How to Deploy a Para Anchor at Sea

In this video, world-renowned sailor, Skip Novak, will show you how to deploy a para-anchor with a live demonstration. A para-anchor is used to stabilise a vessel and prevent it from moving through the water. It uses drag to act as a brake.

[@Misteribel]

This may be the best instruction I've heard so far on para anchors, thanks so much!

[@itsjustplainsailing5189]

Small float in first , followed by main float, then the para anchor, pay it some line and snub to inflate. Then pay out remainder of line.
Noticed the lack of a Purdy bridle which would’ve lowered boat speed further by bringing the boat more to a hive too angle of 40-50 degrees off the wind.rather then head to wind which in choppy seas can be up and down up and down ( gets very repetitive)
. Try watching lin and Larry purdeys storm weather tactics or the forintino para anchor videos, for more detailed information watch storm tactics and sea anchor 2 video by the Maryland school of sailing .

[@svZia-Switch51]

Skip is like “yeah, thanks but no thanks. I’ll just heave to!”

[@douglasmaxwell6547]

Always interesting to hear Skip talk through sailing safety gear.

[@johnparsons9084]

Props to Chip for the video.....given that he’s not a fan. These things do really work well on lighter boats, and being much smaller, are much less difficult to retrieve. Retrieving the big ones isn’t a problem for fishing vessels with their massive gear designed to get heavy stuff out of the water. Every time I see Chip, he’s on a monster. Guess that’s why he’s alive.

[@tedunguent156]

Well done video. I read about this in Storm Tactics by Lin and Larry Pardey. It's good to know but you hope you will never have to do it.

[@markbailey6051]

If any water current is present the sea anchor will take you in that direction. Could be useful in the Gulf Stream going north. Lol

[@jumpleadsx2]

Its not very clear when and why someone would deploy this. Skip says that it ought to be done before the maelstrom hits, and that it's favoured by extremists. Both of those comments raise a number of questions. Like what is an extremist?

[@MrBertreynolds]

Sea anchor, drift anchor, para anchor(s) are typically used by fishing boats to stay on good grounds or a "hot spot" where it's too deep to drop a ground tackle type anchor. They're also used to keep the bow windward and out of the "ditch". It keeps the bow pointed towards the wind & waves. That's why they're almost always found in emergency life boats & life rafts.
When sailing single handedly (alone) sailors will often deploy a drift anchor when they rest & sleep.
As far as holding position, Their effectiveness in the open ocean is hardly noticeable without a GPS. A boat without a sea anchor can blow/drift many miles from a given position in 24 hours. Where as the same boat using a sea anchor or drift anchor can drift less than a mile in 24 hours.
Which is where they come into use in emergency situations. Where a vessel is waiting or hoping to be found and rescued for whatever reason. A drift anchor is often deployed to help keep a vessel as close to it's last known position as possible.

[@MrBertreynolds]

They're used in riding out bad storms by keeping a boats bow into the wind and waves, and kept from being blown much further off course.

[@devilledhamman]

It's not 'extremists'. What he said is that the para-anchor is useful "in extremis", i.e., in extreme conditions.