Parachute Sea Anchors Part 2

A Small Yacht, a Big Ocean and a Wild Storm

lessons to be learned !!

In this post we briefly look into the account of a five-day storm, cruising 
yacht sailor Michaela Moss discusses why she believes a parachute sea 
anchor helped them to be the only crew to avoid injury and theirs the 
only yacht to remain undamaged in this particular storm.

The
 late Jack Earl is famous in Australian yachting. His suggestion in the 
bar of Sydney's Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to "have a little race 
down to Hobart", was the origin of the now world-renowned summit of 
ocean racing, the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

In the yacht
 Kathleen Gillet, which is now on display at the National Maritime 
Museum in Sydney, Jack was the first Australian to skipper a cruising 
yacht around the world. A dream of Jack and his wife Kathleen was to 
sail his later yacht, Smoky Cape - a 7.3m yawl, from Tahiti to 
Australia, but they never achieved their dream.

Steve and Michaela
 Moss of Queensland Australia bought Smoky Cape and enacted Jack and 
Kathleen's dream. It was a 4,500 nautical mile voyage and they write, 
"we added a vital piece of equipment, the parachute sea anchor by 
Para-Anchors Australia".

An Unprecedented Gale

During
 the trip an unpredictable gale developed. Michaela wrote, "We battled the
 building seas and increasing winds. The swell reached a height of 10m 
with a vicious cross swell racing through the troughs. Howling wind blew
 the tops of the waves through the spreaders of our little yacht. It was
 frightening, tiring, wet, uncomfortable and difficult to keep the boat 
safe. We tried many different storm tactics including running before it 
with warps, but the cross swell would push us around to a dangerous 
angle."

"Four days later with fatigue setting in and conditions 
deteriorating, we decided to deploy the parachute sea anchor. Steve took
 the Coastal 9 Para-Anchor with line attached, up to the bow, leaving 
the remaining 100m coil of line in the cockpit with me. We had read and 
re-read the instruction booklet before going to sea and it deployed 
efficiently. We positioned pieces of hose on the secured line to minimize chafe, checked for wear frequently and stayed on the parachute 
sea anchor while the gale howled around us, and waves broke over us. We 
drifted about 1 nautical mile per hour. We were able to cook and eat a 
large, hot meal and catch up on much needed sleep. After six days, the 
gale warning was cancelled and the parachute sea anchor was easily 
retrieved."

"It is our belief that the parachute sea anchor should
 be carried aboard every boat that is going offshore. The strongly-built
 chute is lightweight and easy to store, its convenient deploying bag 
assisting in its use. It enables any small vessel to sit safely while a 
bad weather system passes. The comfort provided and the deserved 
confidence in the parachute sea anchor also reduces the likelihood of 
injury to the crew and damage to the vessel."

"In other 
circumstances, the ability to safely stop and hold a vessel in position,
 while miles offshore, has many benefits especially for short-handed 
sailors in need of a rest or awaiting a rendezvous with another vessel. 
Our gale lasted four to five days with estimated 50+ knot winds. To our 
knowledge we were the only vessel in this particular gale not to sustain
 any gear damage or crew injury. We believe the parachute sea anchor was
 our saving grace. And only in a 24-footer."

With thanks to 
Steve and Michaela
 Moss 
for sharing this 

Safety At Sea UK
Okay this post is now some years old but the same rule of use still stand on what we consider to be a vital peace of kit to be added to your vessels list but the anchor has many more uses including minimize drifting or even to a assist your fishing from any vessel 

Please feel free to add your own comments or ideas or even experience on your own use of any type of Parachute Sea Anchor 
We will be adding a short video on the practical uses in the coming months.
In the meantime please take a look at this training video on the YouTube link below.

http://https://youtu.be/otXdT5XCKdY

Please advise us if link is`nt opening correctly 
With Thanks 
Safety At Sea UK 
Proudly Supporting The RNLI

Lord Woodford MBE
Of Her Majesty`s Royal Charter

Edited by Safety@SeaUK - 12 Aug 17 at 4:43pm

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Safety@SeaUK Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Newbie Joined: 08 Jul 15 Online Status: Offline Posts: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote Safety@SeaUK Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Parachute Sea Anchors Part 2 Posted: 12 Aug 17 at 4:33pm
	A Small Yacht, a Big Ocean and a Wild Storm lessons to be learned !! In this post we briefly look into the account of a five-day storm, cruising yacht sailor Michaela Moss discusses why she believes a parachute sea anchor helped them to be the only crew to avoid injury and theirs the only yacht to remain undamaged in this particular storm. The late Jack Earl is famous in Australian yachting. His suggestion in the bar of Sydney's Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to "have a little race down to Hobart", was the origin of the now world-renowned summit of ocean racing, the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. In the yacht Kathleen Gillet, which is now on display at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Jack was the first Australian to skipper a cruising yacht around the world. A dream of Jack and his wife Kathleen was to sail his later yacht, Smoky Cape - a 7.3m yawl, from Tahiti to Australia, but they never achieved their dream. Steve and Michaela Moss of Queensland Australia bought Smoky Cape and enacted Jack and Kathleen's dream. It was a 4,500 nautical mile voyage and they write, "we added a vital piece of equipment, the parachute sea anchor by Para-Anchors Australia". An Unprecedented Gale During the trip an unpredictable gale developed. Michaela wrote, "We battled the building seas and increasing winds. The swell reached a height of 10m with a vicious cross swell racing through the troughs. Howling wind blew the tops of the waves through the spreaders of our little yacht. It was frightening, tiring, wet, uncomfortable and difficult to keep the boat safe. We tried many different storm tactics including running before it with warps, but the cross swell would push us around to a dangerous angle." "Four days later with fatigue setting in and conditions deteriorating, we decided to deploy the parachute sea anchor. Steve took the Coastal 9 Para-Anchor with line attached, up to the bow, leaving the remaining 100m coil of line in the cockpit with me. We had read and re-read the instruction booklet before going to sea and it deployed efficiently. We positioned pieces of hose on the secured line to minimize chafe, checked for wear frequently and stayed on the parachute sea anchor while the gale howled around us, and waves broke over us. We drifted about 1 nautical mile per hour. We were able to cook and eat a large, hot meal and catch up on much needed sleep. After six days, the gale warning was cancelled and the parachute sea anchor was easily retrieved." "It is our belief that the parachute sea anchor should be carried aboard every boat that is going offshore. The strongly-built chute is lightweight and easy to store, its convenient deploying bag assisting in its use. It enables any small vessel to sit safely while a bad weather system passes. The comfort provided and the deserved confidence in the parachute sea anchor also reduces the likelihood of injury to the crew and damage to the vessel." "In other circumstances, the ability to safely stop and hold a vessel in position, while miles offshore, has many benefits especially for short-handed sailors in need of a rest or awaiting a rendezvous with another vessel. Our gale lasted four to five days with estimated 50+ knot winds. To our knowledge we were the only vessel in this particular gale not to sustain any gear damage or crew injury. We believe the parachute sea anchor was our saving grace. And only in a 24-footer." With thanks to Steve and Michaela Moss for sharing this Safety At Sea UK Okay this post is now some years old but the same rule of use still stand on what we consider to be a vital peace of kit to be added to your vessels list but the anchor has many more uses including minimize drifting or even to a assist your fishing from any vessel Please feel free to add your own comments or ideas or even experience on your own use of any type of Parachute Sea Anchor We will be adding a short video on the practical uses in the coming months. In the meantime please take a look at this training video on the YouTube link below. http://https://youtu.be/otXdT5XCKdY Please advise us if link is`nt opening correctly With Thanks Safety At Sea UK Proudly Supporting The RNLI Lord Woodford MBE Of Her Majesty`s Royal Charter Edited by Safety@SeaUK - 12 Aug 17 at 4:43pm