yachting monthly sea anchor

Yachting World

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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

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Yachting Monthly -Anchor Test Nov09 5 Pages

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ANCHOR TEST BOATS & GEAR TRIED & TESTED Which anchor Anchor design has undergone a revolution recently and bold claims have been made about better holding in a greater variety of seabeds. But how good are they? To find out, Daniel Allisy tested seven new steel designs and two lightweight aluminium ones against two of the most popular and trusted anchors in the world: the CQR and the Britany. The results are remarkable and the lessons learned invaluable

Lewmar Delia: this nciv-qeneration anchor is fined as standard by mam/ boatbuilders, but tends to plough the seahed without digging in deeply ■^^MH trust our yachts to tried-and-tested anchors which been proven over generations. Even then, one anchor drag is enough to shatter your faith and leave you wondering what's actually happening out of sight on the seabed. In this test, we set out to discover exactly what goes on In a previous anchor test, carried out by Voiles et Voiliers that some of Ihe new generation of anchor designs were worthy traditional designs. The test also showed that...

The anchors we tested were all of a similar size, but with a wide variety of shapes and surface area the force on the cable euery figures anyway - not just because they gave us three measurements of anchor holding power, rather than just one, but because our analysis of the results pointed to some interesting findings. We discovered that the anchors fell into two distinct categories: those whose holding power increased when the angle of pull changed, meaning they dug in deeper, and those that couldn't muster as much power straight away when the angle changed. We can at least report which...

Average holding power in hard sand = 1,138kg Holding power in muddy sand = 999kg with Bugels on their how rollers. This anchor's shape looks deceptively simple: a flat, triangular spade welded crowned with a chunky, which also serves as a useful cluttered with copies. We tested a genuine Bugel, supplied by Swiss Tech, which imports galvanised and stainless steel versions, but only the stainless model our test. Its main drawback high price. Don't assume that a cheap, knock-off copy will be anywhere near as good as the real McCoy. Total ttme of cable puff: 3mtns 26s Nsnson SupremeAveraQe...

Our findings show that, complex piece of kit with that the smallest change that a slightly bent fluke (less than a centimetre a major handicap. Leaving aside the folded flukes of the Fortress, bent when they were subjected to an force, and the broken stock Britany and Brake anchors never performed properly after being slightly bent We've shown that very nearly as effective as their steel counterparts more likely to bend out of shape. You'd be unwise only anchor conclusion from this new-generation anchors demonstrably better than their illustrious forebears, with double - even triple -...

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What is a sea anchor

he concept of a sea anchor for small vessels in storms is as old as seafaring itself.

The idea seems to have come from the notion that if all else fails, the crew can tie a bundle of oars, masts, poles, awning battens, and anything that's handy on deck to the end of a long line. Then if the people on board toss this collection of odds and ends over the side and lead the line to the bow, the boat, being larger and with more wind resistance, will blow downwind faster than the sea anchor. The floating sea anchor will tend to hold the narrow bow of the vessel up into the wind. The idea is that the whole procession will then slowly drift downwind directly in-line with the axis of the storm.

In theory, if the smooth and streamlined bow is headed into the wind and is held in this position by the sea anchor, the boat will be set up in the best possible manner to ride out the storm. The efficiency of this scheme depends on the drag of the sea anchor, which is just awash or a little below the surface.

As far as I can find out, the use of sea anchors on yachts and fishing boats in modern times is largely due to a book written by Captain J. C. Voss in 1913. Voss was a professional Canadian sailor who in 1901, when he was 47, took one crewman and spent a little over 3 years sailing a small boat from Victoria, British Columbia, west-about to England, three-quarters of the way around the world.27

Voss's vessel was a long, slim, decked-over log canoe (with slightly built-up topsides and a cabin) named Tilikum that was driven by a small three-masted gaff rig with a total sail area of just 230 square feet. (The four sails ranged in size from only 39 to 79 square feet.) The boat was 38 feet long (including the figurehead); her beam was an

ultra-skinny 5 feet 6 inches, and she drew just 2 feet. Tilikum was hacked out of a red cedar log, stiffened with oak frames, floors, and a keelson. She was ballasted with 1,700 pounds of sandbags and lead.

During his trip, Voss dealt with gales by tossing out a cone-shaped canvas sea anchor (22 inches in diameter with a bag 4 feet long) from the bow of Tilikum and striking all sail except for a small riding sail hoisted astern. According to Voss's book, Tilikum lay nicely with her head to the wind and stayed within a range of 21/2 points (28 degrees) of the wind's direction. Meanwhile the Canadian captain and his crewman went below to rest and smoke their pipes.

Tilikum lay successfully to her sea anchor dozens of times during the voyage. Much has been made of Voss's technique, and his name is always brought up when sea anchors are mentioned to prove how good they are. Unfortunately this argument is quite specious today because the designs of modern sailing yachts—whether long-keeled or with a fin keel—are completely different from the shallow-draft, narrow-beamed, low-rigged Tilikum of a century ago.

Voss's boat had the hull form of a canoe or a lifeboat, which have the same windage and draft forward as aft, whereas the hulls of practically all modern high-performance yachts are significantly different. Today's boats have (1) more underwater area aft than forward, and (2) their tall rigs have greater windage forward than aft. The combination of (1) and (2) tends to turn a boat at right angles to the wind and exposes her vulnerable

side to the fury of a storm. This is about the same orientation as when lying a-hull, as discussed in Chapter 6, only we're now considering storm management in stronger winds.

Captain Voss's concept and rules were useful for the yachts and long-hulled sealing schooners of his era, but in the 21st century the designs of our sailing yachts are quite different.

W. A. Robinson, another sailor of vast experience, points out that Voss unwittingly gives innumerable arguments against sea anchors, which a careful analysis of the latter part of his book will reveal: "Not the least of these is the fact that after all his experience with Tilikum—which never met the ultimate storm—he was unable to provide a sea-anchor that would stand up when he finally did meet it years later in Sea Queen, a yacht of only 19 feet water-line."28

The authority Eric Hiscock agrees that Voss's Tilikum, with her balanced hull form and windage and a small riding sail at the stern, will ride well to a sea anchor.

"A normal [modern] yacht," writes Hiscock, "drawing more water aft than she does forward, and having greater windage forward than she has aft, will not lie like that. No matter how large the sea-anchor, she is bound to make sternway; her bow, having less grip than her stern on the still, deep water, is more affected by the wind, breaking crests

The 2006Swedish Malo designed by Hans Leander. A typical modern design with three times the draft of Tilikum. With no sails up, this yacht will turn away from the wind, pivoting on her underbody because of the resistance of the mast and forward rigging.

and surface drift, so that it falls off to leeward; the hull pivots on its heel, and eventually [the boat] takes up a position more or less beam on to wind and sea, just as it will when lying a-hull. If a riding sail is set aft and sheeted flat, the position may be improved, but even then the yacht will not lie head to wind, though she may come up occasionally and fall off on the other tack, the sail flogging dreadfully at times, and the strain on the rudder caused by sternway being great."29

Sailors can help their cause by setting a small riding sail on a mizzenmast, or they can hoist a tiny storm jib immediately forward of the mainmast backstay to help turn the ship's head toward the wind. But if the ship's heading changes with passing seas, such a sail may flog itself to death while the noise threatens the crew's sanity.

Earl Hinz suggests a better idea: a wedge-shaped riding sail that will always exert some sideways force no matter how the yacht moves in relation to the wind. The head of this small sail can be held in place with a shackle around the backstay and hoisted with the main halyard. The tack can be secured to the main boom or fittings in the cockpit or on the coachroof. The port and starboard clews of the V-shaped sail can be held apart with a boathook or a scrap of wood. Two short lines from the clews downward to aft mooring cleats or elsewhere complete the job.30

small, flat-cut riding sail backstay downhaul to keep tension on leech

This scheme for a storm-riding sail employs a single small sail. In strong winds the problem is to keep the sail from flogging and destroying itself. It may be useful to reinforce the luffwith nylon tape and to use two sheets. Area? Take three-quarters of the length of the yacht and use this number as the square footage. This means 38 square feet for a single sail for a 50-footer, etc. For a V-shaped sail, double the figures.

small, flat-cut riding sail shackles instead of hanks backstay downhaul to keep tension on leech

In New Zealand, the firm of W. A. Coppins in Motueka has sold large numbers of these wedge-shaped riding sales to commercial squid fishing boats. "The sails are set at 30 to 40 degrees to the centerline of the boat," says Bill Coppins. "The two sails create a wedge shape that kicks the boat back into the wind as soon as the vessel wants to point off."

John Armitage wrote me about a wedge-shaped riding sail that he made in Norway for his 38-foot sloop in 1979. "I first tried using an ordinary storm jib," says John, "but

idealized alignment practical alignment alignment with riding sail

Modern yachts lying to a cone-shaped fabric sea anchor. Left: The optimum position, head to wind, is seldom achieved. Middle: Normally a sailing yacht will take up a position at 70 degrees or so to the wind. This puts the vessel in a poor position relative to waves. Right: The addition ofa riding sail improves the angle, but the yacht is still vulnerable. The small sail at the stern has a hard life in strong winds as the boat dances around on passing seas.

found that it slammed badly when the wind went from one side to the other. The sail shook the whole boat. Really bad. Overall, it seemed worse than no riding sail at all.

"Then I noticed that the Norwegian fishing boat riding sails were built like a V-shaped wedge, with the sharp edge of the V into the wind. I sewed a V-wedge sail of heavy sailcloth with strong edge taping. I hoisted this little sail with its V-luff—stiffened to be about 2 inches broad—low on the backstay, with the two clews leading outboard to the port and starboard quarters. I used a generous roach on the leeches and feet. When I tightened everything, the little sail sat there in all winds without a twitch. The slamming was gone and my new riding sail made a miraculous reduction in sheering back

An alternative to the Hinz sail (above) might be to construct a riding sail entirely ofthin plywood with the blades held in position with a wooden crosspiece. The plywood sail could be hoisted and kept in position the same way as the Dacron sail in the illustration. The wooden sail would be cheaper than a cloth sail, more durable, and when not in use could be knocked down and stored flat in a locker. In an emergency, extra plywood could be a godsend.

and forth at anchor in gusty winds. The sail not only reduced the load on the anchoring system, but it made the entire ride much calmer and less worrisome."

Fishing boats, motor vessels, and multihull sailing yachts that have long straight keels present more balanced hulls to the sea and have a greater chance of heading into the wind and waves, particularly if they use a bridle with a parachute sea anchor. Earlier I mentioned that more than half of a modern sailboat's lateral area below the water is aft of amidships, particularly when you consider the rudder.

Additionally, a sailing yacht has lots of windage up forward because of her single forward-located mast (sloop or cutter) and bulky roller-furled jib at the bow, something that 90% of sailboats carry today. The combination of the aft keel area and forward windage combine to turn the sailing yacht away from the wind. This exposes the vulnerable sides of the yacht to a breaking wave.

"Then," writes the veteran Maurice Griffiths, the long-time editor of Yachting Monthly, "the merry, sparkling sea—which tops the scales at 64 pounds for each cubic foot, or 35 cubic feet to the ton—can be about as friendly as a ton of wet concrete when it chooses to break over a small vessel."31

"This is exactly what happened to me during a violent Pacific storm," said New Zealand sailor Ross Norgrove when I saw him in Tortola in 1985 and talked with him about his experiences with the sea anchor that he deployed from his 11-ton sailboat

John Armitage's Hale Kai in Norway showing the V-shaped riding sail he devised after talking with local fishermen. Although John speaks of hoisting the riding sail on the ship's backstay, this photograph shows the head raised by the main halyard and the tack of the sail held in position by a line to the mast.

White Squall. "As soon as we streamed the sea anchor at the bow, the yawl turned sideways and I knew it was a disaster."

Since today's typical long-distance cruising yacht is 42 or 43 feet long, a suitable conical sea anchor would have a mouth about 30 inches in diameter and a bag 5 feet long. It would be made of heavy Dacron, and the mouth would be supported by a stainless steel ring hinged for folding so the sea anchor could be collapsed for stowage. Six or eight small lines would be spliced around the circumference of the metal ring and led to a heavy thimble to take the line from the boat.

Today's experts who have read over the last page say that Ross Norgrove's problem was certainly caused by using a V-shaped conical bag that was much too small. The companies that deal in these devices make their sea anchors of large parachute designs. For a sailing yacht 42 to 43 feet long, they recommend diameters from 12 to 18 feet— far greater than the Voss model.

This sea anchor would probably have a small float on a short line attached to the metal ring at the front of the parachute (where the shroud lines collect) to keep the

2" opening at point

1/4" dia. s/s hinge pin to allow ring to collapse for stowage bag 60" long., made of 9-10 oz. Dacron

Voss-type fabric sea anchor with hinged metal ring that collapses for storage.

device from sinking. In addition there might be a light floating trip line and small buoy tied to the far end of the parachute canopy to help with recovery after the storm.

Although the latest marine catalogs are filled with seemingly unlimited offerings, you won't find a sea anchor of the Voss type shown above. These days there are better control techniques—parachutes and drogues—for yachts and fishing boats caught out in horrendous storms.

Which scheme is better? Or are they both good? Read on.

Continue reading here: Parachutes in the sea

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Readers' Questions

Can ships anchor in the middle of the ocean?

Yes, ships can anchor in the middle of the ocean. Anchoring is a common practice for ships, and it allows them to stop and secure themselves in a specific location. While ships typically anchor near shorelines or in designated anchorages, they can also anchor in the open sea if necessary. This can occur during emergencies, adverse weather conditions, or when conducting specific operations such as maintenance or scientific research. However, it is important to note that anchoring in the middle of the ocean may have limitations due to the depth of the water, availability of suitable anchoring grounds, and potential navigational risks.

How do anchors work in the ocean?

Anchors in the ocean are typically used by ships, boats, and other marine vessels to maintain their position or prevent drifting. They work by using their weight and design to provide a secure grip on the ocean floor. Here is a general explanation of how anchors work in the ocean: Anchor Design: Anchors are usually made of heavy materials such as iron or steel, with a shape designed to maximize their holding power. They commonly have flukes or blades that dig into the sediment at the bottom of the ocean. The design may vary depending on the type of anchor, such as a plow, claw, or Danforth anchor. Deployment: To deploy an anchor, the vessel lowers it from the bow using a chain or rope called the anchor rode. The length of the anchor rode is chosen based on the depth of the water and the conditions, ensuring an adequate scope. Fluke Contact: As the anchor reaches the ocean floor, the flukes or blades make contact with the sediment. The shape and weight of the anchor cause it to bury itself, creating resistance against movement. Settling and Dragging: The anchor gradually settles into the bottom as the vessel moves backward, applying tension on the anchor rode. This causes the flukes to dig deeper into the sediment, increasing the holding power. Sometimes, an anchor might drag for a short distance until it finds an area with suitable conditions for a secure hold. Holding Power: The anchor's grip on the sediment, combined with the vessel's weight and the tension in the anchor rode, prevents the vessel from drifting significantly. The larger the anchor, the heavier it is, and the better its design, the greater its holding power. Retrieval: To retrieve the anchor, the vessel moves toward it, reducing tension on the anchor rode. As the anchor is lifted, the flukes release from the sediment, allowing the vessel to pull it up to the surface. It's worth noting that some vessels, particularly larger ones, might also employ multiple anchors dropped from different points on the ship to ensure greater stability and reduce swing or rotation. Additionally, different anchoring techniques may be employed depending on various factors like water depth, seabed conditions, and weather conditions.

How do sea anchors work?

Sea anchors work by providing drag and stability to a vessel in open water. They are typically large, parachute-shaped devices that are deployed from the bow (front) of a boat or ship. When a sea anchor is deployed, it opens up and catches water, thereby creating drag. This drag slows down the forward speed of the vessel, helping to reduce drift and keep it in a stable position. The size and shape of the sea anchor determine the amount of drag it creates. Sea anchors are especially useful in rough weather conditions, as they can help to prevent a boat or ship from being blown off course or capsizing. By increasing resistance to wind and waves, they can provide a temporary pause and stability. Sea anchors are typically attached to a line called a rode, which is connected to the bow of the vessel. The rode is then used to secure the sea anchor and control its deployment. It is important to note that sea anchors do not work by completely stopping a vessel's drift but rather by reducing its speed and providing stability. They are commonly used in emergencies, for fishing purposes, or to maintain a stationary position in areas with strong currents or winds.

• The 10 best smartphone apps for sailors: proven through experience

Technology is evolving. Gone are the days when sailors relied purely on the basic equipment on board their boat — a chartplotter, GPS navigation and a pilot of the region. Nowadays, almost every modern sailor has a bunch of apps installed on their smartphone. So, we've asked our skippers which are their favourite apps they use the most. Here is our list of the top 10 sailing  apps  tried and tested over hundreds of logged miles.

1. Navionics: Boating Marine & Lakes

In our opinion, this is the best app for navigating your boat (but also for diving, fishing or other water sports). You'll find an incredible amount of information in it, from conventional GPS navigation to bay depths, harbour data, and contacts . Plus, it allows you to share your live location so your friends or family can follow your route online. We at yachting.com consider Navionics to be a basic part of any smartphone sailing kit ! The only downside is that it is a paid app, but it's worth every penny.

• Purchase Navionics at  www.navionics.com

2. Windy.com app

The Windy app and the windy.com website are one of the most well-known sources for boaters to check the weather forecast. In addition to wind direction and strength, you can find forecasts for temperature, waves, rain and cloud cover. Just like with any forecast model, it can't be relied upon 100%, so you should always pay attention to the actual conditions around you as well. Windy Premium, the paid version provides a more accurate forecast and more regular updates without ads.

• Download the Windy app at  windy.app

YACHTING.COM TIP :  Clouds  have been a source of fascination since the dawn of time. However, you don't need to be an expert meteorologist to know what to expect from looking at the clouds. In fact, this knowledge is practically essential for sailors. So, how do you read the clouds? Check out our article to find out —  Sailing: how to predict the weather by reading the clouds .

3. Anchor Watch / Alarm

An anchor drag alarm  or anchor watch basically does exactly what the name suggests — it emits a signal (alarm) when your boat drifts outside your designated security zone when at anchor . There are many apps available with this function, but Anchor Alarm is the one that works best for us. When you drop anchor, simply press the position button and adjust the perimeter you don't want to leave — for example, after taking into account the surrounding rocks and your proximity to shore, you might decide that you want to set the perimeter so that your anchor won't drag more than 15 metres. The app will remember where your anchor is located and will keep an eye on your position throughout the night. Should your boat move outside the set boundaries, it will trigger an alarm on your phone.

• Get the app on the App Store or Google Play.

YACHTING.COM TIP:  Review the basic rules of anchoring in our  complete guide to anchoring and moorings . We've covered two specific scenarios where you might need a little extra help. The first is on  how to prepare your boat for a stormy night at anchor and the second one is a guide to the Mediterranean Mooring technique, a combination of anchor and mooring lines often used in Greece —  How to moor stern-to: a step-by-step guide .

Navily is more of an app for recreational sailors where you'll find more than 14,000 anchorages and 6,000 marinas with photos and reviews from the community. There are also more than 700 partner marinas where you can book a berth directly via the app. The premiums version unlocks core features, such as automatic itineraries and distance calculation at sea. Navily claims to be the most innovative cruising guide.

• The app is available at navily.com

5. How to Tie Knots

Every skipper should have a masterful knowledge of sailing knots for every situation and should ideally be able to teach the crew. But, at the very least, you could install an app on their phones and get them to learn themselves. For this, we recommend the app How to Tie Knots which uses 3D animation to provide a realistic experience of tying knots using a virtual rope. There are countless apps out there for learning to tie knots so if you find something more suited to you, there are plenty of options. After all, they all have the same goal: to teach you how to tie knots.

• Find this app and similar ones on the App Store or Google Play.

YACHTING.COM TIP: Ropes or lines are one of the most important things on board any yacht and you simply can’t do without their ability to fasten, join and connect. Mastering at least a few basic sailing knots is essential for sailing, anchoring and moorings. It's not just beginner sailors who make mistakes , so we've prepared a guide to  9 essential sailing knots   for all your boating needs.

More sailing tips and tricks:

Sextant and navigation: survival without GPS

The ultimate yacht cleaning kit, new year's resolution: let's sail more eco, tried and tested anchor safely and eat well in croatia, skippered boats: how to pack for a yachting holiday, don’t panic: handling maritime emergencies.

This is one of the best-known  breakdown assistance services for sailors. SeaHelp is a 24/7 rescue service that includes insurance and reliable assistance at sea should you break down or have an emergency. There are three types of membership available online and the app can then help you with things like towing your boat, starting, bringing fuel, fetching parts, freeing lines from the propeller and weather advice. The SOS button  can also be used by non-members  of this service and sends out a distress SMS with your current location and mobile number. After receiving the message, SeaHelp immediately calls back to verify there is a problem and if there is a real emergency, sends a rescue boat. If you sail frequently or are planning a more challenging voyage, we highly recommend setting up this service.

• Find the app and purchase a membership at sea-help.eu .

YACHTING.COM TIP: In the event of an accident or mishap during your voyage at sea, deposit insurance will save your nerves as well as money. Are you hesitating whether it is worth taking out? In our experience, it definitely is! Check out our article on  the most common reasons for losing your boat rental deposit  and if you would like advice on deposit experience, feel free to get in contact with one of our representatives .

MySea is a free interactive guide to marinas, harbours, jetties, buoy fields and restaurants in Croatia, Greece and Turkey . For each marina, it provides information on the type of mooring, safety regarding the direction of winds, services (showers, toilets, petrol pumps, supermarkets, etc.), entertainment and dining options on-site. There is also a current weather forecast for the area with a bird's eye view. The app includes thousands of user reviews on individual marinas and berths can be booked directly via the app. Even admission to Croatian national parks can be paid for via MySea.

• Find it at my-sea.com .

8. Marine Traffic

Marine Traffic comes in especially useful if you are sailing in areas where there are a lot of cargo ships. This platform provides real-time information on marine traffic, live port arrivals and departures, as well as gross tonnage and registration number of the cargo ships moving in your area. If you are heading to the English Channel, the Baltic Sea or are planning a voyage further offshore, the risk of collision with a cargo ship is much higher. Bear in mind that the captain of a large tanker cannot see small sailing vessels, so it is best to give them a wide berth.

• Take a look at the live map of cargo ships at www.marinetraffic.com

9. VesselFinder

Similar to Marine Traffic, VesselFinder provides a live map, on their website and app, of the network ships using the AIS system — over 200,000 ships a day! In addition, it allows you to search for a specific ship and find its current location and more information on the vessel itself. View the ships and their position on the map in real-time or look at their previous routes, sailing history and, where applicable, marina reservations. It is also possible to create your own fleet of friends and track the individual boats of the whole group.

• Find out more about the app at www.vesselfinder.com

The VesselFinder app displays current marine traffic on a map, but you can also search for a specific ship, and view its current location and sailing history

10. Tide Alert (NOAA)

Recommended for all those who sail in tidal waters (France, the Baltic, Scotland...), it provides all the information you need so you don't get caught out by the tide, such as predicted tide height, the moon phase, etc. The whole Tide Alert (NOAA) environment is user-friendly, intuitive and easy to use. Plus, there is an alarm feature to alert you to a low or high tide. And best of all, the app even works offline if your signal drops out.

• Download it on the App Store or Google Play.

A low tide can leave you high and dry

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Faq handy apps for sailors.

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Anchor Watch / Alarm

How to Tie Knots

Marine Traffic

VesselFinder

Tide Alert (NOAA)

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Sea Anchors & Drogues

Taking bad weather bow-to or stern-to is a fundamental quandary. much depends on your boat. then you have to decide which sea anchor or drogue to buy. we sort through the decision tree..

Sea anchors are as old as seafaring. Sailors through the ages have carried buckets, bags, cones—just about everything except the kitchen sink—and thrown them over when they wanted to limit drift. Where the water is too deep for anchoring to the ground sea anchors have long had their uses. Drogues, too, have a long history. Whether as “drags” used to tire harpooned whales or “brakes” to control hard-to-maneuver barges, drogues have been working the waterways for centuries.

Our examination of commercially available devices is not a product comparison but an overview of some available options.

Definitions There’s understandable confusion between sea anchors and drogues. A sea anchor is meant to fix a boat in place, much like a conventional (non-floating) anchor. A drogue, on the other hand, generally goes over the stern. You use it to control speed and stabilize your course as you run downwind away from the seas.

Both sea anchors and drogues work by creating drag. Both are ways of keeping your boat end-on to the wind and seas. However, their heavy weather missions are quite different.

Sea Anchors The main reason sea anchors and drogues get confused is that, until relatively recently, they were basically the same thing. What John Claus Voss (author of the turn-of-the century classic Venturesome Voyages) and even Adlard Coles in his Heavy Weather Sailing called “sea anchors” were small conical devices much like present-day drogues. However, dating roughly from the end of Word War II, sailors and, most particularly, commercial fishermen, began experimenting with parachutes as devices for heaving to. Patrick Royce was the first sailor to tell of these adventures (early 60’s). John and Joan Casanova subsequently (70’s and 80’s) made well-documented use of a parachute anchor in their multihull cruising. Lin and Larry Pardey (aboard the monohull Seraffyn) used ordnance chutes to heave to and wrote about it.

Para-anchors have come into their own; large-diameter devices on the parachute model (or, as in the case of the modern Shewmon anchors, designed from scratch) have evolved in the past 20 years to offer infinitely more “holding” power than the time-honored cones. The sea anchors available in the US today (from Para-Tech Engineering, Para-Anchors International, Fiorentino Para Anchor, and Shewmon Inc., among others), plus those few available on the international market from Para-Anchors Australia and Coppins, Ltd. (New Zealand) all have the size and strength to do what the older devices couldn’t—”stop” the boat from drifting and hold its bow to weather.

Your sea anchor allows you to stop, to attend to a problem, make repairs, get a rest. If the wind and waves are moderate, “anchoring” your boat in open water is relatively simple and straightforward. If it’s too deep to drop the hook, the sea anchor lets you “park.”

Most sailors, however, look to sea anchors to help them handle heavy weather. And in robust blows and gale force winds para-anchors have earned high marks. They have proven that they can bring the boat end-on to the waves and limit drift (often to as little as half a knot). Testimonials are impressive. For example:

Windswept (Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawl) deployed a 12′ Para-Tech sea anchor during passage of a frontal trough (winds 35-40 knots) off the coast of Maine. The skipper recounted thusly:

“After deployment my yawl lay bow-to the wind and waves with very little yawing. With 400 feet of rode there was absolutely no shock loading. My boat rode like a duck, up and over each wave, always nose to the wind. Altogether a very pleasant, safe, and secure feeling.”

That happy, cozy result is what sailors are looking for. Shewmon advises, “Set the anchor at the first sign of heavy weather, BEFORE the deck gets wet and it’s hard to work. Then go inside and catch up on your rest.” The parachute sea anchor is often painted as the “last, best solution” for the weather-whipped sailor.

But it’s dangerous to regard the sea anchor as a “set-it-and-forget-it” solution to heavy weather. Once crests form on the waves, things change. Water now moves laterally, not up and down. It moves at wave speed (up to 25 knots) and can have an impact of one ton per square foot. That changes the game. Breaking waves slew boats off course, roll them over, rocket them out of control. Breaking waves usher in survival conditions.

It’s a comfort that not many storms produce breaking waves. Still, when they do, they introduce significant problems if you’re riding to a sea anchor. The first is yawing.

Other Aids For Staying Bow To How your boat rides to a ground anchor is a good guide as to how she will ride to a sea anchor. Multihulls, for instance, ride relatively straight to both ground and sea anchors when they bridle the anchor from both bows. A monohull, on the other hand, streams a sea anchor from a single fixed point. That increases yaw.

One antidote is a riding sail. A sail set well aft (even a storm jib hanked to the backstay and sheeted flat) will help a boat stay head-to-wind. If you are able to, reduce windage forward (roller furlers are classic culprits) you can do a lot to keep yourself effectively bow-on.

Another remedy is the form of heaving to popularized by the Pardeys. They ride, with or without sail, to a sea anchor, but they attach a control line to the rode and bridle it to their quarter. By adjusting the control they can “winch the stern to weather” and bring their bow off the wind. The hull makes some leeway which in turn generates a “slick” that helps dampen wave action on their weather side. It’s a promising variation to riding bow-on.

Even if you eliminate yaw, you are left to deal with the effect of powerfully breaking wave crests. Thrown aft against an anchor “fixed” in the water, your boat can conceivably generate a pull approaching its own displacement. The tactic here is to position your anchor so that it is in phase with the boat, cresting when the boat does. You don’t want the anchor to be “fixed.” Maximum scope goes a long way toward achieving the “in-rhythm” balance that can keep loads on the boat and road within reason. Para-Tech recommends a minimum of 300′ of rode (or 12 times the boat’s length overall, whichever is greater). Both Shewmon and Para-Tech insist on nylon rodes because nylon’s elasticity limits shock loads.

“We used to think that we could set a sea anchor with the gear that was already aboard for ground tackle. I’ve learned that you need to have gear designed especially to do the job, in terms of strength, efficiency, and chafe prevention,” said Earl Hinz, author of Understanding Sea Anchors & Drogues. Wind loads alone can push the pull on a rode to more than a ton. Para-Tech specifies 1/2″ nylon for boats up to 35′, 5/8″ for boats from 35′-45′, and 3/4″ rode for boats up to 55′. A dedicated strong point, one that doesn’t rely on deck cleats or skimpily backed windlasses, seems almost mandatory for handling a sea anchor.

Chafe is also a problem. There are reports of systems that chafed through “within hours.” Hinz inserts lengths of chain at 100′ intervals in his rode and lets the chain handle abrasion. Repositioning chafing gear on a bar-taut rode from a wave-swept foredeck is difficult, at best. You can’t do much once you’ve set the anchor. That makes adjusting rode length virtually impossible beyond “freshening the nip” by easing it a couple of inches every hour or so. Shewmon’s answer: “Assume the worst case scenario and stream all of the rode permanently protected from chafe at the boat end from the start.”

Pre-planning helps, but practicing is the best preparation for setting your sea anchor in a storm.

Boats riding to a sea anchor will make some sternway. The more severe the motion astern the more grave the threat to the steering system. A rudder hinged on the keel or transom might even be forced against its pintles and sheared off. To counter the backdowns induced by wind and wave, lock the rudder amidships. Lash the wheel rather than relying on the friction brake. Better yet, mount your emergency tiller and lash it.

Riding to a sea anchor more or less rules out adopting any other heavy weather tactic. That’s mostly because getting going again involves either cutting the gear loose or trying to wrestle it back aboard.

Trip lines are standard items with both Para-Tech and Shewmon sea anchors. The Pardeys and many others don’t use them, though. They fear they might snag and sabotage the system. Hinz favors a partial trip line (about one-third the rode’s length) with its own buoy. Even when you succeed in imploding the chute via a retrieval line, you still have retrieval to contend with. In moderating conditions you may power up gradually along the rode and get away with as little as 15 or 20 minutes of intense line handling. If the waves remain and things are anything but perfect, however “retrieval is harder than you can imagine” (according to author and cruising instructor John Neal. As another sailor put it, “It’s like trying to reel in a giant squid from 20,000 fathoms down.”

Sizing a Sea Anchor Choosing a sea anchor begins with the size of your boat. Shewmon explains that his anchors function at their rated diameter “while the Para-Tech anchors are flat. That means that they curve when they fill with water so their working diameter is 30% less than their rated diameter.”

For example, a 6′ Para-Tech sea anchor equals the holding power of a Shewmon sea anchor only 4′ diameter, he said. 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.

US Sailing’s Recommendations for Offshore Sailing puts forth a general guideline—sea anchor diameter should be approximately equal to one-third of a boat’s length overall. Says Victor Shane, a maker of para anchors as well as the author of the Drag Device Data Base, “Err on the larger side for safety, much as you would with ground tackle.” Fears of tethering to “immovable objects” have occasionally led sailors to fit their boats with under-sized chutes. Says Walter Greene of the 4′ Shewmon streamed from his 50′ catamaran Sebago, “I thought anything bigger would be too unyielding.” The boat survived 48 hours of 50-knot winds in mid-Atlantic, but her bows sheared off at 45°-60° throughout the storm.

The bigger the sea anchor the bigger the challenge involved in deploying and retrieving it. Getting it over the side is essentially a matter of preparation and technique. Set the chute to weather (to minimize chances of its sliding beneath the hull), “sneak” it directly into the water to keep it from blowing about, have the rode properly led, flaked and snubbed, and pay off under control (sail or power). Tension on the rode should open the chute. Given the elasticity in the system and the required (considerable, to say the least) scope, the shock of fetching up against it should be minor and not break anything.

Drogues Tests conducted by the American Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers have proven that a boat running before waves is likely to broach when waves approach a height equivalent to 35% of its waterline length. Steadied by a drogue, however, a boat will withstand waves as high as 55% of waterline length. And there are other virtues to towing a drogue.

Most often boats lose control running off before heavy weather because they are going too fast. Leaping off the top of one wave into the back of the one in front will, sooner or later, present problems. Calming your pace so that you stop short of pitchpoling, get a grip on broaching, and put a stop to pounding can be a simple matter of towing a drogue. Most of those available have shown that they can cut top speeds in half.

Drogues do more than that to help steering control. By holding the stern into the waves they limit yaw. By adjusting the drogue so that it pulls on your weather quarter you create an “anti-broaching” force. You can rig a bridle from the stern and use it to “pull the stern around” or lead the bridle to strong points forward of your rudder so that you can “tow the drogue around” with positive control.

“Drogues,” said Shewmon, “are for fair weather. Once waves start to break you want to deploy a sea anchor.”

It’s true that none of the drogues on the market today can “save the day” on its own the way a sea anchor might. Tethering to a sea anchor is primarily passive. You don’t trim sail, dodge waves, or do much more than monitor the situation. Running off is a more active approach. Boat type, sea room, crew reserves, storm avoidance, damage control…the factors that go into choosing which tactic to take are legion and complex. Drogues offer no absolute guarantees against pitchpoling, broaching, or capsize—but they do help the boat stayl end-on to the waves (running off). Keeping that choice open makes them valuable in heavy weather.

The drogues inherited from whalers and cod fishermen suited sailors well for a while. But boats got faster, loads got bigger, and a few flaws began to surface. Time-honored cones and the variations thereon tended to porpoise, swerve, oscillate and pulse as water flow increased. For good speed and steering control you need a steady pull. A new generation of drogues developed almost entirely since the Fastnet storm of 1979 now provides it.

Galerider. Developed by sailmaker Ed Raymond along with yachtsman Frank Snyder, this open-weave basket of webbing gets its pull from a small disc of heavy vinyl in the basket’s bottom. Shewmon’s tug tests (and testimonials from a number of sailors) indicate that it pulls straight with no tendency to yaw. Galeriders come in six sizes (from 18″ diameter to 48″) and have been described by sailors who have towed them as strong, durable, consistent, and simple to deploy and retrieve. John Neal favors it.

Seabrake GP-24. Evolved by Australian commercial fisherman John Abernethy, Seabrakes are based on variable flow. On the original solid Seabrake a baffle prevented most water from passing through it, making it provide tension enough for moderate steering and speed control. Increased water flow from increased speed opened the baffle to create turbulent water flow. That increased drag by as much as 70%. The successor drogue (GP-24) has a “staged system” of variable resistance to produce similar performance in a lighter device made from cloth. Seabrakes have been in use for 15 years and found favor with Down Under racers (like Sir Peter Blake) and cruisers in both multihulls and monohulls. They have limited availability in the US.

Attenborough Sea Drogue. Developed in the UK and used there by lifeboats and fishermen as well as sailors, this 25-lb. solid stainless steel weldment contains a series of angled vanes. As speed increases, flow over the vanes accelerates. That causes the device to dive deeper and “pull harder.” By adjusting the vanes to a shallower dive angle you can use the Sea Drogue for steering control alone. Stowage and retrieval of the solid unit present problems. It has yet to be marketed worldwide.

Shewmon Seamless Drogue. Sold in three sizes (27″, 54″, and 106″ widths) these drogues are made from single pieces of cloth. Shewmon has tug-tested the largest up to 9,000 lbs. of pull. Pull varies with the square of speed (tripling speed produces nine times the pull). Additional speed control can be achieved by adjusting the trip line and “shrinking” the drogue. However, as Shewmon warns, “Readers are advised to abandon all thoughts of partial tripping unless they are willing to spend considerable time and patience experimenting.”

Para-Tech Delta Drogue. Due to tri-corner exhaust vents, increased flow through this drogue produces increased drag, thus suiting the load to the conditions. Guide surface design promotes stability and the water flow helps assure that the drogue will retain its shape. Available for boats from 25′ to 80′ in length, the device comes in six sizes. Made from heavy, vinyl-coated fabric, the Delta stows easily and is relatively easy to retrieve.

Jordan Series Drogue. Towed from the stern like a conventional drogue, this device attempts to do the job of a sea anchor by aggressively holding the boat end-on into the seas. Donald Jordan, its inventor, is a veteran of the aircraft industry and former MIT professor. Jordan’s answer is a series drogue, a rode arrayed with a series of small cones and stretched downward and aft by a weight. Depending on the size of the boat, 90 or more 5″ cones are spliced in line to a 300′ tow line at 20″ intervals. Jordan said that an average (25,000-pound) boat will need about 130 cones.

Sailors who have used Jordan’s drogue say that it works well.

“It slowed our speed to between 0 and 1/4 knot. Yaw was only 5° either side of heading,” reported Gary Danielson of using the device aboard his 25′ monohull in 25-30 knots. The problem that arises, however, is that the boat’s stern quarters tend to be held where they are vulnerable to assault from waves.

Jordan counters, “The approaching water mass is essentially wedge-shaped. In most cases a breaking wave slides under the stern and lifts it rather than smashing down on it.”

“I disagree,” said Steve Dashew, circumnavigator and author of the new book, Surviving The Storm (order at www.setsail.com), who supplied photos for this article. “You can’t discount the impact of a breaking wave. Some boats are well-protected aft, perhaps with center cockpits, but many others, with exposed cockpits, lockers, and companionways are vulnerable. The wisdom of riding stern-to the storm thus depends almost entirely on the type of boat that you have.”

Recommendation—Sea Anchors You might get an inexpensive conical device or prospect the offerings of such far-flung para-anchor purveyors as Coppins, Ltd. (New Zealand) or Para-Anchors Australia. However, after reading hundreds of case histories and talking to sailors and manufacturers we have found little or nothing to justify taking your sea anchor search that far afield. Design and construction of the basic parachute varies somewhat, but the track records, accessibility, and commitment of the two proven and accessible American manufacturers—Para-Tech Engineering and Shewmon, Inc.—make them ones you may wish to consider.

Dan Whilldin, Para-Tech president, is a veteran of more than 30 years of working with parachutes, both for aircraft and for boats. Feedback from the sailors who have used his sea anchors was a big factor in developing the deployable stowage bag that lets you set your Para-Tech by simply dropping the bag (with rode attached) overboard. To us this appears a significant advantage and one that sets Para-Tech apart from Shewmon, whose larger canopies need to be rolled and stopped with twine to ready them for use. Coupled with a significant weight difference (Para-Tech = 17 lbs., Shewmon = 50 lbs.) for comparable sea anchors, Para-Tech is the easier of the two to set.

Shewmon sea anchors are heavily built. A mining engineer and inventor, Dan Shewmon made his own sea anchors for his cruising motorsailer, then went on, in 1978, to found Shewmon, Inc., which now makes and sells a variety of anchors and drogues also of his own design. An anchor for the average (35′-40′) monohull is made from 7-oz. knitted, slightly porous Dacron cloth. “Water is non-compressible and 853 times heavier than air,” he argues. “Common sense dictates that sea anchor cloth should be considerably heavier than parachute cloth.”

Para-Tech employs zero-porosity, high tensile (approximately 2-oz.) nylon in its canopies. Shewmon’s Dacron is undoubtedly stronger. But Para-Tech’s nylon has proven (in Dan Shewmon’s own tug tests) that it can survive loads greater than those seen in recommended use. Further, more than 30 reports in Victor Shane’s Drag Device Data Base tell of setting Para-Tech anchors in winds up to 85 knots, seas over 25 feet, and for as long as 53 hours. Only one account mentions cloth failure: two “well-frayed holes between vent and skirt were found upon retrieval, but there’s no doubt the anchor saved the boat,” said skipper Stephen Edwards of Adelaide, Australia.

Shewmon argues that the porosity of his cloth stabilizes the canopy. Para-Tech points to the resiliency nylon cloth gives to its anchors, better enabling them to absorb loads. There are also significant design differences. Shewmon has created a hybrid of conical and flat shapes with a deeply scalloped (rather than dimpled à la a parachute) circumference. Para-Tech chutes, modeled closely on the standard BU ORD drop chute, depend on a swivel in the system. Shewmon contends that swivels aren’t reliable and that he has “designed out” oscillation.

Pulling power?

Says one chute deployer, “Despite my para-anchor being clearly undersized by manufacturer recommendations, it held us like a brick wall (in winds of 35 knots and 20-foot seas).”

Yawing and oscillation?

Neither are reported as problems in Shane’s Drag Device Data Base.

Commendable as Shewmon’s durability appears and as persuasive as his arguments may be against swivels, we don’t see how the Shewmon differences translate into improved sea anchor performance. Both systems are equally cranky and awkward to retrieve. Making a choice then shifts to the last variable—ease of deployment—for which the Para-Tech seems to have the edge.

Recommendation—Drogues The Jordan Series Drogue is in a class by itself. Much more of a sea anchor than a true drogue, it fixes a boat end-on to the wind and waves with a resilient efficiency that wins praise from all quarters. Your boat has to be designed and built to survive seas stern-on, however, before the JSD becomes a good option.

The Galerider and Delta are simple to use. They deploy without fuss, create high drag at relatively low loads, and pull with a firm steadiness that makes them ideal for steering control. Both rely on swivels. The recommended use of a length of chain to hold the Delta below the surface adds, we feel, unwanted complexity. Galerider’s open-flow design seems less-likely to become unbalanced than the tri-corner system seen in Delta. Galerider costs, however, nearly twice what Delta does.

The Shewmon Seamless Drogue offers the fascinating potential of controllable drag and incorporates the ingenuity of an egg-weighted lower side and a hole-vented upper lip to promote stability and “grip.” These elements make it more complex, however. Given the consistent and effective performance of its simpler competitors, it seems to us that the Shewmon drogue (made from a single piece of cloth and therefore seamless) may take more adjustment and getting used to than the others. But, at $79 (54″ model) it is only half the price of its nearest competitor. That might make it a worthwhile experiment.

Experience at sea has shown the GP-24 (and the solid state Seabrake from which it evolved) to be effective, but these Australian-made devices are hard to get in the US. The solid Attenborough Sea Drogue from the UK is cumbersome to stow. Also, sea trials indicate that deployment is not a simple matter.

Because drogues are more versatile, adjustable, and easier to use than sea anchors, any of the ones we examined might be useful. Because it combines value, function, and proven performance, our selection is the Delta drogue.

Contacts- Attenborough Sea Drogues, (Dr. Neil Attenborough), Fallowfield House, Puttenham, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1AH UK; (44) 1483-300366, fax (44) 1483-34496. Fiorentino Para Anchor, 1048 Irvine Ave. #489, Newport Beach, CA 92660; 800/777-0732; www.paraanchor.com. Galerider, Hathaway, Reiser & Raymond, 184 Sellect St., Stamford, CT 06902; 203/424-9581; www.hathaway.com. Jordan Series Drogue, Ace Sailmaker, Hellier’s Yacht Sales, 128 Howard St., New London, CT 06320; 860/443-5556; www.acesails.com. Para-Anchor International, (Victor Shane), PO Box 19, Summerland, CA 93067; 805/966-9782; fax 805/966-7510. Para-Tech Engineering, 2117 Horseshoe Trail, Silt, CO 81652; 970/876-0558; www.seaanchor.com. Seabrake International, (John Abernethy), RFD (Australia), 3/7 Kent Rd., Mascot, Sydney, NSW 2020, Australia; (61) 29-667-0480, fax (61) 29-693-1242. Shewmon, 1000 Harbor Lake Dr., Safety Harbor, FL 34695; 727/447-0091.

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The link to the Sea Anchors and Drogues Value Guide is broken. I would like to look at that guide. Can the link be fixed or the guide emailed to me? Thanks!

Thanks for the article. Very informing. I have a Fraser 36 . It has a high , possibly ” Clipper ” bow with a lot of reserve buoyancy. We have a rear cockpit and a traditional three board with a sliding main hatch . We tend to yawn quite a bit at anchor . The bow lifts very readily , maybe too readily, in steep choppy waves . I am wondering how these attributes would affect the choice between a drogue and a sea anchor . I would have gone with a drogue, if not for thought of sea breaking on our rear hatch .

The three washboard companionway problem can be solved by installing thick hinged Barn Doors on the outside of your washboards. Lockable from inside and out.

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Peter’s anchoring solution consistently returns top results in objective and independent testing. released to the market in 2004, the rocna has had a few years to amass independent testing results and real-world feedback..

The most significant and objective independent testing was done by West Marine testing of 14 different anchor types on three different sea beds, conducted by the US retailer and both monitored and reported on by SAIL and Yachting Monthly. The Rocna scored the highest in average holding power by far, some 40% in excess of its nearest competitor, the Spade. The testers commented that the Rocna exhibited “…superb, consistent performance. Held a minimum of 4,500 lb and engaged immediately.”

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Approaching boat anchor testing is inherently complex. Such tests take place in controlled environments, which may not fully replicate the unpredictable conditions that arise when relying on an anchor in real-life situations. We recognize the value of real-life testimonials from a myriad of our customers worldwide, which provide valuable insights into the practical performance of our anchors in various situations and in comparison with both old- and new-generation anchors.

Rocna consistently returns top results in objective and independent testing. Since 2004, the Rocna has led worldwide anchor tests as published in the likes of SAIL , Yachting Monthly , Practical Boat Owner , Voile , and others. Because of the Rocna’s reliable and convincing performance against its competition, Rocna is trusted to be rock solid in the real world.

The moment I enter the cockpit, the wind increases heavily. It has turned westerly and is very loud. The rain begins. I hear a loud crack, and the anchor chain rolls rapidly and noisily out to its full length – and stops abruptly. Luckily, the end of the chain is attached to the ship.

I turn on the engine to be prepared for any eventualities. The waves are huge now, and the wind reaches 56 kts which means Beaufort 11 – Violent Storm. It starts hailing heavily. Lightning illuminates the rising sea in front of us and the coastline close behind us. I fear we will soon be on the hard. No anchor can win a fight like this against the elements, I reckon.

The wind has taken hold of our jib, and it flutters violently. The noise from wind, hail, and fluttering is so loud that we cannot hear the thunder rumbling above us. While trying hectically to stay calm and prepared, we keep up the spirit by singing old army songs. We sing very loud to drown out the noise of the elements.

This mayhem lasts for an hour and a half. Then it all stops as rapidly as it begins. The only evidence remaining is the waves.

It’s time to assess the damages: chain snubber shackles bent beyond recognition. Windlass gear system broken. Anchor Roller broken. The jib is shattered and needs to be taken down for a thorough inspection and repair. A narrow escape compared to what could have happened if the anchor had released or the chain broken. We feel humble and very grateful.

— Nicolas Boedker, Vulcan 40 on a 13.6 m Arne Borghegn steel sailboat

I replaced my previous CQR anchor on my Bavaria 38 monohull with a Rocna anchor last year. The Rocna has been reliably fabulous. Recently I had to anchor in 25m with only 60m of chain in the 25-knot wind in a sandy bottom. The Rocna did not move an inch for 8 hours.

What a comfort to have such a reliable anchor. Performing beyond the specs! Thanks, guys, I recommend your product to my sailing fraternity.

— Don Gadsden, Rocna on Bavaria 38

I just wanted to let you know how pleased we are with our Rocna anchor. We purchased it 2 years ago and couldn’t be happier. Since we have been raving about it there is 5 more just on our dock since then. It’s very nice to find a piece of marine gear that works as advertised without question. Thank you!

I am certainly a very happy customer so far. I will sleep good on the hook tonight because I feel confident my anchor will hold.

— Richard & Tonya White, Rocna Anchor

In 2016 we were in Squirrel Cove, Cortez Island BC on our Ranger R27, the Red Raven. We were traveling with our good friends Bonnie and Kevin Nasr in their 55ft Ocean Alexander, the Ocean Dream. The anchorage was filled with boats and so we decided to raft together with a stern tie to shore. High winds were expected overnight so for added insurance we used the dinghy to set our anchor as well.

The Ocean Dream had a 105 lb CQR and the Red Raven had a 33 lb Rocna 15. The winds howled all night and we stayed firm with no issues. In the morning we decided to make a run to the Squirrel Cove Public Dock for groceries and do laundry. We pulled the Rocna 15 and left in the Red Raven. The winds were still blowing but no worse than during the night. Several hours later we returned to find the Ocean Dream had dragged anchor and was perilously close to the rocks ashore. We quickly pulled the Ocean Dream anchor and re-anchored elsewhere in the cove.

Our conclusion was that the Rocna 15 had made the difference! The Ocean Dream now sports a new 121 lb Rocna 55!

— Curt and Tracy Johansen, Rocna 15 on a Ranger R27

Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your product. I am in St Maarten on my Cheoy Lee 44′ and the boat just went through hurricanes Irma which was a direct hit with winds gusting to 250mph, and hurricane Maria right after with winds of 125mph.

I had my boat in a marina with my Rocna 44 set on 3/4″ anchor line in about 15 feet of water and that anchor never broke loose. It held through both storms and stopped the bow of my boat from moving in a lateral motion. This probably saved all my dock lines from breaking. As you may know about 90% of all the boats on the island sank, so I consider myself very lucky.

I have owned boats for 35 years and your anchor is the best I have owned so far. Keep up the good work guys.

— Rourke Henderson, Rocna 44

I purchased a Rocna Vulcan Stainless steel 25kg anchor. A rust blemish appear on the anchor, I polished it out but it returned. I contacted Rocna who organised a new anchor to be delivered to me and the old one was picked up by them. This process was done in a matter of days not weeks.

It was the smoothest process I had ever encountered. They are a company that stands by their product. I was very impressed with their after-market service. I am certainly a very happy customer so far.

I will sleep good on the hook tonight because I feel confident my anchor will hold.

—  Mark Portelli, Vulcan 25

Rubicon 3 heads off on sailing expeditions to some of the world’s more remote areas and having a top quality anchor is paramount for us. Anchored off somewhere like the coast of Greenland, we need to know that our anchor will penetrate and hold in almost any environment.

It sets well, has huge holding power and deals effectively with difficult seabeds such as kelp. This is a top quality anchor.

— Rubicon 3, Rocna on a Bowman 57

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Sailing the Orkneys: ‘Bryan saw a tall black fin breaking the water, followed by another – it was a pair of orcas’

• Toby Heppell
• September 9, 2024

Mark Browse sails across the fearsome Pentland Firth, one of the most difficult stretches of water in the British Isles, to explore the remote Orkney archipelago with its UNESCO prehistoric sites

Sitting on my living-room floor surrounded by tide tables, pilot books, and almanacs, one part of my upcoming voyage around Britain began to excite me more than the rest. I had never been to Orkney before; and although in purely cartographical terms it’s not all that far from the mainland, it seemed intriguingly remote.

It’s full of history and prehistory, and is beautiful to boot. I couldn’t wait to see it.

But we had to get there first. And that involves crossing one of the most fearsome stretches of water in the British Isles: the Pentland Firth.

Goldfinch, our Bénéteau Océanis 36cc, had left her home port of Ipswich in mid-May, and by the middle of June she had arrived in Wick. We spent three nights there, waiting for the weather to be just right for the crossing to Orkney.

Sunset at Stromness marina. Photo: Mark Browse

Crossing the Pentland Firth

Between the mainland of Britain and the Isles of Orkney lies the Pentland Firth. As the tide coming in from the vast Atlantic Ocean tries to sweep eastwards to the North Sea, it finds itself squeezed into a gap only six miles across.

The result is that this area has the second-fastest tidal streams in the world, reaching up to 16 knots at times. Dangerous tidal races spring up, known as ‘roosts’, like the one known as the ‘Merry Men of Mey’.

This might sound like a comic troupe of Morris dancers, but in breaking seas it can be dangerous. The Orkney and Shetland Sailing Directions, published by the Clyde Cruising Club, goes out of its way to make sure skippers don’t take this passage lightly: it has dire warnings in red ink.

The Firth is not especially wide, so getting across it safely is largely a matter of timing. Pick the right day for the weather, and the right hour for the tide.

Article continues below…

Sailing from Scotland to Ireland: ‘The mountains were swathed in a blanket of cloud and the waves became enormous’

The magic and mystery of the western isles of Scotland capture my imagination and draw me back every summer. This…

Sailing across the Irish Sea: ‘We had never seen such evocative scenery’

Bleary eyed, we stumbled out of our sleeping bags as the boat rocked gently on her berth. Fumbling around we…

The weather forecasts suggested that the right day would be soon, so now I had to work out the best time to leave. As usual, the most trustworthy advice came from the locals.

The harbourmaster at Wick gave me a clear and believable instruction: be off Duncansby Head when it’s high water at Wick. It’s something like 10 miles from Wick to Duncansby Head, so it took us the best part of two hours, motoring in a half-hearted wind.

As we passed Duncansby Head we could see the northern shore of Scotland stretching away to port. A few miles to the west was John O’Groats, and beyond that Dunnet Head, the northernmost point of mainland Britain.

But our destination was further north than either of those. By now the true wind was astern, and the apparent wind almost nonexistent.

The face of the sea was calm; but even in these benign conditions it had a confused quality. Beneath the surface, we could feel Goldfinch’s keel being nudged forcefully in all directions by the contrary currents.

It took about an hour to cross the Pentland Firth. We passed between the southern tip of South Ronaldsay and the small island of Swona, and then up through Hoxa Sound and into Scapa Flow.

The ring of Brodgar is older than Stonehenge. Photo: Mark Browse

Scapa Flow is effectively an inland sea, with only a few channels connecting it to the outside ocean. On a map of the British Isles it looks like just a speck in the middle of the smudge that represents the Orkneys, but up close it is surprisingly big: around eight miles from north to south at the widest point, and 12 miles across.

It was in these sheltered waters that the Royal Navy had its base during the two World Wars, and it was here that the Germans deliberately sank their fleet in 1919, fearing that the ships would be seized by the British. Surrounding Scapa Flow are the islands themselves: mostly green, fairly low-lying land, with gentle hills.

To the west, the towering peaks of Hoy are very prominent, rising far higher than the rest of the landscape. As we motored across towards Stromness, the water was silky smooth, with barely a breath of wind to disturb it.

It was a magical moment. By 2030 we were in the marina at Stromness, all fast.

Goldfinch safely alongside in Stromness. Photo: Mark Browse

It had been a good day. The biggest island in Orkney is called, perhaps confusingly, Mainland (here, the landmass of Britain is referred to disparagingly as the ‘Sooth Island’).

We spent a few days on the Orkney Mainland, visiting some of the historic and prehistoric sites that had so excited me when I was planning this voyage. The Stones of Stenness are a mysterious group of standing stones dating back to Neolithic times.

From them, it is just a short walk to the even more impressive Ring of Brodgar, an awe-inspiring circle of stones that is older than Stonehenge.

On the Mainland

In the west of the island is Skara Brae, a Neolithic village that was discovered in the 1850s when a huge storm swept away much of the earth that had covered it for centuries. Like the Ring of Brodgar, it is older than both the Pyramid of Giza and Stonehenge.

Its great attraction is that the houses still contain much of the original stone furniture, and it is easy to see how they were laid out: a central fireplace, a stone ‘dresser’ which seems to have been used for storing or displaying possessions, and stone beds. As with the other Neolithic monuments of Orkney, there are many unanswered questions.

Joe, one of the crew, gingerly peers into the void at the precipitous Noup Head cliffs. Photo: Mark Browse

How did these people get here (presumably they regularly crossed the Pentland Firth in open boats), how did they live, and why did they leave? Archaeologists have been able to infer some of the answers, but there are many tantalising gaps in our knowledge.

The overwhelming impression of the place is that these people, who lived so many thousands of years ago, were not all that different from us. They worked for a living, played, and decorated their houses and bodies.

More recent history has also left its mark on Orkney. To the south and east, some of the smaller islands are connected to the mainland by the Churchill Barriers – massive barricades made of huge blocks of concrete that were put down during the Second World War to help protect the fleet anchored in Scapa Flow.

Situated on Lamb Holm is the Italian Chapel built by prisoners of war who were kept on the island to help with the construction of the barriers. The Italian Chapel is made out of nothing more than a pair of Nissen huts, but the men who built it were not content just to have a room in which to hold their church services.

The Italian prisoners of war decorated the Chapel with exquisite artistry, painting the inside to look like coloured tiles, carved stone, and stained glass, eventually creating a unique place of beauty in their exile.

Noup Head’s dramatic red stone cliffs are home to hundreds of seabirds. Photo: Mark Browse

After a few days on the mainland, we left Stromness, bound for Westray. This passage took us around the western side of Orkney.

At 1319 on 20 June, I wrote in the logbook that we had reached exactly 59° north. This is a record for Goldfinch, and the furthest north I have ever sailed.

It was good to be at sea again. Once we were out of the Sound, almost the whole passage to Westray was under sail, with a fine Force 4 on the beam and a flat sea – perfect conditions.

The tiny and enchanting Italian Chapel built and decorated by prisoners of war at Lamb Holm. Photo: Mark Browse

The wind gradually picked up during the day, and by the time we arrived in Pierowall harbour on Westray that evening, it had become a bit feisty. Goldfinch has a lot of windage up front, and in any kind of brisk cross-breeze, her bow will get blown around willy-nilly as soon as you slow down to safe manoeuvring speed, even with bow thrusters blaring.

Parking the boat in the little marina was really quite challenging, although we managed to tuck her between two yachts without mishap. Pierowall is in a substantial bay with a half-moon shaped beach of pale sand.

In the implausibly sunny weather we were having, the sea was a deep sapphire blue that would make the Mediterranean jealous.

The next day we took a taxi up to Noup Head on the north-west of Westray. From the lighthouse, there is a spectacular walk along the coast.

The dramatic red stone cliffs are home to hundreds of seabirds such as guillemots, terns, gannets, and puffins. It was a fine breezy day, and the whole lot of them were having a grand time wheeling about in the wind.

Looking across the Loch of Stenness. Photo: Mark Browse

To Kirkwall

Our plan had been to return to Stromness so that we could leave Goldfinch there in readiness for the next leg of the circumnavigation in July. But when we got up that morning, the day was grey and blowy.

We chatted to the locals and told them our intentions, and they were unanimously of the opinion that it would be a mistake to go to Stromness that day. The passage takes you outside of the Orkney archipelago, with nothing to the west of you but open ocean.

It had been flat and serene on our way up, but by now the swell had built up, and by all accounts, our journey would have been extremely uncomfortable. A better bet, we were told, was to go to Kirkwall instead.

The Old Man of Hoy appears in the distance. Photo: Mark Browse

This passage would take us down the middle of the islands, where we might experience some uncomfortable waves as the fast tide met the wind, but it would probably be bearable. It’s always a good idea to listen to the locals.

By the time we left Pierowall that afternoon, some hours later than our original plan the wind had moderated, and for most of the passage we had almost ideal sailing conditions. Some low-lying clouds clung to the islands and occasionally the visibility was poor, but much of the time the sun shone.

We had felt a bit of trepidation when setting out, with rumours of roosts and bone-shaking confused seas, but in the event we had a peaceful passage.

The majestic sight of two orcas playing made the passage to Kirkwall very memorable. Photo: Mark Browse

Surprise encounter

On the way we passed between the small islands of Faray and Eday. As we sailed through the sound, Bryan saw something that made him exclaim loudly: a tall black fin breaking the water, followed closely by another.

It was a pair of orcas. They were swimming in the same direction as Goldfinch, and only a few boat-lengths away, close enough for us to see quite clearly the black and white patterns on their sleek bodies. ‘Awesome’ is a much overused word these days, but it’s the only way to describe the sight of these beautiful, powerful creatures.

When we left Goldfinch in the last week of June, safely tucked up in Kirkwall, there was a northerly gale blowing in. The boat was rocking, the fenders were squeaking as they took the weight between hull and pontoon, and we had about seven lines securing her to the shore. During our time in Orkney we had had impossibly good weather, but now it was quite unpleasant, and we were all glad not to be at sea.

In July, Goldfinch continued her voyage round Britain, and we took our leave of Orkney, with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Farewell to Stromness playing on the boat’s sound system. It was an amazing trip and I very much hope to return one day.

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