Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-To for Survival in Extreme Conditions

If you are thinking about making a passage, then you have an emergency if you haven't purchased and read this book. I have done some study into the subject of heaving-to and drag devices, having used some and spent some time in heavy weather. One thing that all books except this one have in common is a lack of serious discussion of heaving-to. "Heavy Weather Sailling," by Adlard Coles, is interesting but ignores heaving-to. There are many tactics that can be used in heavy weather, but heaving-to is the one that ultimately works. The key principle is not easy to see, but obvious once you understand it: the water in big waves moves up and down, not down wind, and hence running (even with a drag device) is very dangerous, because if you stop surfing, you are moving far faster than the water, and you will crash. It is also the waves, not the wind, that destroy boats. Keel boats will heel as far as necessary to unload excessive wind force, unless irresponsibly over canvassed, but it is the breaking waves that pick boats up and drop them on their sides, causing dismasting, collapse of cabin tops, blowing out of portholes, etc. In "Storm Tactics," Lin and Larry Pardey put it all together. They cover all the above, and more, and give you the science behind heaving to, and the Von Karmann area. The prose is simple, logical, and unassailable. These people not only give you the principles behind heaving-to, but they have actually done it, over and over and over again. This book should represent a revolution for yachts that will help them weather the worst of storms and make more confident passages. In particular, I recommend the "Question and Answer" section. In it, Larry and Lin address the concerns of other cruising sailors regarding heaving-to, but especially they go into the reasons why it has taken nearly a century for us to rediscover heaving-to. The question for passage makers at this point is not "Should I heave to", but rather, "Is my gear in proper shape to weather a bad storm?" Instead of arguing and wondering whether heaving-to is the right tactic, we need to be setting up our storm trysail so we can get it up quickly in bad weather, and making arrangements so that the sea anchor can be quickly unstowed, deployed, and protected against chafe in the extreme conditions of a typhoon or hurricane. And, we need to practise these tactics. Larry and Lin help a lot with this. One criticism I have of this book is it just needs to be a little bigger. They spend a lot of pages (necessarily) defending the idea of heaving-to. This is absolutely necessary, unfortunately. In the next edition, I would like to see more information and detailed instructions/options about how to stow the gear needed so that it can be quickly and safely deployed, and more information about the sea anchor arrangements. Yes, there are probably other sources for some of this information, but Lin and Larry are the best authorities, and hearing it f

A reef will cause waves to break before a shore. The creation of a slick of disturbed water, by use of a parachute type anchor, held just below the surface, two wavelengths directly upwind of you, can do the same thing and create a pocket of relatively undisturbed water, in which a boat can ride out a violent storm safely. This being the case, the crew have only two concerns. 1) Keeping the boat positioned so that the sea takes one side of the bow more than another prevents oscillations and keeps the ride smooth. Keep the bow strait to the seas is actually rougher and not desirable. This offset can be made with a bridle. And, 2) Preventing chafe, which will part your rode and lose your para-anchor, and put you at the mercy of the full fury of a storm. The Pardey's successfully used these techniques to heave-to in storms and avoid loosing ground when the winds became unfavorable, and then continued on when conditions moderated. They did this with confidence. My only concern, is the Pardey's experience was strictly small boat. Small boats have an advantage in a way, in that they can be easier to handle. The question remains. How well will these techniques work with larger boats. I would like to read about the results of people using this technique in a larger boat in more severe conditions. For example: a 42-48 foot catamaran and/or a 45-50' monohull in 100+ mph winds with large breaking seas. UPDATED REVIEW: 6-27-2008 ****************************************** Not only is this mandatory reading for those who sail offshore; it is as important to have this book on your vessel, as it is to have Chart 1. I don't know any one with a sailing library as big as mine. I have so many books on the topic that I really need to get rid of some. Of all these many books, I'd rate Lin and Larry Pardey's book on "Storm Tactics" as "the most important book in my collection." The reason for that is this book will save your life. The information it contains is distilled down from the experiences of these two fine people, and presented to you in a convincing manner. No one who reads this book will every doubt that their tactics are the correct choice to see you safely through the worst of "it". Not only that, but if anyone else on your boat begins to panic, hand them this book. Once they know that you really know what to do, and how one can create a zone of protection from breaking waves, they will loose their fear and panic. Years ago I read the first edition of this book and at that time, I felt the knowledge passed on to me, by these two legendary sailors, was about the most important information I could know. Unfortunately, many sailors have gotten away from the traditional methods of heaving-to, or laying-to, and laying-to a parachute type sea-anchor. Loose your racing mentality, that will get you killed, and adopt Lin and Larry tactics and you will survive. Through real life experimentation, and rete

This book is essentially about one thing: how to create the "Von Karmon Vortex Street". What the authors have done is taken a scientific approach to storm-survival and have gathered evidence both ancient and modern to support their thesis. It turns out that a sailboat's anatomy - high wind exposure even running bare poles and a deep keel - can be used to defeat the underwater component of a breaking sea, rendering it harmless foam. The key, of course, is knowing how to stabilize the yacht in relationship to wind and water.Using various sail configurations and/or anchor chutes and by simple tests like dropping bits of paper into the water, the boat may be kept within the confines of its own self-created safe haven.This is not a "best-kept secret", but rather something that has been discovered and rediscovered in a fairly random and haphazard manner over time. Most sailors can't confidently say why certain storm strategies worked in some cases and others didn't. The authors have not taken lightly the presentation of this material to the boating public. We are all indebted to their work and insight.

The sheer logic of this book explains why the Pardeys have become the most respected sailors out cruising today. In this book they make it clear they are not inventing anything new, just reminding us that the sea does not change nor does basic seamanship and understanding the principles of heaving to are one of the most basic premises of helping your boat make it through a storm. Wish I could attend one of their storm tactics seminars one day.

The book goes into the unpleasantness of what to do to prepare for and survive a major storm at sea. It is well thought out and well written, with several check lists for the sailor who wants to make sure his own vessel will survive the passage through force 8 and higher seas. I hope I never have to test the advice of the authors, but I feel confident that they do know what they are talking about. Hopefully, the Pardey's will continue to update the book as information becomes available.