Para Sea Anchor Testing

"When Karin and I set out across the Pacific to South America following our retirement, we decided that it would be wise to invest in the best possible sea-anchor we could find. We are older now, and without an active young crew to sail 'Victoria' in stormy conditions as we have done in the past, it was important to ensure that we could cope in the worst conditions we could expect. From all the studies that we have made of others who found themselves in severe storms in small vessels at sea, it is apparent that parachute sea-anchors provide the best system for keeping a yacht head to wind and sea when survival conditions are encountered by a small crew.

So we considered the various models available carefully. It was clear to us that the construction and material, the design of the deployment system and the elastic throat were highly desirable features that only the Coppins “StormFighter” provided.

We have not yet been in a position where we needed to use our sea-anchor in danger, but having seen a ‘StormFighter’ in action when we conducted trials near Auckland, we are certainly confident that we have made the correct decision.

That said, we will be happy if we never have to use it!"

Jim and Karin Lott

Former head NZ Maritime Safety

Yacht Victoria 2014.

'We are not endorsing or recommending any particular company, just letting you know what we see. We feel the Coppins Sea Anchor is the one we would buy…as it looks like the strongest one currently being manufactured.

We inspected the Sea Anchor made by Coppins and were defiantly impressed with the strength and careful construction. Their prices are good and his company has been building them these for 40 years, and they know how to handle overseas orders'

Lin & Larry Pardey

Authors ‘Surviving the Storm’ and others

www.LandLPardey.com

The Ultimate Storm Survival Story

We all know the Sebastian Junger book turned blockbuster movie ‘The Perfect Storm’. This true story involves Capt. Billy Tyne Jnr. and his crew of 5 who had been fishing out from Massachusetts in the 72 foot 'F/V Andrea Gail'.  They were hit by extreme weather conditions on their way home, and were all lost at sea. The storm conditions that caused the ship to be lost involved waves of between 40-60 ft (12-18m) and gusts of up to 80 knots  (148 km/h or 92 mph)

In June 1998, Charlie Blanchet and his crew-mate Des McGrath left New Zealand to sail to Tonga on 'April', a 43 foot ketch. They were hit by severe weather conditions, since known as the ‘ultimate storm’. Many people are much less familiar with this story as a book was never written and a movie never produced. The only report of the story was in Boating New Zealand, November 2001. See photos

There were big differences between the ‘ultimate storm’ in the South Pacific and the ‘perfect storm’ in the Atlantic. The most notable difference was that the 'ultimate storm' was much more severe, but more importantly Charlie and his Crew survived thanks to their Coppins Sea Anchor, whereas the 'Andrea Gail' was never seen again.

The wave heights around the 'April' in the Pacific were difficult to calculate as the crew was taking a beating. They were estimated at over 80 feet (24 metres). At one stage, a set of seven waves hit the 'April' and it was  completely submerged. They then shot through the air ‘like a dolphin’ before diving into the next set of waves.  

We can say with a greater level of certainty the speed of wind. The wind-speed indicator on the 'April' read ‘a steady 130 to 140 knots, with wind gusts topping 154 knots’ (285 km/h or 177 mph).  The indicator was later tested and was found to be accurate to within one knot.

Luckily the 'April' was carrying a Coppins Sea Anchor which they deployed as the conditions worsened. Charlie said "looking back at the storm, I’d do exactly as I did before." They hung off the para anchor for four days, and retrieved it when the storm had passed. Fortunately they had the right equipment and made the right descisions. They survived the ‘ultimate storm’, and lived to sail another day.