[PUP] Heavy Weather tactics

[Ken Williams]

I just had an interesting discussion with Don Jordan, designer of the Jordan
series drogue.

http://www.jordanseriesdrogue.com

I asked him specifically about my boat, describing it as a 100 ton trawler,
with plenty of windage, and a boxy-stern.

My concern has been that the Jordan series drogue is available for boats up
to only 35 tons. Don felt that the 35 ton drogue (180 cones on 370' of line)
would be adequate for my boat. His comment was that there was no data he was
aware of, but that his guess was that it would work just fine.

He had a very interesting response when I asked if bow deployment were
possible, so that the drogue might be used as a sea anchor. Don was highly
opinionated on this topic. He stated that he does not believe
(parachute-style) sea anchors work, or have ever worked. His recommendation,
if I were dead in the water, was that I use the Jordan series drogue
deployed from the stern, and sit stern-to-the wind. I asked whether or not
this meant taking waves over the transom, and he didn't think it would be a
problem. 

Note this comment from his website: "... In the more than 15 years that the
drogue has been at sea, no boat has ever been damaged. In particular the
rudder, transom, cockpit and companionway doors have all been unscathed...."
I don't know Don, or his background, beyond what is on the website, and his
website further states that he has no financial interest in the sale of his
drogues.

I'm still not sure what I'll do, but he seemed to make sense, and I sure
like the idea of stern deployment better than bow deployment. One thought is
to ask the makers of the drogue if a slightly larger model is possible...

-Ken Williams

PS to Patrick Gerety ... yes! I'd love to practice deploying one of these
things, and there's no lack of wind in La Paz to keep things interesting.