List, I asked Craig about this: Craig, Other than slowing a kayaking and giving it control in extreme surf, what are the practical benefits of carrying a drogue or sea anchor in a kayak? I suppose a good sea anchor would help stop you dead in the water more or less (notwithstanding current) if you got caught in an offshore wind and perhaps blue water kayakers doing long crossings where there's a possibility of extreme storms, but other than that, is it worth carrying one? Kayaking seems to be the antithesis of the luxury motor yacht and world-class sailing vessels with every imaginable gadget and luxury in many cases, the kayak being measured by the essential minimalism while the former, the opposite. I'm trying to cut down on gear, not add more. I've long considered a slowing device but most offshore wind situations I need every second to power back in, not mess around with devices. Similarly, in extremis, fidgeting for a device and or finding adequate storage compounds the issue unless I was in a big Klepper. Guess you'd just call the Mothership - sorry, Muthaship. :-) Doug. > On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 11:25 PM, Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca> wrote: > >> An oily Elvis impersonator wrapped in drag around a para-anchor deployed >> astern in heavy weather would be triply effective.... > > > The effect is diminished until the Elvis impersonator stops thrashing > around > and creating wavelets. > > C's will abate to an B- or even an A+ with a bit more pedagogy from Craig > on >> this topic, as he's a more knowlegable sailor. > > > Grade inflation is everywhere these days. Brad or Kruger should have a > better handle on that. As for me, pedagogy is practically my middle name. > >> >> Alternatively, just throw your recyclable items into the ocean directly. >> The biggest danger sailing swollen seas is being hit by green waves. By >> not >> recycling in an environmentally suitable manner, the waves will not be >> "green" anymore. But that may be just as irresponsible as pouring oil >> into >> the ocean. Maybe try used tunafish cans and oldd olive oil bottles - >> incorporating doubly good ideas (unlike my humour). > > > Oddly enough they used to use whale oil (which they carried for lamps) > which, I suppose, could be considered "green recycling". Just don't make a > mistake and buy tuna packed in water as that would, I am pretty sure, > negate > any positive effects. A really big fan mounted on the stern pointed into > the > wind might be additive to the wind vector and do some good re: sea state. > > >> So yeah, for kayakers, just use a little Dapper Dan, then if you roll in >> following seas... >> > > A little dab'll do ya. > > Craig Jungers > dead calm in Moses Lake > www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Jul 31 2009 - 09:38:42 PDT
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