Thoughts on sea anchors and drogues for Cape Dory's

[rtbates]

Go give this guy(Mr Jordan) a readhttp://www.jordanseriesdrogue.com/

Very interesting section on anchoring/mooring by the stern. I've tried it, it works very well. No more sailing on the anchor.

[Craig LeBlanc]

Hi Randy
I was actually reading some other thread that you had going on about the pardy's technique and followed your advise in that thread to about anchoring which led me to get to bad well past midnight.
Everything he said makes so much sense but damn if I would have ever seen the light.
this board is great.
See ya Craig

Go give this guy(Mr Jordan) a readhttp://www.jordanseriesdrogue.com/

Very interesting section on anchoring/mooring by the stern. I've tried it, it works very well. No more sailing on the anchor.

[rtbates]

Craig:

I'm in total agreement. I'm always amassed at what is NOT common sense or common knowledge until it's tried and proven to be effective. I believe it's what's responsible for human evolution.

[Mathias]

Mike, (et al)

I am not experienced in offshore sailing. Having only read about both, I thought the difference between them was that the drogue is designed for sailing under bare poles, but is not as effective in keeping the ship stationary in the heave-to as described by the Pardeys. And the reverse is true for the para-anchor. Good for heave-to, but too much force to use trailing aft.

Am I confused about this difference?

If not, then I would think one would want to carry a para-anchor for heaving to close to a lee shore. And for the times when one needs a drogue, become creative under the influence of dire necessity.

From the armchair,
-Mathias

[Didereaux]

First things first; Mathias you are not wrong in your assumptions. Second, I am re-posting the following on this thread(I posted it before but messed up and it was a new topic).

After working on this off and on most of the 'winter', I have concluded that what I am going to do to provide maximum security points to which drogues or stern anchors may be attached is as follows:

I am going to fabricate two 1 1/2" x 3/16" SS chainplates and bolt them 3-4" below the toe rail on the sides just before the stern, leaving the ends extending beyond the stern long enough so that the holes for a shackle are easily handed. They will be mounted horizontally facing sternward.

I will make a chain bridle to shackle between these and to which the anchor or drogue can be attached. The length of the chain will be slightly more than twice the distance from the chainplates to the bottom of the keel, thereby(hopefully preventing any possible fouling opportunities.

For my boat, a CD-25, this will also be a relatively easy installation as it requires only cutting access to the chainplates for backing and nuts through the motorwell lining. Backing will be SS about 2" wider than the chainplate and it over a 4"wide 1/2" thick wood or starboard plate. I feel this should provide adequate area for spreading the load onto the side hull.

My reasoning for finally going with this somewhat unusual placement was a result of looking carefully at the general construction and trying to identify the strongest areas. Decks are not the strongest(unless heavily backed) but are both convenient and necessary for standard hardware, but the hull is usually more uniformly strong, even near the deckline and because there are no sharp turns etc ,spreads loads more evenly along its length. This is why most very stout boats have the chainplates external instead of through the deck. Through deck chainplates are there for one and only one reason, to allow large sails to be trimmed further inboard, thus pointing higher, they are never there for strength reasons.

Aesthetically I do not see the two aft horizontal chainplates as being detractive, but if so then I can always paint them... at which point anyone close enough to see them that criticizes had better dam well have reason to be that close! heh

Anywho, this is the plan "A" at this point and should get done in the next fews months, before Fall at any rate.

[s.v. LaVida]

Both Leo and I have completed the JSD kit and are awaiting seatrials this summer.

On previous boats the JSD has proven to be a VERY good piece of gear.

I would highly recommend it.

sea u,
rit