04/30/2020
Prepare for survival conditions
Apr 4, 2011
A passage to the Caribbean is interrupted by hurricane force winds and a piece of heavy weather gear proves its worth
We left the Huntington Yacht Club, in Huntington, N.Y., in late October at about 2200, bound for the Caribbean. We were destined to sail into hurricane conditions and have to make an unscheduled stop. Had I known what was in store for us, I would have postponed the trip.
On board my 53-foot Amel Super Maramu 2000 Kimberlite were Jim Casazza, Roberto Labrador and Charles Moschini three of my friends who have made many offshore passages with me. We had spoken via high frequency radio with Herb Hilgenberg, the weather router located in Canada, before our departure. As far as I am concerned Hilgenberg is the guru of Atlantic weather.
The forecast was for winds from the west at 40 knots, gusting to 50 for the next 24 hours.
Knowing that we were well prepared for these conditions, Hilgenberg gave us the green light to go.
That would make for a nice run down the sound and then a beam reach south. I wasn’t concerned, because Kimberlite is extraordinarily well found for these conditions. I also always go offshore with a 10-oz, 110-percent Yankee cut headsail. This sail is super reinforced with a webbed on clew. We have been through many gale storms and one hurricane on Kimberlite.
From the Sound to the Atlantic
Our trip east down Long Island Sound was uneventful but rather bouncy as the Sound is shallow and the wave period was about two seconds. We then turned south through Plum Gut at Orient Point, then past Montauk Point and into the Atlantic. The wave period was still short until we were off soundings about a day later. Then we had the normal Atlantic swell.
The extended forecast was for decreasing winds and a fine sail for a few days.
We sailed south and after about 24 hours the winds abated to about 30 knots as we sailed the rhumb line.
The Gulf Stream was presenting us with an interesting pattern. It was flowing east on the western side, then flowing north, then east again. We were heading 60 miles west of the north flowing eddy and I planned on entering the Gulf Stream in a section about 80 miles wide on the first eastern flowing section of the Gulf Stream. We were at sea and the day-to-day routine of sailing and relaxing was setting in. Since Amels can be sailed without leaving the cockpit by one person, we sail one man per watch for three hours. A year prior I sailed non-stop from St. Martin to Huntington solo.
The evening of the third day, we were about 60 miles from the easterly flowing Gulf Stream to our south and the northern flowing eddy 60 miles to our west. The wind was picking up and again, we were in 40- to 50-knot conditions. We checked in with Hilgenberg just before 1600 as everyone does. Hilgenberg is extremely organized and speaks to boats in order of their location. At this time of year he usually speaks to coastal boats heading south and then he works his way south, boat to boat.
Time to get ready
I was surprised when Hilgenberg spoke to me first and asked how long it would take me to make land. I said two to two and a half days. “In that case, prepare for survival conditions,” he replied. He said that a low had turned around and we would be facing extreme conditions. I’ve heard Hilgenberg say this only a few times in my life.
My main concern was that the weather was coming from the west and we would be headed towards the northern flowing eddy of the stream 60 miles away. I hoped that the bad conditions would be short as entering the Gulf Stream in a northern flow and sailing west would be horrific in high winds.
He told us to prepare the boat and he would call us at 0900 to see how we were making out. I have made more than 27 offshore passages using Hilgenberg and have only heard him come on three times in the morning to “check in.” That usually means, “Are you still floating?”
The wind kept building until we were sailing in a steady 50 knots with gusts to 60 knots. At that time we had just a little genoa and mizzen out.
Series drogue to the rescue
At that moment it was time to launch our savior: The Jordan series drogue. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it is a long line with about 157 10- to 12-inch parachutes attached. On the boat end is a bridle about 30 feet long made of one and a quarter-inch braided line and then a series of parachutes that face the boat. At the far end, about 300 feet, is a length of chain to keep the drogue in the water. As with all drogues it is launched from the stern. The secret to launch it is to fasten the bridle to the reinforced attachment points on the boat and then flake the drogue on deck to make sure there are no kinks or knots in the drogue line. I then have all the crew look at the setup, because if it gets tangled in something you can kiss that thing goodbye as a gift to Neptune.
Once that is done the launch is ridiculously easy. Just drop the far end (chain) in the water, feed out a few feet of drogue and off it goes. You would think once the drogue is fully launched there would be a yank on the boat. Some of the brilliance of this drogue is that the line stretches the boat squares to the oncoming wave and the world quickly becomes much calmer.
Almost everyone who I speak to about this drogue thinks that it puts you in peril from oncoming waves. That is far from the truth. The boat just rides on the oncoming waves like a duck and the wave passes under the boat. Since the drogue is longer than a wavelength there is always resistance to motion and you are not relying on one device in the water to slow you down.
Driving a submarine
Of course, if the oncoming wave is breaking, you are going to get wet. The Amel Super Maramu has a center cockpit. On every watch we were pooped at least once. One crewmember was up to his armpits in water in the cockpit. Amel has unusually large scuppers and the center cockpit drains in less than 30 seconds. On a few of my watches, the boat was totally invisible being completely under water. It was more like driving a submarine than a sailboat. As far as I know the Jordan is the only drogue actually tested and approved in a wave tank. You might think that I have some financial interest in Jordan but I am just a fanatic about it, having launched it too many times.
The only problem I found with the drogue this time is that the bridles were sitting against the mizzen backstays and as I attached a rolling hitch to the bridle to put the boat exactly square to the oncoming waves it put strain on the backstays. So we had to stay at about 20 degrees to the oncoming waves. This was not perfect, but much better than trying to run off by hand steering. Of course we had plenty of chafe gear both where the bridle passed over the hull and at the backstays. We checked that every hour.
It was then a matter of waiting out the weather. Everyone except the man on watch was safely in their bunks with weather board in place. The boat was amazing, not a drop of water inside, no squeaking furniture, all doors, cabinets and hatch boards in place. A bilge that is so dry that we keep paper towels in it.
Full hurricane conditions
The wind continued to build until we were in full hurricane conditions, with gusts to 100 knots and a minimum record of 69 knots (force 12). I estimated that the wave height was about 60 feet. We always had to have someone in the cockpit in case we were going to be run down by a big ship and had to cut the drogue away.
We have a Sea-Me radar transponder and an AIS receiver. At one point there was a ship about one mile away and I called them and asked if they saw us either visually or on radar — the answer was no. The motion down below was not like a ride in the park, however, considering the conditions the ride was smooth, with nothing flying around.
That night we heard on the VHF what no sailor ever wants to hear “This is the U.S. Coast Guard, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MEN IN THE WATER.” The signal was coming from either an airplane or helicopter. We later found out that the sailing vessel a Swan 44 Free Fall was dismasted, the crew was in the water and the captain was dead. (You can see the rescue video and the Coast Guard story at http://lifefloatingby.blogspot.com/2008/10/coast-guard-rescues-2-mt-pleasant.html)
Free Fall was about 150 to 200 miles to the west of us and I was surprised that we could hear its VHF transmissions. They were about 100 miles offshore and the Coast Guard reported winds 50 to 60 knots with waves 40 to 50 feet. So my estimate of wave height was accurate. Being farther offshore, we faced a greater fetch of the waves and thus higher waves and stronger winds.
Staying behind the doghouse
The seas were white with spume and the spray actually hurt your face. Our Amel also has a hard dodger and what we call a doghouse. The dodger is strong fiberglass with two big Plexiglas ports in front and smaller ones on the side. The doghouse portion is made of a white vinyl material with tie downs and clear soft plastic windows. It entirely encloses the cockpit from the dodger to the deck. I was amazed that the doghouse actually held up almost through the total hurricane, as it was facing directly into the wind.
On deck the sound of the wind through the rigging and around the doghouse was very eerie. It ranged from a loud whistle to a very loud deep groan.
The next morning we heard from Bermuda that two more boats had been abandoned to the east of us. Since we had left a little early and in a period of bad weather and there were only the four boats between New York and Bermuda. We were now the only boat still sailing.
Later I found out that there was another boat out there close to Bermuda, Sir Richard Branson’s 99-foot Virgin Money. Branson was attempting to set a trans-Atlantic speed record. Branson and Virgin Money eventually had to retire from their attempt, putting in to Bermuda.
On the drogue we were averaging about two to three knots downwind towards the northern flowing Gulf Stream. That was my main worry as I figured we had about six hours before we were in the horrific conditions in the Gulf Stream in a hurricane. Hilgenberg came on the radio at 0900 and gave us the best possible news; the northerly-flowing stream had been blown 60 miles farther east. It was amazing news!
Not done yet
In the afternoon we again checked in with Hilgenberg at his normal time and he gave us the bad news, we had at least another 12 hours to go in these conditions. He came on again at 0900 the next day to see how we were doing; we were fine, unfortunately our Tuscan chef Charles could not cook so we stuck to basic foods.
We continued sailing on the drogue for a total of 36 hours and then the wind abated to 40 to 50 knots. We decided to take in the drogue. Retrieving the drogue was a dream. We had two people on the stern guiding the drogue on board so the parachutes would not be torn and two people on the primary electric winch. The drogue has to be tailed by hand as the line is too large to fit into the jaws of the winch. Additionally, we had to be careful not to tear the parachutes on the horn of the jaws of the winch. It took about 15 minutes to bring back the drogue with little effort.
Putting into Bermuda
We then made a beeline south. The ride was quite bumpy but we made it through the stream. In the afternoon Hilgenberg came on at his usual time and said that there were two more storm fronts headed our way and we should head to Bermuda since he felt the crew was tired and beat up. Bermuda was about 100 miles out of our way, but off we went. We clocked off two 200-mile days. In fact, we made such good time that Hilgenberg said we had outrun the storms and just keep on sailing south. We received the news just as we passed the Bermuda spit buoy and were looking at St. George’s and the lights of Bermuda.
Finally a gourmet meal — linguine with vongole white clam sauce, a garden salad and Carvel ice cream cake for dessert.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and six days later we were lying at anchor outside the Simpson Bay Bridge, Sint Maarten waiting for the 1730 opening.
The only damage we suffered was that the attachment points for the small bungee cords that held down the doghouse were torn off or damaged. Considering the winds the doghouse faced, I thought that was amazing. Even the zippers on the doghouse held.
All in all I think we did almost everything humanly possible to make the best of a horrible situation and I thank my crew, Roberto, Jim, and Charles for their professional work and Dave Pelissier of Ace Sailmakers for the drogue that probably saved our lives.
It is interesting to note that my good friend John Lowth, owner of Trinity, also left from Huntington four days later and had a nine-day beam reach to St. Thomas.
Eric Freedman lives in Huntington, N.Y., and has sailed more than 60,000 ocean miles. He is a member of the Ocean Cruising Club and The Cruising Club of America.
What we did right
• I had a great crew, everyone was familiar with me and the boat, and they all had made many passages with me and were strong and stoic in the worst of conditions.
• We had the Jordan series drogue.
• We had an SSB radio, radar and we were able to keep in touch with the weatherman.
• We also had three satellite phones on board.
USHUAIA TO RESCUE
39’ Westerly Sealord, SD4 built in 1984
An email from Mike C.
Hi chaps,
you may or may not remember the will it or wont it arrive on time saga of the jordan drogue i ordered whilst in ushuaia last november (it was sent to my home address in england so's the wife could bring it out with her) , however it did arrive and boy oh boy am i glad.
There is no question about it but that jordan drogue
works like a dream.
The attached is an unedited version of our story that was printed in the july 2008 issue of yachting monthly (uk).
I have been asked by a few people how i retrieved the drogue so i thought i may give you my method although i have no doubt that other people use the same.
I first tried pulling in one of the bridles by winch etc etc but that didn't work to great, i then tried using the
anchor winch but that caused problems with the boat sailing from side to side and catching the droguettes, the next time i deployed the drogue i attached a polyprop line to the drogue line and then to retrieve just winched it all in over the stern. I found the centre polyprop line to be far easier to use than the bridle lines as it kept the stern central and i didnt need to release either bridle form the cleats until all the pressure was off them.
(the first time i retreived the drogue took 1 1/2 hours, once i 'd got this method sorted it took 20 minutes).
I also used floats on the bridle lines to keep them from snagging my boarding ladder and hydrovane steering sysytem.
All in all everything worked magnificently and i cannot sing the Jordan Drogues praises loud enough, many thanks Mr Jordan
and many thanks Ace sailmakers, may all your wishes and dreams come true a thousand times over.
mike clelford
……………..I am now looking for another boat to continue the journey, most people think the forestay is the most likely to break and so fit an emegency forestay, as I had, (the westerly also has a baby stay), but after this experience i will make sure the next boat has at least 2 lowers each side.I will never leave a port without a Jordan series drogue either.Brilliance was a 39’ Westerly Sealord, SD4 built in 1984, I had owned her since 1995.
Dear Mr. Pelissier:
I received your package, thank you very much... all is good there.
When I open the package and lay down your drogue I was VERY IMPRESSED by your workmanship, it looks so so beautiful, strong and safe that I had to write you a letter of recognition for your excellent work.
Certainly hope not to use it in a real STORM situation if I can avoid it but if that comes.... I have this excellent drogue to use.
Take care and thank you very much.
A happy customer.
N.i Furman
5/2019 Karl S. S. Of Royken, Norway. All Dyneema rode, new yacht.
Hi Dave
Arrived well yesterday .looks great .
Thanks a lot.
Friendly regards
Karl
Boat , Najad 505- Weight - 23 tonn ( filled ) Length 15,5
Gran Soleil 50 Pacific Cup. All Dyneema rode with aft section split into 2 sections for use as steering aid, had to prove they had a method to steer boat should rudder fail.
Received 4/2019
Hey Dave.
Dude the drogue worked awesome for emergency steering and we had to upload a video of us using the drogue as emergency steering. The key was anchoring each side of the drogue at midships and not off the stern and then you could easily steer with it. We tacked and jibed using the drogue.
I will try to find the video that we had to upload for the race committee.
You da man Dave,
Casey
3/2019 W.P. German yachtsman, Leopard 48, currently in Tortola BVI.
Hi Dave,
I opened the box a few days ago, and Wow - great work!
It looks very strong, and although I hope to never need it, I feel very reassured by having it. And I realize how much work is in it.
Thank you!
Kind regards,
Werner
3/2019 Island Packet 40,000 loaded all double braid polyester rode .
Dave,
I wasn’t able to pick up the drogue until this morning. it is EXQUISITE!!!! Beautifully built! I am very pleased with it. if you need a testimonial, just let me know!!
Len
Ovni 445 Australia 1/2019
Hi Dave,
Thanks for that. (Bridle recommendations, he is to do )
Super impressed with your workmanship.
Regards,
Pat
Prior email
January 20, 2019,
Hi Dave,
The drogue arrived the other day, it looks great.
Duty and GST came in at $500AUD, och! So I am glad I did not compound this with the bridle.
Regarding the bridle, I would be grateful you could provide rudimentary details, such as length and rope size.
Regards and thanks,
Pat
6/2018 Hylas 49 Boston, MA
Hi Dave,
I received the drogue and she looks great...
Hopefully I will never be in a situation were I need to deploy it
Regards,
Mike M
6/2018 Olson 30 doing 2018 Pacific Cup to Hawaii
Hey Dave,
I got the drogue and looked through it. You did a great job and it looks perfect! Thank you. Hopefully I won't have to use it, but its nice to know I will be very well covered if I need it.
Thanks, Shad
On Wed, May 23, 2018 at 11:11 AM, Ace Sailmakers: Dave wrote:
5/2018
Thanks Dave. What a beautiful piece of equipment. I wanted to leave it out on the living room floor for another day just to look at it, but family finally said to put it away. They did not share my fascination, tho at least my six year old daughter let me explain how it works.
I might cut the chain off at the webbing so I can put the drogue and the chain in separate luggage. Delta will charge $100 for a bag over 50 lbs. I believe I can recreate that attachment when I reach the BVI
Thx, wr Minneapolis / BVI Morris Leigh (also a J-27 ! )
4 / 2018 Sabre 362 going transatlantic
Hi Dave,
Of course, it okay to charge that card for shipping. I did get the Drogue and it looks great.
All the best, Brent G..
4 / 2018
Hello Ace sailmakers!
My girlfriend Malin and I are sailing around the world on our 40-foot boat “_____ “ . We just arrived in Hawaii after a 4100 Nm sail from Costa Rica.
About ten years ago I ordered a Jordan Series Drogue from Ace and I was very pleased with the way it performed when I sailed to Antarctica and later on South Georgia Island back then. We used it in a 60-knot storm just north of South Georgia Island and it really saved our lives.
Now we are preparing to sail north and I'm thinking that it would be great to have a series drogue aboard again.
3/20/2018
Hello Dave,
Drogue looks great and is now on boat.
Wanted to get your opinion on a retrieval plan.
C & C 30 J.A. Victoria, B.C.
3/9/18
Hi Dave,
Everything went fine and I have the Drogue safe in my house in Gothenburg, Sweden, thank you! It looks really professional and strong and I will tell everybody I know about it. One question though:
Should the bridle be made in the same material as the ”First section 142 feet 12 strand Amsteel Blue Dyneema”? Or do you recommend something else?
I’m planning for each bridle-leg to have the length of 2,5 times of the distance between the cleats, right?
Ola Fastizi 37 Sweden
12/2017 Australia
Many thanks Dave the drogue arrived safely. Yet to hang it off the back of the boat but will do so and report back on how it works.
Can say at this early stage however that the quality of the materials and workmanship is impressive.
Regards
J. C. SV Bliss
11/17 San Francisco Bay
Hey Dave:
It arrived earlier then projected, It looks great.
I can’t find in my notes how much chain I need to complete it.. I have 3/8 HT. Is there a preferred method to attach it to the drogue?
Thanks for the good work.. Daniel
6/2017
Hello Dave,
Very nice work.
Hope never use it but if needed, I'll be much confident.
Thanks,
J-M B.
Switzerland
Hi Dave,
We were out over the weekend sailing and so only received the drogue yesterday. It looks terrific ! The workmanship is excellent. Many thanks for all your help advising us on the selection of size and choice of lines and then getting this built for us.
All the best
Mike Morris 46 New England
Great Job on Series Drogue
Hi Dave
We got the Jordan Series Drogue today ! Yea !
Very impressed with your craftsmanship. We attended an offshore seminar last week and the presenter showed a series drogue manufactured in --------------. It was not nearly the quality of your product. We will feel much more confident using your drogue when/if necessary.
Thanks
Robert / Sheila
PSN 365 Canada
December 2016
Unsolicited feedback recent purchaser, New Zealand, Beneteau 473
Seasons greetings Dave,
Our JSD arrived safely thanks. We bought a $50 waterproof heavy duty but light dive bag from a local shop and flaked the JSD in so it will not tangle as it deploys (as recommended by John on Attainable Adventure Cruising). As you can see the flap zips right back for access and deployment:
I have removed all the yellow webbing ties and used just two to secure the ends to the bag, so we can find them easily at night, and written on them, which eye attaches to what (end) in case I am incapacitated or crapping myself and can’t think straight!
Really impressed with the drogue build Dave and everything was as promised and on-time so please thank your team. We will deploy it on our summer cruise as a test.
Rob.
Received 12/2015
Hello
I made a 49 day passage in March 2012 in a 39 foot sailboat from Kerguelen to Tasmania.
I deployed and retrieved the series drogue 7 times, usually deployed from 24-36 hours however once deployed 5.5 days.
I am now parting with my boat and may have to sell all it's equipment separately as a 'sea dog' does not seem to be coming out of the woodwork.
I had an email requesting that I sell the drogue and I may well do that, but the person asking to buy the drogue separately also requested more info on it which has resulted in me writing a document describing it's actual use.
This has brought me to your web site and the deployment and retrieval tab.
Your info is not consistent with the practice I developed.
I actually bought about 50 or so (can't remember exact number) new cones from you in Tasmania 2012 which were included in the order of a new drogue for Jeanne Socrates who had lost her second drogue, both provided by yourselves.
I have not yet completed my document concerning retrieval and deployment but if you are interested in it's info let me know.
My purpose is to share my experience with other potential users as I believe that Don Jordan's invention certainly saved my boat and probably my life.
Regards
Greg S.
Alcidae III
Victoria, BC, Canada
11/2015 Sabre 362 departed for Caribbean from Portsmouth VA
Hi Dave,
I'm now in the caribbeans, I didn't have to use the drogue you built for me, but I'm really happy with the product. It looks solid and really well done.
I finally got it Wednesday just before to leave, It's Fedex that screwed up on the delivery.
Once again, thank you very much to have fulfilled my order on such a short notice. It's really appreciated.
Best regards,
Michael
-
9/2015 Voyage 43 catamaran, with a loaded displacement in the order of 23,000lb. The beam is a few inches shy of 25ft. I live in Britain, although my cat is presently located in East Africa.
“Tx Dave, Its rather nice just to slow down sometimes - with a 50 knot breeze up your butt the drogue does a nice job of easing the speed back, we enjoy going fast as much as the next boat but when it gets dark............. the bogey man might be waiting.
We prefer to deploy the drogue. Funny how we managed without it before and now use it far more than we ever thought we would. Nice bit of kit!”
From:"Peter Moffitt" Date:Sun, Nov 9, 2014
Hi Dave
You package has arrived via FedEx.
I am very happy with it - it is BEAUTIFUL !
The quality of your workmanship is wonderful and it fills me
with great confidence in its strength and integrity. And I am much happier withPeter M. Sydney, Australia
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dave,
The drogue got through customs for a modest additional cost. I have not used it yet, but I have inspected it and the workmanship is excellent. Please pass on my thanks and complements to your employees.
Winter is coming so I should have an opportunity to get out and learn how to use it in the next few months.
Thank you very much for your service.
Jeff
Dr Jeffrey K C. Consulting Chief Process Engineer Perth WA 6000, Australia
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Oil industry engineer
May 2015 Swan 441 departed Newport RI May 2015
Dave,
Thanks for making a series drogue for our Swan 441 in May which you did in short time. We used it on our first passage 300 miles out from Newport when we hit very strong winds. The drogue worked very well and settled the boat out nicely allowing the crew to rest while the occasional wave broke over the boat. When the wind lightened we recovered the drogue fairly
easily and continued on our way to Bermuda. Excellent piece of equipment.
Best Regards, John
Wednesday October 29, 2008 US Coast Guard reported that rescue crews from six different units, including three Cutters and three Air Station...
