I'm the official drogue man on our outings. Pain in the backside to fill so they work properly. Sometimes takes a bit of reversing and yanking of cords to get it right.
Nigel Fairclough said:Do they just slow down the drift due to wind, or do they slow down the drift due to current as well??
Austen,
Thanks for your input. Just thinking about a couple of basic scenarios.
1. Easterly wind 10 knots, easterly current of 3knots (tide plus additional current caused by displacement of water on a falling or rising tide). Will the drogue save the boat from moving at the extra speed caused by the wind?
2. Westerly wind 10 knots, easterly current 3knots (tide etc as above). Would a drogue cause the boat to travel with the tide against the wind?
Also, a quick release was mentioned. Have you ever had to use it in the interests of safety? Do you buoy the line(s) near the boat to to make recovery possible.
Have you ever had the boat stopped by say a pot rope and had the drogue continue to pull the boat?
Has anyone considered using a deadweight instead of a drogue?