Talk:Sea anchor

message: There are smaller versions of sea anchors used for similar purposes, called trolling anchors, drift anchors, etc.  These are often used to slow the drift of a fishing boat due to wind.  Since the only difference between these and a sea anchor is scale and rigging (drift anchors are rigged with much shorter lines and often to allow sideways drift) I may expand this article to cover them all, with a section for each use.  scot 14:30, 19 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Small sea anchors

message: I am not clear what the difference is between a sea anchor (this article) and a drogue.  They seem to be much the same sort of construction, used for the same purposes in similar circumstances, and the two articles even use an identical image.  If there is a difference, we need it explained more clearly; if not, we need to merge the articles.  Richard New Forest (talk)
:Good point!  I think a merge is called for.  Springnuts (talk) 18:37, 3 January 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: a sea anchor is deployed off the bow of a sailboat as opposed to a drouge which is deployed off the stern. A drouge controls speed while sailing downwind (running) while a sea anchor slows a drifting boat - very different!  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Melmo2 (talk • contribs) 14:12, 25 April 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: The differences are subtle, and as much or more in technique, the intent or use, as in the objects themselves. Deploying a drogue is (at least in my mind) an technique to slow the passage of the boat through the water, while deploying a sea anchor is (contrariwise) a technique to stop the passage of the boat through the water. You might want to stop the boat if you don't want to approach a near shore that you're being driven onto, for example, but might want to only slow the boat if there was ample sea room and travel would be in a somewhat desirable direction. What you deploy, depending on the sea, wind, boat, ... might well be the same thing, but it would have different effects depending on those other things. That help? I think both articles need help, but I'm not sure that merging is the right approach. htom (talk) 02:22, 3 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: But a sea anchor is a drogue is a sea anchor, and will only ever slow a boat.  If you want to stop the boat you need an anchor. Friendly regards, Springnuts (talk) 23:08, 4 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text:  The only way to really stop a boat is to take it out of the water. Anchors are usually better than sea anchors or drogues, I'll grant, but I've seen too many dragging anchors to think of them as "stop". There are devices that will only really act as drogues, and some only as sea anchors, but for many, the circumstances and technique of use will determine how much slowing action there is. htom (talk) 01:30, 5 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: OK you are very confused about this. Springnuts (talk) 09:14, 5 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: It seems to me more that Wikipedia appears confused, because of language changes in the world over time. Long ago, a drogue was the opening cone device, and a sea anchor was a jury-rigged thing (perhaps a pair of oars, crossed and lashed together, with a scrap of sail stretched between them and weighted at a corner); times have changed. Sailing techniques and methods have changed, and language changes chase those. Simply merging the articles I don't think would ease the confusion, because that confusion (of the names for devices and use of them) is in the world, and Wikipedia properly (if confusingly) reflects that condition of the world. htom (talk) 18:12, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

text: 
(Extremo88 (talk) 09:39, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: The two articles should definitely be merged. Wikipedia is about concepts, not about words, and the two concepts are very closely related. --Macrakis (talk) 15:00, 10 May 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: Merge?

message: (Extremo88 (talk) 11:35, 5 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Heaving to does not involve a sea anchor! 

message: Only breaking waves can roll a boat?  Have you a source for that?  I'll grant that most boats near shore that are rolled are rolled by breaking waves, but it would seem that a steep BIG wave could roll a small boat without breaking. htom (talk) 00:12, 6 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Breaking waves required?