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>From what I've read, the choice of lying-to with a drogue - be it Para-tec
or a more standard version - is heavily dependent on the relative windage of
your boat. I understand that many boats with lots of windage forward will
*refuse* to lie-to bow on, no matter how large the drogue.
Lying ahull with all sail down, with or without a drogue, is an "in
extremis" tactic when the boat will stand to wear no sail. From what I've
read, the drogue can be effective in this case - and it is in the right
place to rig an oil bag.
The idea of running off with a drogue to keep the stern to the wind and
create something of a slick I've always understood and a tactic to be used
in bad but not terminally bad conditions.
Fortunately, my experience in these matters comes from paper, not salt
water. There's a lot of good information out there, but one has to be
careful to understand the conditions and hull design which made a tactic
work or fail.
-- dwf
-----Original Message-----
From: Kellan Hatch <kellan_hatch@mindspring.com>
To: potter mail list <wwpotter@tscnet.com>
Date: Friday, January 28, 2000 19:49
Subject: Heavy seas
OK,
I've been trying to figure out what is the best way to deal with really
scary weather conditions. So far, heaving-to with a reef has proven to be
my best situation when caught in a violent squall.
In the past week I've read 3 different and conflicting pieces of advice, all
of which claim to be backed by the latest research. The Annapolis Book of
Seamanship says that laying ahull, preferrably with a drogue trailing off
the windward side from a bridle works best because it creates a slick to
windward that lessens the size of the waves. The SailRite catalog says,
"The proper position has been found to be "stern to" the oncoming waves;
this keeps the boat running with the wind and waves, lessening the relative
speed of the onrushing walls of water." Paratec (unsure of spelling), a
manufacturer or sea-anchors, claims that bow-to has been proven to be the
only truly safe way to deal with very heavy seas.
I guess the body of water is also a serious point of consideration. Running
with the wind at 3 knots on a lake might find you on shore before long,
while heaving-to at 1 knot might keep you off the rocks longer.
Any opinions of relevant data?
Thanks,
Kellan Hatch
P-19 #1059, Moondance
Murray, Utah
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