Drogue

The advantage of the sea anchor is that the bows of a yacht are invariably finer for breaking through waves than the stern, thereby giving a safer and more comfortable experience in a storm.

Nylon rope is widely used for hauling drogues since it best absorbs the shock loading by stretching.

However, new research indicates that using a rope with less stretch accompanied by chain weight helps to maintain a constant force on the deployment rode rendering storm drogue use more effective.

Besides, experienced boaters add a floating trip buoy so that the drogue can be deflated before recovery.

Although the trip line concept is a derivative of the parachute sea anchor, evidence demonstrates that such a setup is not effective with the storm drogue.

The sea anchor is usually much larger, is intended to slow the vessel to a near-complete stop, and is usually deployed off the bow (front) of the boat so that end is presented to the oncoming waves.

Retired aeronautical engineer Don Jordan tested what is now known as the series drogue, originally conceived and patented by E. J. Pagan and later patented by Sidelnikov in 1975;[2][3] However, before his tests, numerous mariners had experimented with pulling several large drogues in series.

Like Sidelnikov, Jordan expanded upon this idea and affixed a large number of small parachute drogues to a nylon rope with a weight at the end.

The number of small parachutes, the length and thickness of the line, and the size of the end weight are all matched to the displacement of the boat.

Recovering a series drogue before the storm abates takes effort, but the process is safe and straightforward.

Studies undertaken by the U.S. Coast Guard have indicated that drogues made of old tires, long lengths of chain, etc.