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WHAT USERS HAVE TO SAY

"We're alive! Thanks to the parachute anchor which secured us for 53 hours in Cyclone Justin..."

"The sea anchor definitely saved the boat and I'm sure our lives. It operated flawlessly on those
two days and the other three days during the other two gales... We did what should have been done
and came through a very violent storm and survived with no damage. Thank you again for everything."

"My parachute [Sea Anchor] is one of the few items I purchased which performed as advertised
and no defect of surprises. I appreciated the quality and performance more than I can express.
Wouldn't leave port without it, ever!"

"... I consider your equipment the most important safety item on my boat ... I will never make an
ocean passage without one on board. People must realize that ocean cruising can be safe if you
go on the idea that you will go into a defensive position before the sea builds to high..."

Commercial fishermen have been using parachutes at sea for decades ...on long excursions the parachute is indispensable for sea layovers, for heaving to and for otherwise maintaining station on fishing grounds. With the engine shut off, drift is reduced up to 90% with the bow pointed comfortably into the seas... "other vessels went into port with broken trips, ..we stayed, and in this respect the [Sea] anchor paid for itself."

Shackle & Swivel

THERE ARE DISTINCT ADVANTAGES IN HAVING

A PARA-TECH* SEA ANCHOR ON BOARD...SEA ANCHOR RIGGING
All components used with your Sea Anchor MUST be suitable for storm anchoring and bow attachments (cleats, Sampson posts, etc.) MUST have backing plates. Rode MUST be NYLON and 10 to 15 times the boat's overall length. A swivel is highly recommended. MULTI-HULLS also MUST rig the rode to a bridle with EACH leg being at least 2^> times the BEAM of the boat and rigged to the OUTER HULLS. Adding a length of chain somewhere between the boat and the Sea Anchor will create some catenary in the system and help reduce shock loads, making the ride more comfortable. A partial Trip Line is the simplest way to retrieve your Sea Anchor.

PAY OUT LOTS OF RODE
The Sea Anchor relies very heavily on the stretch of the long NYLON rode for yielding to the seas (and not standing up against them). Even in moderate conditions, pay out at least 300' of rode and 10 to 15X the boat's overall length in heavy weather situations.

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 disabled craft off the rocks long enough for help to arrive.

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 heave-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.

ATTITUDE STABILIZATION
With sails down or engines 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.

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 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.

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 to 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 heave-to a Sea Anchor until daybreak. Better late than never.

SEA ANCHOR DEPLOYMENT
1. Secure items on board, lower sails, Etc.
2. Head into the weather to "stall" the boat.
3. Toss trip line, float line and Sea Anchor into the water on the
    WINDWARD side, followed by the rode.
4. Drift back on the Sea Anchor, paying out the required scope.
5. Make fast the rode and employ chafe gear.
6. Secure the rudder amidships.
7. Secure the boat and get some rest.

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, select the larger size. Full keeled boats should consider going to a larger size. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS are as follows:
 
 

INCLUDED WITH ALL PARA-TECH^ Sea Anchors:
Deployable Stowage Bag, Heavy Duty Shackle, Float Line, Instruction manual

NOT Included: Floats, Anchor rode, Swivel Shackle, Trip line, Boat

The PARA- TECH name is your assurance of quality fabrication per the standards established by the parachute industry. PARA-TECtf Sea Anchors are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year.

Sea Anchors - Para-Tech - Prices:
 
 

  PARA-TECH RIGGED SYSTEMS
FOR STORM USE

KITE/DRIFT FISHING PACKAGES

RODE ASSEMBLIES

Interested? Call us at (800) 824-0355
or (601) 442-1630 or fax (601) 442-6058 for a price quote
 

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