[windship]

Gord,
A sentinal does depend on the lenth of the road. The longer the rode, the better the effect. What would the effect of a sentinal on a 1:1 rode be? It would be zero in any weather. Now, how about a 10:1 rode?
Once the rode is streightened and the catenary is non-existant, the effect of the sentinal is eliminated. The same goes for chain or rope.
I don''t understand why sailors would rely on a sentinal instead of having the proper ground tackle.
Sentinal''s were big in the time of wooden anchor''s and long scope''s. With the proper, modern ground tackle, sentinals are a thing of the past.

Dennis