Actually
AFAIK, Hinz is wrong. The Jordan Series drogue is a speed limiting drogue, not a stern stopping drogue. From the different testimonials I've read, it limits the speeds to about the same as a GaleRider drogue would.
Two examples from the Drag Device Database:
Quote:
D/M-20: Vessel name Cinnabar, cutter designed by Robert Perry, LOA 40' x 11 Tons. Cinnabar towed a 42” dia. Galerider drogue in a gale about 75 nm NE of Bermuda in 40-knot winds and 18' seas, the owner reporting satisfactory results. The drogue was deployed to stabilize the attitude of the yacht in a wind-current conflict situation, exacerbated by severe --60-knot -- squalls. Microburst activity can't be ruled out. The drogue was deployed for 12 hours, the yacht reported to have traveled about 12 nm in that time.
D/M-22: Vessel name Glenyon, CSY cutter, LOA 44’ x 23 Tons. Glenyon was a participant in the 1998 Caribbean 1500and towed a 42” Galerider drogue when she ran into tropical storm Mitch, her owner reporting satisfactory results. The drogue was deployed for 24 hours, the yacht traveling 25 nm in that time.
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and a comparable example from the JSD website:
Quote:
Rough Trip to Iceland
Yachting Monthly Retired couple with 3 years of experience cruising their Victory 40 ketch. Voyage from England to Iceland in late May. Small depression had formed South of Iceland. By morning the wind had picked up to 45 knots and veered about 45 degrees, which produced quite confused seas. Within an hour it had increased to 55 knots gusting to 70, and occasional seas were breaking into the cockpit. At last, we thought, a chance to tryout our series drogue and see if the long hours making it had been well spent.
The effect was immediate: from hurtling full tilt down the face of the huge waves, we slowed down and the waves passed under us. The motion on deck became comfortable and safe. A sight I shall never forget was the drogue warp, stretched bar taut, disappearing into the cliff of water as the next wave approached.
Lessons learned: Series drogues do work. Once deployed, the motion of the boat became safe and we were no longer surfing down the waves with little control. During the seven hours it was trailed we drifted 5 miles through the water, 10.5 miles over the ground according to the G.P.S.
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The drift rate for the GaleRider seems to be about 1 knot or so...as does the drift rate for the Jordan Series Drogue. If Hinz hasn't gotten that point right, what else is he wrong about??
Yes, the JSD may generate higher loads than a different drogue design, but it won't generate anything close to the loads that a parachute-type sea anchor will. The bigger problem is shock loading. With a parachute type sea anchor, the parachute can collapse and suddenly re-deploy. This generates massive shock loads, especially when compared to the gradual and progressive loading that occurs with a JSD. Models and tests show that many of the parachute sea anchors are subject to doing exactly that—collapsing as the water shifts and then suddenly re-opening and loading the lines.
Further, I'd cite the following JSD use example:
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32 ft. trimaran competing in a feeder race to Europe 1 STAR
"A Busy Month For The U.S. Coast Guard's Vessel Rescue Net Work"- Port hull forward cross member had snapped- 700 miles southeast of Nantucket-gale force winds, 20 ft. seas- mast blown down - hulls smashing together.
- Set series drogue and activated EPIRB - readied life raft and donned survival suit.
- Skipper David Dietz: "When something so out of control as this happens there isn't much else you can do other then having a good meal and listening to some Jimmy Buffet" which is what he did.
- A cargo ship was directed to him by a Coast Guard aircraft and he was picked up about 5 hours later and taken to Norway.
- Note that he reported no further damage to the boat after the drogue was deployed.
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I seriously doubt that the captain and crew of that boat would have survived using a Parachute-type sea anchor.
Be aware, the Drag Device Database website and book have a vested interest in parachute-type sea anchors.