Yachting Monthly – May 2018

When is it appropriate to deploy a drogue?

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 Q

I refer to your article on

page 55 of your February

2018 article ‘Our offshore

cruise turned into an ocean

survival epic.’ The skipper

deploys a parachute drogue to cope with

worsening sea state, from the bow, not the

stern. I would like advice as to when it is

appropriate to deploy either a bow or stern

drogue. I’d presume the vessel is by now

being pushed backwards by the wind, but

there must be tremendous leverage on the

bow to prevent yawing. I wish I understood

the science of the manoeuvre better. It

obviously worked though! Over, hopefully

not out, to Yachting Monthly. Robert Miller

Peter Bruce, Heavy Weather Sailing author, replies:

A 

Having the bow face the

wind and wave is logical, if

only it can always be kept

there. But it can’t. Thus, in

most situations, the most

simple and effective device is the series

drogue trailed from the stern, which is

gaining popularity among the most intrepid

sailors. This is relatively easy to deploy,

which is important if the storm has already

set in, and has a nice progressive action,

but recovery is a lengthy business.

The account by Maarten Zeeuwen riding

a storm with a parachute sea anchor makes

it look simple but there can be complications

with its deployment that require work up

forward, putting crew at risk. For example,

securing the rode to the bow without chafe

and organising a float arrangement. The

rode can go slack after a big wave has passed

too, giving time for the vessel to become

beam-on to a breaking wave, risking capsize.

If a lee shore is nearby, a parachute allows

little leeway while a drogue allows a knot or

two downwind. Neither requires use of the

helm. Loads are colossal with drag devices,

so really consider how to secure them.

Don Jordan, Jordan Series Drogue inventor, adds:

One of the design objectives of the drogue

is that it may be launched with one hand

under storm conditions without leaving the

cockpit, and it won’t foul even if the boat is

rolling or yawing. To launch the drogue, the

chain is dropped overboard and the drogue

permitted to feed out. Within minutes, the

drogue will gently take hold with no abrupt

deceleration. With a single cone or chute,

as the drogue nears the boat, high loads can

develop when the boat pitches, a dangerous

condition. With the multiple-cone design,

the load diminishes as the drogue comes in.

Finally, the skipper just lifts the chain aboard.

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