Sea Anchor

[slode]

Does anyone have experience using a sea anchor on a smaller sailboat? I'm considering adding one to the mix of emergency devises to have onboard Sylvia.  Next seasons plans bring a trip to Superior and the storms there can be nasty and come out of nowhere.  I don't plan to venture too far outside of the Apostles, within a short distance of protected water, but you never know what could happen.   I wouldn't want to be stuck offshore with a broken down outboard in 5+ foot waves and 50+ kn winds hurling us around, especially towards a rocky shoreline at a brisk pace.  Having the option to deploy a sea anchor to keep the bow to the waves and slow the progress to a cold and potentially lethal end for crew and the boat seams wise. 

Is this a worthwhile addition?  Any recommendations for equipment would be appreciated.  I've read 300' minimum rode length is recommended but I believe that assumes ocean size wave frequency and a larger boat.  I would think that would be excessive for a lake, even the size of Superior. 

[wes]

Not exactly what you asked, but if you don't already know how to heave-to I'd highly recommend learning this skill. It can instantly calm the motion of your boat and give you time to think about your next steps. It's also extremely handy in fair weather when you're singlehanded and need to go below for a few minutes to change clothes, get lunch etc.

Lin and Larry Pardey's book "Storm Tactics" is excellent, and also recommends the strategy of heaving-to as well as use of sea anchors and other heavy weather equipment.

Wes

[slode]

Yes, I believe heaving to is an important tactic to lean and practice regularly in any sailboat.  I use it often to take a break or free my hands for more than a minute.  I've only used it in somewhat heavy weather once on my beach cat.  I shouldn't have been out, but regardless, the waves got too big to make it through a tack, and being bloomless I had no option to reduce sail or go down wind without getting pitch poled.  Heaving too let me get through the front that passed.  That experience alone leads me to think it might be a good idea to have something else to STOP the boat. 

There is usually some pretty good drift while hove to.   I had no concern of my beach cat sliding slowly towards a beach.  Heck, beaching is what it's designed for!   Replace that beach with a shoreline of jagged rocks sticking out.... Had I made it safely through it I would have been taking a swim afterwards to clean my pants out.

Actually a small catamaran is probably the easiest thing to learn how to heave to on.  You'll likely end up in that position the first couple time you try to tack anyway:)?

[wes]

The Pardeys discuss the almost magical ability of heaving-to to create a calm area of water around the boat so that breaking waves won't break on the boat. It's not just about stopping the forward motion, but also creating this calm zone. Not sure if anyone has clearly explained the mechanism, but I've experienced it myself. Certainly agree that with a lee shore within sight you can't stay hove-to forever.

Current issue of Practical Sailor has an interesting article on dragging a long line attached to a deployable sea anchor as an emergency solution to falling overboard when single handed. Very interesting (and scary).

Wes

[NateD]

I haven't tried it on a 16, but on smaller boats I've just used a bucket as a sea anchor and it works pretty well. I doubt a single bucket is going to keep a 16 off a lee shore in 50 knot winds, but every boat should have a good bucket (and maybe 2 or 3), so it would be an option to try. One thing to note is how to secure the line to the bucket. The handle either has to be very beefy for storm conditions or you need to work out a better way to do it.

[HenryC]

I wrote a short essay on storm tactics for this forum,

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=8968.msg66594#msg66594

you may find helpful.  Sea anchors are briefly discussed.

I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert, and I've only been a crewman in a big storm once, (on a very good boat with a very good captain!), but I've done a lot of reading and talked to a lot of folks on the subject.  Its a place to start.

I also highly recommend "Heavy Weather Sailing" by K. Adlard Coles, and "Sea Sense" by Richard Henderson.

Good Luck