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Sea anchor for propulson


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Would it be possible to set up a sea anchor, something like a flat board with a line to each end, that could be used to "edge" the yacht one way or the other during strong storm conditions?

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Using a drogue off the quarter and a bit of helm I was able to crab up to 15-20 deg either side of ddw. Allowed me to dodge a couple of lumps of coral.

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I've seen a 50m fishing boat doing 1.5-2 knots (radar plotted) into 35 knots of wind under sea anchor but it was a bloody huge anchor. Would help to keep off a lea shore as currents flow parallel usually. A drogue can be used to steer close to 90 deg off the wind but will not provide propulsion per se.

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I've seen a 50m fishing boat doing 1.5-2 knots (radar plotted) into 35 knots of wind under sea anchor but it was a bloody huge anchor. Would help to keep off a lea shore as currents flow parallel usually. A drogue can be used to steer close to 90 deg off the wind but will not provide propulsion per se.

 

Wow, that's cool into the wind.

 

Although I'd hope to be able to sail into wind like that also. Not comfortably, but surely.

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The chute was about 80 metre diameter with dedicated winches for deployment and retrieval, so a serious bit of kit. Tidal streams and currents in the area were moderate and we estimated the chute was moving us about 70% of the total flow.

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So what about if we made a drogue out of flat boards? With a line on each corner maybe that would work the yacht away from shore.

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The simplest drogue is a car / (truck if you are big) tyre with a cross of 3x2 or 4x2 inside with a chain bridle attached at 4 pointsfor linkage to the towing warp.

Or you can use only 2 points of the bridle if you want to use it as an emergency steering device. You can alternate which quarter you operate it off to give enable some control of which way you want the boat to go.

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Yes seems its a concept worth considering. So by turning the yacht using lines to each side of a device the yachts keels and rudder would give steerage. We need the drogue to follow or to stay in parallel.

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