There are distinct advantages in having a PARA-TECH Sea Anchor On Board...
SELF SUFFICIENCY
GOOD SEAMANSHIP being THE ESSENCE OF PREPAREDNESS, no small,
independent craft should venture offshore without the tremendous
confidence, security/insurance - and peace of mind - afforded by a PARA-TECH
Sea Anchor. A Sea Anchor will go a long way toward enabling a skipper to
limit contingencies at sea and dispose of them early. Self sufficiency is
the trend of the day and a Sea Anchor will contribute greatly to self
sufficiency on the oft hostile interface between sea and sky, with all the
uncertainties - and challenges - that they hold for the contemporary
sailor.
SAFETY VALVE AT SEA
For shorthanded sailors, hopeless exhaustion is just as dangerous as
the sudden gale. Brain numb from fatigue the shorthanded sailor will soon
cross the dangerous threshold beyond which all is error and wrong
decision. It is precisely at this point that a Sea Anchor is worth its
weight in gold. Set the Sea Anchor, get some rest, and THEN get up to
fight again, with your brain back in working order.
"PRECIOUS MILES"
Sometimes it doesn’t pay to beat into heavy seas. The wear and tear
on the crew and boat do not justify the handful of miles gained upwind. It
may be wiser to lay-to a Sea Anchor and wait for better conditions. To
heave-to without one may mean losing in a few hours what you have spent
days gaining.
DRIFT CONTROL
Many boats are lost annually when - initially disabled - they drift out of
control and run aground. A Sea Anchor will enable you to hold your
position and keep your boat off the rocks long enough for help to arrive.
ATTITUDE STABILIZATION
With sails down or engine out your boat will become unstable -
SIDEWAYS - rolling sickeningly, rails buried in the troughs. A Sea Anchor
will force the bow back into the seas and restore stability allowing you
to go about the business of pumping out, making repairs, or going up the
mast if necessary.
MAKING LANDFALL SAFELY
"Land is a mixed blessing," to quote Webb Chiles, and Lord
knows how many boats have arrived at night and gone belly-up on reefs
because the skipper couldn’t wait set foot on dry land. If you make the
landfall at night and the entry is a difficult one ... Lay off a safe
distance and lay-to your Sea Anchor until daybreak. Better late than
never.
MULTIHULLS
U.S. Sailing has recognized the value of a true Sea Anchor aboard
multihulls ... in Appendix VII of ‘RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OFFSHORE
SAILING." One multihull builder has stated that the introduction of
large diameter parachute type Sea Anchors has made it safer for multihulls
to cruise blue water.
Design & Construction of PARA-TECH® Sea Anchors
PARA-TECH Sea Anchors are made from high strength NYLON fabric
having weight and strength more than four times that of surplus parachutes
which have been used as Sea Anchors for many years. Seams are reinforced
with Nylon webbing. Nylon lines with a minimum strength of 1,500# are
joined at the rode end to a shackle with a strength of from 17,000# to
52,000#. A correctly sized PARA-TECH Sea Anchor will likely never
experience the loads it is capable of taking.
PARA-TECH Sea Anchors are designed to be "failure
tolerant." If the full system is over stressed the Sea Anchor is
designed to blow a panel before anything else fails. The Sea Anchor will
still hold the boat but with increased drift. It will function properly
even with some broken or damaged lines.
When PARA-TECH entered the Sea Anchor business, over 25 years
ago, we supplied surplus personnel parachutes to the sportfishing industry
in San Diego, CA. Those parachutes failed within one season, which
prompted us to make our own, durable Sea Anchors. By contrast, in 1996, we
received a 5-year old Sea Anchor which was worn out. The skipper reported
that it had spent the equivalent of ONE YEAR in the water.
User Friendly
PARA-TECH Sea Anchors are the easiest Sea Anchors
in the world to use. Thanks to input to the DRAG DEVICE DATA BASE by
Victor Shane, we added our Deployable Stow Bag which eliminates the
tendency for a parachute Sea Anchor to "catch air" and inflate
on deck, making deployment difficult at best. The bag is simply tossed
overboard with the Sea Anchor inside. The Sea Anchor automatically
deploys IN THE WATER from the bag, safe from the effects of the raging
wind. All PARA-TECH system components are likewise designed for
ease of use and clean deployment. We are constantly looking for ways to
improve all of our products.
SEA ANCHOR DEPLOYMENT
- Secure items on board, lower sails, etc.
- Head into the weather to "stall" the boat.
- Toss trip line, float line and Sea Anchor into the water on the
WINDWARD side of the boat, followed by the rode.
- Drift back on the Sea Anchor, paying out the required scope.
- Make fast the rode and employ chafe gear.
- Secure the rudder amidsh
- Secure the boat and get some rest.
Specifications & Sizing
Guidelines
Sizing is first based on length overall with weight, keel configuration and windage taken into account next. Note that generally the greater windage of power boats equals the greater draft (wetted surface) of sailing craft, hence the same size Sea Anchor. When in doubt go to the larger size. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS are as follows:
| Boat LOA
| Displacement
|
Sea Anchor Size
|
Packed Dimensions
|
Weight
|
|
25 to 33 ft.
|
Under 12,000 lbs.
|
12 Foot
|
8" Dia. X 12" Tall
|
12 lbs.
|
|
30 to 40 ft.
|
Under 25,000 lbs.
|
15 Foot
|
10" Dia X 15" Tall
|
20 lbs.
|
|
35 to 48 ft.
|
Under 40,000 lbs.
|
18 Foot
|
12" Dia X 17" Tall
|
25 lbs.
|
Included with all PARA-TECH Sea
Anchors:
Deployable Stowage Bag, Heavy Duty Shackle, Float Line, Instruction
Manual.
NOT Included:
Floats, Anchor Rode, Swivel Shackle
