G'day Rainer and others interested in this subject... I looked at http://www.zoelzer.de I would say their 'sea anchor' fits more into the drogue category. It looks too small and lightweight to serve as an anchor. The Zoelzer product might, however, be useful to tow you in a current, if in fact you find a current fast enough!! But the forces acting on the drogue and your boat would not be anything like that encountered in a true 'sea anchor' situation. I have a sea anchor which is built to act as an underwater 'parachute' , that is, it is cut and sewn as a parachute. It is TWO metres wide when deployed and has numerous load-spreading lines to a central tow line. An anchor is a lot bigger than a drogue. Deployed in a 'sea anchor' situation in a kayak, for example in winds of 30knots plus, this parachute minimizes downwind drift. But the forces encountered are fearsome .. a loaded kayak being blown downwind in a gale on an open sea can quickly develop a mind of its own... The beauty of a true sea ANCHOR is that it will hold your bow into the weather. This may be useful if you are fatigued, injured, seasick, caught offshore in a blow, unable to make a safe landing etc. Properly set up, an anchor is a true safety item to my mind. A drogue may slow your progress downwind but it may not have enough stopping power to pull your bow round into the weather.. your boat will yaw and fall off to expose your beam to the seas... not a good idea. Drogues do have their place... slowing a boat's downwind progress in big seas and high winds when you are fatigued, This is when a drogue is deployed properly over the stern in a manner which does not interfere with your rudder, if you have one. My 2 cents worth.. Cheers, Peter Rattenbury, Wollongong. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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