When the wind and waves build beyond what a boat can comfortably sail in, the crew needs a plan to slow down, stay in control and rest. Drag devices are part of that plan. The two main types, the sea anchor and the drogue, are often confused, but they work in opposite ways and suit different situations.

Quick answer: a sea anchor (usually a parachute anchor) is deployed from the bow on a long rode and holds the boat nearly stationary, head to wind and sea, drifting slowly downwind. A drogue is deployed from the stern and slows the boat while it keeps moving downwind, keeping the stern to the waves and preventing surfing, broaching and pitchpoling. Sea anchors are for stopping; drogues are for running slower and safer.

Heavy-Weather Tactics Overview

No single tactic suits every boat and every storm. Experienced sailors usually progress through a series of options as conditions worsen:

• Reef early and keep sailing, ideally on a course that is comfortable for the boat.
• Heave to: backed jib, eased main and helm lashed to windward, so the boat sits quietly forereaching and drifting. See our step-by-step guide on how to heave to.
• Run off before the wind under bare poles or a scrap of headsail, actively steering. Our article on downwind sailing techniques covers the basics.
• Lie to a sea anchor when you need to stop, hold position or rest and the boat won’t heave to safely.
• Trail a drogue when running off becomes too fast or the boat starts to surf and slew on the waves.
• Lie ahull (all sails down, drifting beam-on). This is generally considered the riskiest option in breaking seas, because a boat lying beam-on is most vulnerable to being rolled.

The common goal of every tactic is to avoid being caught beam-on to large breaking waves. Sea room matters too: all of these tactics involve drifting or running downwind, so you need open water to leeward.

What Is a Sea Anchor?

A sea anchor is a large fabric parachute or cone that is set from the bow on a long nylon rode. In the water, it acts like a fixed point: the boat lies to it head to wind and waves and drifts slowly downwind, typically around a knot or less. A small, fast-drifting boat can create a protective “slick” of disturbed water upwind of it that helps calm breaking crests.

Sea anchors were originally used by fishing boats and have been adopted by many cruising sailors, particularly on multihulls and on boats that don’t heave to well. Some cruisers rig the bridle to the quarter so the boat lies at an angle to the seas, a method popularized by Lin and Larry Pardey in their writing on storm tactics.

Advantages

• Stops the boat almost completely, which saves sea room and is useful near a lee shore or when you need to hold position.
• Presents the bow, the strongest and most streamlined part of the boat, to the waves.
• Lets the crew rest below in relative comfort.
• Works well for many catamarans, which can’t be heaved to in the same way as a monohull.

Disadvantages

• Very high loads on the rode, bridle and bow fittings; chafe is the main enemy.
• If a wave pushes the boat backwards, the rudder can take severe loads. Lash or secure the helm amidships, ideally with some give, to protect it.
• Many monohulls tend to “tack” or yaw back and forth on the rode instead of lying bow-on.
• Large and difficult to recover, especially in a lingering swell.

What Is a Drogue?

A drogue is a smaller drag device trailed from the stern while the boat runs downwind. It doesn’t stop the boat; it slows it to a controlled speed (often a few knots) and keeps the stern square to the waves. That stops the boat from surfing down the face of a wave, burying its bow and either slewing sideways (broaching) or flipping end over end (pitchpoling).

Because the boat keeps moving, the rudder can still steer, and the stern rather than the bow meets the waves. That means the cockpit and companionway take the breaking crests, so the boat must be prepared for it (see below).

Advantages

• Prevents surfing, broaching and pitchpoling when running off.
• Lower loads than a sea anchor, and usually easier to deploy and recover.
• Many types can be adjusted by changing the length of line or adding weight.
• A well-designed drogue can keep the boat aligned with the waves without anyone steering, so the crew can go below.

Disadvantages

• The boat keeps moving downwind, using up sea room.
• Breaking waves land on the stern; the cockpit must drain quickly and the companionway must be closed with strong washboards.
• Some single-cone drogues can “jump” out of the water on a big wave and lose grip just when they are needed.

Series Drogue vs Cone Drogues

There are two main families of drogue:

• Single-element drogues: one cone, a few small cones in line, or a tube-shaped device on a long line. They are compact and affordable but can skip out of a wave or pull unevenly.
• The Jordan Series Drogue (JSD): a long line carrying many small fabric cones (typically 100 or more, depending on the boat’s displacement), weighted at the end. Developed by aeronautical engineer Donald Jordan after the 1979 Fastnet race disaster, it spreads the load along its length, so part of it is always gripping water. It applies drag gradually as a wave lifts the stern, which makes the boat’s motion smoother.

Many offshore sailors regard the series drogue as one of the most effective survival devices for monohulls and multihulls. The trade-off is that it is heavy, bulky to stow and slow to recover; using a winch and a retrieval line helps.

When to Use Each

Situation	Sea anchor (bow)	Drogue (stern)
Need to stop and hold position	Yes	No
Limited sea room downwind	Better choice	Uses more sea room
Boat surfing and hard to steer running off	No	Yes
Crew exhausted, need to rest	Yes	Yes, with a well-designed drogue
Want to make some progress downwind	No	Yes
Boat yaws badly at anchor or doesn’t heave to	Possible, with a bridle adjustment	Often easier
Main risk	Rudder damage, chafe, high loads	Pooping (waves breaking into the cockpit)

The best choice also depends on the boat. Light, beamy modern boats and many catamarans can surf quickly and tend to favor a drogue or series drogue, while some sailors of heavier cruising boats prefer a sea anchor. Talk to owners of similar boats, and to the manufacturer, before you buy.

Deploying and Retrieving Safely

Deploying any drag device in a storm is hard and dangerous work. Everything should be prepared in advance, ideally before you leave port, so that the job takes minutes rather than an hour on a pitching deck.

1. Prepare in harbor: attach the bridle to strong points (backed cleats or chainplates) or have it ready to attach; flake or bag the rode so it will run freely; fit chafe protection.
2. Decide early. Deploy while you still have energy and daylight, not when the crew is exhausted.
3. Clip on. Everyone working on deck must wear a life jacket and harness clipped to jacklines or strong points. Have the EPIRB and a handheld VHF radio ready by the companionway.
4. Sea anchor: slow the boat, head into the wind, drop the parachute over the windward side at the bow, and let the boat drift back to pay out the rode under control. Many systems include a small float or trip line to keep the parachute at the right depth and help with recovery.
5. Drogue: running slowly downwind, drop the end of the drogue (with its weight) over the stern and let the boat pull the line out, controlling it on a winch. Secure the bridle legs to each quarter.
6. Check for chafe regularly and adjust the line so the wear point moves.
7. Retrieve when conditions moderate. Use a winch, take your time, and use a retrieval or trip line if your system has one. Keep lines away from the propeller.

Practise in moderate conditions so you know how your boat behaves and how long recovery takes. Accounts in whether a sailboat can survive a hurricane and in real-life sailboat accidents and their lessons show how often preparation, rather than the device itself, makes the difference.

Choosing Size and Rode

• Size depends on the boat’s displacement and type. Follow the manufacturer’s sizing charts; an undersized device won’t hold, and an oversized one creates excessive loads.
• Rode for a sea anchor should be strong nylon for stretch, and long, often hundreds of feet, so the anchor and boat stay in step with the wave pattern. Chain or chafe protection at the bow is essential. Manufacturers typically give minimum lengths related to boat size.
• Drogue lines are sized to the boat’s displacement; a series drogue’s cone count is also matched to displacement.
• Fittings must be strong enough for the very large loads involved. Ordinary cleats may need backing plates or alternative attachment points.
• Stowage: keep the device in a dedicated bag, ready to go, in an accessible locker.

Preparing the Boat and Crew

Drag devices are only part of storm preparation. Secure hatches and washboards, stow loose gear, rig jacklines, check the bilge pumps, and make sure the crew is fed and rested. A storm that might pass in a day or two can become far more dangerous if the crew is exhausted. Our offshore sailing guide and the article on whether it is dangerous to sail across the Atlantic cover passage preparation in more detail.

Summary

• A sea anchor is set from the bow and holds the boat almost stationary, bow to the waves.
• A drogue is trailed from the stern and slows the boat while it runs downwind, preventing surfing, broaching and pitchpoling.
• The Jordan Series Drogue spreads its drag over many small cones and is highly regarded for survival conditions.
• Both need strong attachment points, chafe protection, careful sizing and plenty of sea room.
• Prepare everything before you sail and practise in moderate conditions.