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Popular Sea Anchor Articles

Sea Anchor & Para Anchor Photos
Sea Anchor & Para Anchor Comparison

Sea anchor & Para Anchor Deployment & Retrieval

Sea Anchor & Para Anchor Comparison Tests

Sea Anchor & Para Anchor Video Clip

Newly Submitted Sea Anchor Article

"Sea Anchor Basics"
(And Why You Should Carry One) appearing in Sport Fishing Magazine

More Popular Articles
 

“Sea Anchor Match-up”
appearing in Practical Sailor Magazine
 

Sea anchors have evolved to become a vital component of the serious sailor's arsenal in heavy weather. We tested
                                        models from Para-Tech and Fiorentino,
                                        and favor Fiorentino's for their rugged
                                        construction...Read Article

"The parachute Anchor"
By Cary V. Deringer
appearing in Sail Magazine.
 

When weather conditions start to deteriorate, a sea anchor can be a handy piece of gear” When it comes to dealing with heavy weather at sea, sailors have a number of options. One is to reef down and then heave-to. Another is to stream a drogue astern. A third is to deploy a parachute sea anchor. My husband, Bob, and I have a sea anchor aboard our 36-foot cutter, Illusion, and we’re glad we do... Read article


"Without A Rudder"
By Herb McCormick excerpt appearing
in Cruising World--July 5, 2005

"The torn, trashed drogue didn't fare
as well, though it would've been a
struggle to reach Nassau without it."
It'd been a bouncy, wet, exhilarating 13 hours since we'd answered the starting gun off Fort Lauderdale last February 4 to begin the roughly 800-mile race to Jamaica in the 2005 edition
of the biennial Pineapple Cup... Read Article 


 

"The onset of new technology dispels old rumors from decades passed” By Michael
David appearing July 2002 Para-Anchors—Myths vs. Facts.

Many of the myths surrounding modern para-anchors derive from the mishaps of old-time sea anchor designs. Canvas, PVC, and lightweight
(2- to 4-ounce) surplus anchors, for example, have a reputation of
inflating on deck, rotating until tangling occurs or breaking apart.
However, when properly designed and rigged, today’s parachute
anchors have a very low fail rate...Read Article

“Drag devices: Parachute anchors
& drogues” by Cary Deringer 
appearing in Good Old Boat Magazine  

Taking the weather for granted is easy to do on a nice day. Sails are filled with a gently wind, and the boat heels slightly as is slices through rippling water shimmering beneath a warm sun. On days like these it is hard to imagine that sailing can be a totally different experience when conditions turn rough...
Read Article

“No silver bullets”
By Lin and Larry Pardey appearing in
the May/June 2002 issue of Good Old Boat.

Your January 2002 issue reached us in Argentina as we were cruising south along
the Patagonian coast. So heavy weather is much on our minds. We therefore read Cary Deringer’s discussion of sea anchor and drogues immediately... Read Article

“Agreed: no silver bullets” By
Cary Deringer appearing in the May/June
2002 issue of Good Old Boat.

We agree with Lin and Larry 100 percent.
I noted in the article that silver bullets are
hard to come by for a number of reasons. Parachute sea anchors and drogues are just two more tools in the toolbox when it comes to making a decision in heavy weather...
Read article

“One more round on the drag device issue” By Zack Smith appearing
in the July/August 2002 issue of Good Old Boat.

Recently I completed a series of open-sea tests of drag devices that I designed for U.S. military use. These tests took place under different sea and weather conditions,
including storms. When I was done I headed back into port and took some time to catch
up on my reading...Read article
 

“The parachute—in heavy weather sailing”  By Casanova appearing in
Multihulls.

The theory on parachute sea anchoring
during severe gales mentioned in books and magazines draws a horrible picture of the boat being pulled through the giant waves.  I have proved this theory wrong but if it were so, it would be better to go through the top four or five feet of wave than upside down...Readl article

“Maitenes II in the Fastnet race—an account of her ill-fated passage last summer” By L. Luard appearing in  Yachting.

Though there was a record entry list for last year’s Fastnet Race, and though the leading ships completed the course in record time,
the loss of Colonel Hudson, part owner of Maitenes II, was a tragedy about which it
is difficult to write.  “But the Fastnet Race had, like other sports,” ...Read article

“The cruise of Sea Bird”
By F. B. Thurber appearing in Yachting.

In 1911, when “Sea Bird” and her three-
men crew started on their voyage to Rome via the Azores, long ocean passages in relatively small boats were an almost unheard of yachting practice...Read article
 

“You know how to use your life preserver.  But what about your boat’s? "Knowing how to use
your para-anchor can save your life” By Zack Smith appearing in the 2001 issue of Santana.

Your parachute sea anchor can do more
than steady your boat in heavy seas. It also saves lives! But, there’s a catch. It can’t do you or your boat any good unless you know how to use it properly. That means you
have to practice.  Practice Gives You A
Clear Advantage.  It’s estimated that 90 percent of para-anchor owners don’t practice using their underwater drag device. And that’s incredibly dangerous! Read article
 

“You’re tired. The seas are high. 
A para-anchor can save the day”
By Zack Smith appearing in the 2001 issue
of Latitudes and Attitudes. 

It’s amazing how quickly a calm, clear day can turn. Many sailors have experienced it. They’re sailing along, enjoying the day, then boom. Clouds roll in, the seas begin to pitch and gale winds start up. It’s as if the elements are trying to whip your vessel
into submission. I spent six hours like that during a recent outing with a partner. I dodged breaking waves and surfed
downwind on the backs of 15 ft. swells
until I was exhausted... Read article

Heaving-to is a sailing tactic that buys you time: time to stop and rest; time to wait for the fog to clear; time for daylight to arrive so you can enter a new port safely; time to double-check your navigation; time to make repairs. You can heave-to and wait near another ship while you transfer people or supplies... Read full article