until you invert the parachute and empty it of water. You will then need to haul in the inverted parachute and its line until you can bring it on board.
• For a drogue, you will need to release some line until you can reach the float and trip line attached to the mouth of the drogue. You will then need to pull on the trip line until you collapse the drogue and empty it of water. You will then need to haul in the collapsed drogue and its line until you can bring it on board.

What are some advantages and disadvantages of using a parachute sea anchor or a drogue?

Some advantages of using a parachute sea anchor are:

• It can stop or reduce your drift in an open sea or current.
• It can keep your boat facing into the wind and waves, which may be more comfortable and stable for some boats and crew.
• It can prevent your boat from being pushed onto a lee shore or into a dangerous area.
• It can allow you to rest and wait for the storm to pass or improve.

Some disadvantages of using a parachute sea anchor are:

• It can be difficult and expensive to obtain, store, and maintain.
• It can be complicated and risky to deploy and retrieve, especially in heavy weather.
• It can put a lot of strain and stress on your boat and its fittings, which may cause damage or failure.
• It can expose your boat to the full force of the wind and waves, which may be overwhelming and dangerous for some boats and crew.

Some advantages of using a drogue are:

• It can be easy and cheap to obtain, store, and maintain.
• It can be simple and safe to deploy and retrieve, even in heavy weather.
• It can reduce the strain and stress on your boat and its fittings, which may prevent damage or failure.
• It can reduce the impact of the wind and waves on your boat, which may be more manageable and safer for some boats and crew.

Some disadvantages of using a drogue are:

• It can increase your drift in an open sea or current.
• It can keep your boat running with the wind and waves, which may be less comfortable and stable for some boats and crew.
• It can allow your boat to be pushed onto a lee shore or into a dangerous area.
• It can limit your ability to manoeuvre and change course.

The above answers were drafted by sailboat-cruising.com using GPT-4 (OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model) as a research assistant to develop source material; to the best of our knowledge,  we believe them to be accurate.

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Taking the weather for granted is easy to do on a nice day. Sails are filled with a gentle wind, and the boat heels slightly as it slices through rippling water shimmering beneath a warm sun. On days like these it is hard to imagine that sailing can be a totally different experience when conditions turn rough.   A parachute sea anchor is typically deployed off the bow. It will almost stop the boat, allowing only a very slow drift downwind. It is a passive device. It does not demand the continuous attention of the crew. During heavy weather, the sea anchor allows the captain and crew to deal with exhaustion and seasickness, to maintain adequate nourishment, to tend to the boat, and to maintain rational decision-making abilities. To enable a safe landfall, a sea anchor can hold a boat in a favorable position until a heavy fog clears or daylight arrives. It can keep a boat off a lee shore until engine repairs can be made or help arrives. It provides a stable boat from which it is easier to dive, fish, or check your navigation.     Historically, a sea anchor was anything from a leather bucket to a cone-shaped canvas scoop used off the bow to hold the boat in a safe position when faced with heavy wind and waves. Later, commercial fishermen and then sailors began using military surplus parachutes as sea anchors for the same purpose, thereby coining the name parachute sea anchor. These large-diameter devices have evolved over the years and offer much more holding power than their cone-shaped cousins. A boat forced aft against an oversized canopy that is “fixed” in the water can present problems. In his book, Heavy Weather Tactics Using Sea Anchors and Drogues, Earl Hinz points out, “The powerful but irregular motion of the sea when resisted by a sea anchor can produce great strains on the sea anchor gear. The dynamic of loading will give all of the problems found in ground anchoring, such as overloading cleats and Samson posts, causing severe chafe on the rode, and occasionally burying the bow in green water.” Larger chutes tend to take up more storage space aboard, cost more, and are often more difficult to deploy and retrieve. Deploying the parachute sea anchor is only half of the procedure. Retrieving it successfully is the other half. A trip line can make the retrieval process easier. The next choice is whether to use a full or partial trip line. Full trip lines extend from the apex of the chute all the way back to the boat; partial trip lines run to retrieval floats. Another concern about using parachute sea anchors is whether they will always hold the bow of a boat upwind. This is a controversial matter. Left to its own devices with no drag device, a modern monohull will normally lie ahull, meaning beam to the wind. This is caused at least in part by the center of aerodynamic drag (force of the wind) being forward of the center of hydrodynamic drag (force of the water acting on the hull). This is particularly true if the boat is not carrying sail. The sea anchor must overcome this natural tendency and pull the bow into the wind. While a monohull’s “natural” tendency is to lie ahull, in most cases it is quite easy to get these boats to be fairly stable sailing dead downwind under bare poles. Drogues take advantage of this natural stability. There are both unitary and series drogues. A unitary drogue is deployed as a single drag device attached at the end of a length of rode. A series drogue utilizes smaller drag devices, such as cones, all of which are attached along a length of rode. Most drogues are unitary drogues, and most unitary drogues are intended to reduce a boat’s speed to a safe and manageable level while allowing for a fair amount of directional control by the helmsman. Keeping the boat below hull speed can prevent surfing down large wave fronts and punching the bow into the back of the next wave in the trough. These drogues are referred to as speed-limiting or low-drag drogues to contrast them with medium-drag drogues (like the Jordan Series Drogue which is designed to virtually stop the boat). These drogues require active participation from the crew, but allow the helmsman greater control and ease of steering. In situations where it is desirable to keep moving to reach shelter, or to maneuver to a more favorable part of the weather system, these devices are preferable. However, the same low drag that grants more steering control can also make the boat more vulnerable to capsizing, broaching, or pitchpoling in a “once-in-a-lifetime storm.” In addition, with a single drag device at the end of a long rode, the boat is more susceptible to large waves that approach from an angle. In order for a boat to get assistance from the drogue, it must position itself by swinging at the end of the long rode. The time it takes to do this can be crucial, and failure can result in a wave hitting the boat broadside. Series drogues were invented and developed by Donald Jordan. These drogues are deployed off the stern but, like the bow-deployed parachute sea anchor, they are intended to almost stop the boat. In this manner, the stern of the boat faces toward the wind and waves. The advantage of this is that the boat is much more stable pointing and sailing slowly downwind. There is less tendency to yaw because the mast and other high wind-drag items are downwind of the keel and rudder which are the high water-drag items. A properly sized series drogue will keep the boat speed down to 1 to 1 ½ knots in storm conditions, so it does not require the crew to steer. In this attitude if the boat is struck by a large breaking wave, which is the most dangerous threat to a boat in heavy weather, the boat will be briefly accelerated up to wave speed, and then as the wave passes it will be dragged back by the series drogue. Unlike the sea anchor, the series drogue is intended to control the loads on the rode, fittings, and attachment points by allowing the breaking wave to accelerate the boat. It is not intended to have enough drag to resist this large and rapidly developed force. It does have enough drag to quickly bring the boat speed back down after the breaking wave passes. It will prevent the boat from being thrown into the trough. Donald Jordan asserts that a breaking wave will not damage a boat by striking it but can damage it by throwing it into the trough. The Jordan Series Drogue typically is made up of more than 100 small fabric cones. These smaller drag devices are located all along the length of the rode. Therefore, if half the cones are inactive within the slack portion of a wave, the other half are still capable of maintaining a hold on the boat. Also, if a large wave is approaching from an angle off the stern, the drag devices closer to the boat, where the rode elasticity is low, will create a load much faster than if a unitary drogue were being towed at the end of a long rode. The drogue is weighted by chain at the end, which makes it function below the wave action and keeps a constant tension on the rode. Because of the way the Jordan Series Drogue works, the stern will be struck by breaking waves. This is a controversial aspect of the device. Critics assert that the transom, cabin trunk, and drop boards must be capable of taking the full impact of breaking waves and that the impact will be severe. Donald Jordan contends that experience with his drogues has proven that this is not a problem. In any case, the cockpit should be able to drain water quickly, and all drogue attachments should be well backed up to help spread the loads imposed upon the gear. In addition, it is not intended that the crew be in the cockpit when the drogue is in use. The speed will be kept too low to allow the boat to be steered, and the crew should go below. Deployment of any drogue generally takes place over the stern. The whole assembly should be carefully checked to ensure knots are properly tied, shackles are safety wired, the bitter end is attached to the boat, and the system is free of tangles with itself as well as parts of the boat and crew. When the boat is in the trough of a wave, its speed is at its minimum. This is the time to deploy the drogue. In the case of unitary drogues, a portion of the rode nearest the boat is deployed first. As the boat moves forward, the water will pull the rode along in a bight. More of the rode is paid out until the drogue itself is reached. The device, previously laid out and checked for tangles, is then released. The series drogue has a length of anchor chain at the end to keep it below the surface. This is dropped into the water, and the drag from the chain is allowed to pull the rest of the drogue overboard. The series drogue is intended to be permanently attached to a bridle on the transom and ready for deployment at any time. Unitary drogues can also use an adjustable bridle setup. The main rode is led off to one side of the transom and secured to a strong cleat or reinforced attachment point, preferably forward of the rudder post to improve steering. A snatch block with a pendant line tied to it is then snatched onto the main rode. The pendant line is run off the other side and led to a winch for adjustment. This system allows the crew to position the boat’s stern to oncoming waves, exposing, for example, only the quarter portion of a flat transom to the full impact of a breaking wave. Once you have made a decision to purchase a parachute sea anchor or drogue, take the time to research all available options. “Silver-bullet storm tactics” are hard to come by because of the variety found in weather conditions, boat designs, personal preferences, and crew capabilities. There are other tactics to employ in heavy weather, such as running under bare poles and heaving-to. Using a drag device requires prior planning since the equipment must be aboard. If it is to be effective it must be ready for deployment, and you must be comfortable using it. If you equip your boat with drag devices, practice deploying them in moderate conditions. Get familiar with the components. Make sure all crew members know the procedure and their responsibilities.     Click

Luxury Yacht Vacations          The above articles are provided as a courtesy by some of the industry's top rated boating magazines. If you would like to subscribe to any back issue or just want to learn more about safety at sea, simply click on the magazine link following the article.      Item added to your cart The previous email address associated with Para-tech (paratech@ rof.net ) has been compromised.  Spherachutes is now managing the production and sales of Para-Tech sea anchors.  All communications regarding Para-Tech will be coming from the email address [email protected] .  If you have sent personal information to [email protected] in the past, please take care to change passwords and monitor transactions in your financial institutions carefully. Welcome to the new website. For questions, contact us or give us a call at (970)352-4262. Innovative Sea Anchor for Offshore Fishing PARA-TECH Engineering Co. has been a leading manufacturer of offshore survival gear since 1980 or over 4 decades in the industry. Our para-tech sea anchor or parachute sea anchor for offshore fishing is a parachute that goes under the surface of the water to secure the boat. Our headquarters produces innovative products that have improved the safety of sailors and fishermen throughout the world. We have established ourselves as a trusted source for highly effective offshore supplies that are a necessity for both commercial and recreational watercraft. Outfit your vessel with our specially adapted parachute anchors and sea anchor drogue to make ocean passage safer. Our products reduce drift to help you control speed, anchor effectively, remain stationary over lucrative fishing spots, and more. Durable Equipment for Safer Overseas Voyages Highly experienced deep-sea fishermen swear by the performance of our products. Our customers consider our gear an indispensable part of their boat’s inventory. To improve your safety at sea, we offer several products of varying sizes. All of our products are priced cost-effectively and are tested to withstand even severe conditions. We are your source for: • Sea Anchors • DELTA Drogues • Trip Lines We manufacture all of our products with the same commitment to quality. When it comes to safety, you can’t afford to take chances. With our gear, you can expect easy-to-use, self-opening products that improve boat control and help to stabilize disabled vessels. Our products help you save time, fuel, money and even improve your fishing success. You can rely on our gear for multiple applications, but when it comes to the most important use, safety, no other products out-perform ours in emergency situations. User-Friendly, High-Performance Products All of our products are designed with safety and convenience in mind. When you’re in distress at sea, you don’t want to bother with complicated instructions. That’s why we make our products easier to use than other related products on the market. We use high-strength, reinforced nylon and other materials that are proven effective even in dangerous hurricane conditions. Try our products and find out why so many customers prefer our offshore survival gear. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Opens in a new window. Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media Media New media New comments Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe Drogue or Sea Anchor? Thread starter Kiwi Puddle Jumper Start date Nov 26, 2016 Beneteau Owner Forums Ask A Beneteau Owner Kiwi Puddle Jumper Hi I am new to the forum and would like to seek some advice from Beneteau 473 owners on their preference on sea anchors or Jordan series drogues for addressing severe weather. My preference is the Drogue but with the 473's ample stern it may cause difficulties. Have any forum members had experience streaming a Drogue in anger? We are delivering our 473 to NZ via the Atlantic and Pacific oceans early next year.   Lots of differing opinions; sea anchors let the boat drift backward so the rudder going hard over and getting damaged and recovery of the chute are my objections on that, drogues let you run down wind which keeps you "in the weather" longer as you are running with it is my objection on the other. Both work to keep the boat safer in large waves. The time tested and captain approved method is to heave to and drip oil over the windward side but that can get really messy and I've never had the storage for that quantity of veg oil for that very low occurrence situation. My advice is do your weather homework to pick your time, sail with a group and sail as fast as you can. There are lots of folks that sail for years and years and only see 40+ knot winds once or twice by "keeping a weather eye out". With that said I'd go with a drogue as busting the rudder is just adding to the danger in an already dangerous situation.   Better for emergency steering (loosing steering is more common than survival storms). You can even go slightly to windward, really. Much easier to rig and recover. Easier can be the difference in what is possible, since this can be heavy work in a gale. In truly awful conditions, you can get practically same security and effect as the JSD by rigging them in tandem. Unlike tandem anchors, which suck, tandem drogues are a huge improvement, since they stabilize each other. This relates to the whole "rip out of the wave face" concern. Thanks Bill sound advice which I totally agree with as I live in a part of the world that has punished many sailors who have been caught out by the weather. Just in the past two days 7 lives were lost with one still missing from the same vessel after it got into difficulties when seas got up to 4 metre high while entering a Harbour!   Thanks Thin water, I'm reading that article now, cheers.   I have no use for a sea anchor, but carry a Gale Rider Drogue. My thoughts are to keep sailing the boat until it will no longer sail or power. Once that happens, it is time to consider stepping off. Something to know is that a properly sized drogue will allow you to steer your boat even without a rudder . This works well. A scenario far to common.   Gunni said: I have no use for a sea anchor, but carry a Gale Rider Drogue. My thoughts are to keep sailing the boat until it will no longer sail or power. Once that happens, it is time to consider stepping off. Something to know is that a properly sized drogue will allow you to steer your boat even without a rudder . This works well. A scenario far to common. Click to expand Read Surviving the Storm by Steve and Linda Dashew. It is widely available as a PDF (e.g. http://setsail.com/sts.pdf ) or you can buy it on Amazon etc. They have a big part dedicated to various ways of slowing the boat down. And most of it from personal experience. Certainly worth a read.   thinwater said: Just try throwing that drogue off the back, or adjusting an ill conceived bridle with over 1000 pounds of load. Click to expand thinwater said: I think folks forget that the safe working load of nylon is less than 10% of peak load, which are big in waves. Click to expand DayDreamer41 Great topic and one that led to a interesting read on testing of both a sea anchor and a drogue (actually a JSD drogue). After reading this article, http://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts...a-jordan-series-drogue-and-a-paraanchor-67260 , I think I would be inclined to use a JSD drogue system, from the deployment and retrieval advantages as well as the apparent stresses imparted on the points where the apparatus is attached to the boat, it sounds like a better system.   Gunni said: I believe the swl is more like 20% of the breaking load. Click to expand DayDreamer41 said: Great topic and one that led to a interesting read on testing of both a sea anchor and a drogue (actually a JSD drogue). After reading this article, http://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts...a-jordan-series-drogue-and-a-paraanchor-67260 , I think I would be inclined to use a JSD drogue system, from the deployment and retrieval advantages as well as the apparent stresses imparted on the points where the apparatus is attached to the boat, it sounds like a better system. Click to expand You can start with just one drogue and then add the second, under load, when things get worse. Much easier to handle than any other system with similar drag. Enough drag to keep the speed below 4 knots. At least 2 elements, so they aren't all on the wave face at the same time. It is the steep face they pull out of, like being anchored at short scope. During testing I was able to get single drogues of all types to pull out of the wave almost rhythmically, if over loaded. DayDreamer41 said: I think I would be inclined to use a JSD drogue system, from the deployment and retrieval advantages as well as the apparent stresses imparted on the points where the apparatus is attached to the boat, it sounds like a better system. Click to expand Kings Gambit Kiwi Puddle Jumper said: Hi I am new to the forum and would like to seek some advice from Beneteau 473 owners on their preference on sea anchors or Jordan series drogues for addressing severe weather. My preference is the Drogue but with the 473's ample stern it may cause difficulties. Have any forum members had experience streaming a Drogue in anger? We are delivering our 473 to NZ via the Atlantic and Pacific oceans early next year. Click to expand Greece-Gibraltar-Cape Verde- Carribean-Panama-Usual milk run to Tonga then left wheel to NZ   I suggest reading "Storm Tactics" by Lin & Larry Pardey. I finally decided on a Fiorentino sea anchor. As for line; I purchased 300 ft of "pulling rope" from knotandrope.com. the construction is kernmantle and has a nylon core and polyester cover. It's basically the same as what Fiorentino sells. You heave too and deploy your sea anchor with bridle rig and the boat produces a wake that keeps the waves from braking onto the boat. The book goes into great detail. It's not boring and has a number of stories in it including the famous fast net race. It helped me decide which to choose.   Thanks, "Storm Tactics" has been recommended from another quarter so well defently get hold of a copy, thanks.   SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John If you're running with a drogue which slows you down you can be taking breaking waves into the cockpit. Tons of water sloshing around doesn't sound like fun. I've experience waves from the sides and stern and I'd prefer to take them quartered off the bow in a hove too position. The last storm we sailed through neither theory would have worked because of constant wind shifts and confused seas. Running the Yanmar at 3000 rpm produced only 3.5 knots at most.   I carry a JSD, but I can tell you, you will not need it. The only dangerous part is the leg to NZ (assuming you do the typical coconut milk run and pick the proper departure dates) and for that you will just need to heave-to. This year the puddle jumpers just saw 25-30 knots but with big swell. I stayed in Tonga so I haven't heard the stories yet but I haven't heard of anybody doing anything other than heaving-to on that trip.   This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. 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Ajouter à vos sélections Ajouter à vos sélections Partager sur Twitter Partager sur Messenger Partager sur Facebook Envoyer par e-mail Partager sur Linkedin Copier le lien Article réservé aux abonnés Deux matelas salis par la poussière gisent sur le sol, au milieu des débris des fenêtres qui ont fondu. Deux remparts dérisoires que les voisins ont tenté de dresser, au milieu de la nuit du 18 juillet, pour amortir la chute de deux personnes, cramponnées à la fenêtre du septième étage de leur immeuble en flammes du quartier des Moulins, à Nice. Après avoir passé quelques minutes suspendu, Mhouadim, un père de famille de 45 ans, a lâché prise. Il est mort sur le coup. Son beau-fils de 23 ans est à l’hôpital, en urgence absolue. A l’intérieur de l’appartement, la mère, Sitty, quatre des enfants et leur tante en visite ont tous péri dans l’incendie. A 2 h 24, cette nuit-là, les caméras de vidéosurveillance de la ville captent les visages non dissimulés de trois jeunes, simplement vêtus d’un short et d’un tee-shirt, qui sortent d’une voiture et tentent de pénétrer à l’intérieur d’un grand bâtiment blanc de logements sociaux, coincé dans l’entrelacs des échangeurs routiers, en lisière de l’aéroport de Nice. Ils parviennent à casser la porte d’entrée, dont les vitres ont éclaté, et ressortent très peu de temps après. Dans la foulée, trois départs de feu se produisent, aux premier, deuxième et troisième étages. « Je ne dormais pas, je scrollais sur mon téléphone, explique une voisine quadragénaire, qui n’a pas souhaité dire son prénom. J’ai entendu du bruit, puis ça sentait très fort le brûlé. » Elle descend en trombe dans la rue, voit une immense fumée noire s’échapper et un attroupement se former. Tout le monde a du mal à respirer. A l’une des fenêtres du septième étage, Mhouadim sort, le jeune homme aussi. « Ils ont crié “à l’aide, à l’aide”. On répondait tous “tenez bon, tenez bon, ne lâchez pas, les secours vont arriver, on va vous sauver”. On a vu les policiers débarquer en courant. Et ils sont tombés. Les femmes ont hurlé. Tout le monde était fou, même les policiers étaient trop choqués » , poursuit-elle. « Moi, je l’aimais bien cette famille, les petits jouaient tout le temps dans la cour, et avec leur mère on s’entendait bien » , dit-elle encore, effondrée. Scène d’horreur Zairoudine, 19 ans, l’un des trois survivants de la famille décimée, était accroché à la fenêtre d’à côté avec son frère de 17 ans. Il a assisté à toute la scène, comme il l’a raconté à France Bleu Azur : « De là-haut, je voyais qu’ils ne bougeaient plus. Moi, j’ai décidé de ne pas sauter. Je ne voulais pas montrer le mauvais exemple à mon frère. » Les pompiers arrivent enfin, déploient les échelles de leur camion. Zairoudine et son frère sont évacués. « Et puis les pompiers sont venus me voir et m’ont dit qu’ils avaient retrouvé trois morts dans la salle de bains. » La mère se serait réfugiée dans la baignoire pour tenter de protéger ses enfants. « Avec mon frère, on s’est mis à pleurer. On a compris. Notre famille vient de mourir. Mon grand frère, lui, est dans un état grave. Il n’y a plus que lui. Et nous, avec mon petit frère. » Il vous reste 60.41% de cet article à lire. La suite est réservée aux abonnés. Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil. Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil. Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur, téléphone ou tablette). Comment ne plus voir ce message ? 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Les articles en intégralité à partir de 7,99 €/mois Le Monde Ateliers Cours du soir Immersion dans l’économie du crime Comment regarder un tableau Cours en ligne De Maria à Diva, l’Opéra à travers la Callas Du big bang aux trous noirs, les mystères de l’Univers De Botticelli à Raphaël, regarder la renaissance italienne 377 COMMENTS Sea Anchors & Drogues Shewmon's sizing guide suggests a 10.5′-diameter meter chute for a 35′ boat and a 13.5′ device for a 45-footer. Recommendations for Para-Tech equivalents are 16′ (for a 35-footer) and 20′ (for a 45-footer), respectively. ... Steadied by a drogue, however, a boat will withstand waves as high as 55% of waterline length. And there are ... Skip Novak's Storm Sailing Techniques Part 7: drogues Skip Novak's view is clear: although drogues could be a lifesaver on small boats of, say, less than 50ft, he would feel nervous about deploying the gear on bigger, heavier vessels. For smaller ... We test a drogue and a sea anchor Toby Hodges tries out a ParaAnchor sea anchor and a Jordan Series Drogue on a heavy weather sail training weekend in the English Channel. Drogues and sea anchors are designed to slow a boat or ... Which drogue should you buy? 7 drogues on test A drogue streamed astern can help when a boat is being towed in waves, preventing snatching loads on the tow line and stopping the towed boat overtaking the boat doing the towing. 7 drogues tested: how we did it. We borrowed a Contest 29, Mohraina, moored at Poole's East Dorset Sailing Club and owned by Dick Hanraads. We headed out of Poole ... US Sailing Safety at Sea Para-Anchor and Storm Drogues US Sailing Safety at Sea training is one of the best in the world. From online to hands on training. To learn more visit https://www.ussailing.org/education/... The Need For Less Speed: Storm Drogues And Sea Anchors Drogues must be securely attached to the boat. Ideally the drogue is attached by way of a bridle in the center of the transom from multiple points. If the two lines securing it to the boat have a block on one line and a fixed point on the other, you can move the drogue line from one side of the stern to the other like the traveler on a sailboat ... Surviving a Force 11 storm with a series drogue The overall length of the drogue is 107m (350ft) and is attached to the boat by a bridle, in Nicky's case, of about 4.5m (15ft) long. Each arm of the bridle is shackled to a dedicated chainplate on each quarter of the hull. This is by far the best way to attach the drogue to the boat. How to Deploy and Use a Sea Anchor or Drogue The trip line and floats go out first, remember to deploy sea anchors from the bow and drogues from the stern. Allow the trip line to drift out and clear. Toss the drift anchor in next, making sure to toss it into clear water. As the boat drifts away from the anchor, pay out about 50' of rode and snub the line with half a turn on the cleat ... How to Use Drogues and Sea Anchors A sea anchor is deployed off the bow and is used to keep a drifting boat's head to the wind and waves so that it may ride rough seas more comfortably. A drogue is deployed off the stern and is used to keep the boat straight while motoring down-sea. Also, by slowing the boat as it races down a wave face, it reduces the chance for broaching or ... Using a Jordan Series Drogue for Steering The bottom line is that while a JSD tail could be used as a steering drogue in an emergency, a purpose-built steering drogue is better. Darrell Nicholson. Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine ... Drogues The recovery sequence starts at 349.4 seconds after launch when the 11-ft. diameter pilot chute is deployed as the spent booster is jettisoned. This is followed by the deployment of a 54-ft. diameter drogue chute, going through three inflation stages in 12 seconds - accomplished by the use of explosive reefing line cutters. A Parachute Sea Anchor, or a Drogue? It keeps the boat facing into the wind and waves, reducing the risk of being rolled or capsized by breaking seas. A drogue is a smaller, cone-shaped device that is deployed from the stern of a sailboat to reduce its speed and stabilize its course in a storm. It keeps the boat running with the wind and waves, preventing it from surfing or broaching. How And When Is A Drogue Used? Just viewed a Youtube video of a sailboat is rough seas. They were corkscrewing all over the place which looked like a knockdown was in their future. One of the comments suggested the used of a drogue. When there are 15'-20' seas I stay home however it would be good to know how and when a... Pros & Cons Between Jordan Series Drogue VS The Sea Anchors A boat forced aft against an oversized canopy that is "fixed" in the water can present problems. In his book, Heavy Weather Tactics Using Sea Anchors and Drogues, Earl Hinz points out, "The powerful but irregular motion of the sea when resisted by a sea anchor can produce great strains on the sea anchor gear. Spherachutes LLC Anchors For questions, contact usor give us a call at (970)352-4262. Sea AnchorsDelta Drogue. Innovative Sea Anchor for Offshore Fishing. PARA-TECH Engineering Co. has been a leading manufacturer of offshore survival gear since 1980 or over 4 decades in the industry. Our para-tech sea anchor or parachute sea anchor for offshore fishing is a parachute ... Drogue or Sea Anchor? Nov 27, 2016. #2. Lots of differing opinions; sea anchors let the boat drift backward so the rudder going hard over and getting damaged and recovery of the chute are my objections on that, drogues let you run down wind which keeps you "in the weather" longer as you are running with it is my objection on the other. Chosing the right sea anchor or drogue The main line needs to be strong enough to withstand the shock loads it will be subjected to by a drifting boat in a seaway. Big drogues should be furnished with heavier line than small ones, but a thicker line is easier to handle than a thinner one regardless of drogue size. ... there are fewer instances of the 'chute or the drogue lines ... Army surplus extractor chute as drouge. Posts: 8. Army surplus extractor chute as drouge. I have been considering the purchase of a drogue for a small sailboat. I tend to be conservative with the amount of sail I raise but if conditions warrant it, I'd like to have a drouge to set. In shopping the internet I found a fella who is selling small drogues for small boats. Using a drift-chute/drogue/sea-anchor on an A.I. With a drift sock you drift at about 1 mph and sometimes that can be annoying when fishing. Sometimes an anchor serves me better when it's a viable option. It you tie the drift sock off at the crossbar, you will drift at an angle at around 45 degrees to the waves. If you find 45 degrees unacceptable, there is an option. The flag of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia which I bought there For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond. Mayor claims drone intercepted near Moscow Russian air defense units allegedly intercepted a drone over the city of Elektrostal in Moscow Oblast, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported in a Telegram post on Nov. 19. Elektrostal In 1938, it was granted town status. [citation needed]Administrative and municipal status. Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as Elektrostal City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, Elektrostal City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Elektrostal Urban Okrug. A Nice, le quartier des Moulins traumatisé après un incendie meurtrier A Nice, le quartier des Moulins traumatisé après un incendie meurtrier, le trafic de drogue mis en cause. Deux parents, quatre de leurs enfants et une tante sont morts, dans la nuit du 17 au 18 ... Elektrostal Elektrostal, city, Moscow oblast (province), western Russia.It lies 36 miles (58 km) east of Moscow city. The name, meaning "electric steel," derives from the high-quality-steel industry established there soon after the October Revolution in 1917. During World War II, parts of the heavy-machine-building industry were relocated there from Ukraine, and Elektrostal is now a centre for the ... catamaran gulet motorboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht