Several recent posts would seem to indicate that a renewed discussion of active heavy weather tactics for skippers of larger Hunters, Catalinas, Beneteaus and similar light to medium heavy finkeelers on coastal trips or offshore passages might be of interest. For the purpose of this post "active" heavy weather tactics will be defined as any tactics involving flying one or more sails. Neither "passive tactics" (e.g. lying ahull, running off under bare poles, lying behind a sea anchor or deploying a drogue) nor the extremely important areas of vessel preparation and heavy weather navigation is discussed here. Here are 8 brief statements, numbered for ease of response and formulated to stimulate discussion 
) 1 - If at all possible, avoid heavy weather by waiting for a more favorable window, skirting a strong weather system or taking shelter. Although heavy weather sailing can be great sport, one should never face forecast heavy weather intentionally if vessel and crew are not prepared to face conditions at least 40 % worse in view of the inherent uncertainty of any weather forecast. 2 - Maintain enough searoom. Unless you are dealing with a short-lasting squall or thunderstorm, immediately check sea-room (i.e. distance to the nearest lee shore, reef, shallows or other non-navigable obstacle) and, if necessary, try to increase your searoom buffer until it is proportional to the expected duration of the storm times the calculated rate of drift. 3 - When possible, don't take heavy seas on the beam but run off or beat into wind and waves. Violent rolling caused by taking heavy seas on the beam is dangerous (risk of losing crew & accessories, or even capsizes/rollovers with associated rig loss) and extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, running off (with or without drogues) is usually advocated. However, slowly jogging into wind and waves under deep-reefed main and staysail or deep-reefed genoa is fast becoming the method of choice for light and medium-heavy cruising vessels with good upwind capabilities. 4 - Heaving-to, a natural extension of that approach to a minimum headway situation, is usually achieved by backwinding the headsail. Never heave-to in heavy weather with more sail than necessary to keep the bows into the wind (or else risk serious damage to vessel and sails if a big gust or freak wave manages to break the heave-to). 5 - When beating into wind and waves make sure to use sufficient sail area to punch through the waves and maintain rudder control. At the same time, keep trying to find that vessel speed and wave intersection angle at which slamming is minimized (Rivendel only slams occasionally when we keep speed through the water at 5 knots or less). 6 - Sometimes, upon motoring out of the harbor or anchorage, one runs right away into much heavier wind and waves than expected. In these conditions, either turn around or make sail as fast as possible. The change in comfort between a medium light cruising vessel under bare poles (with or without engine) and under a properly sized and balanced sail plan in heavy seas is a difference between night and day. Unless everyone on board happens to have a leather stomach, motoring another 15 or 30 minutes could easily trigger unnecessary bouts of sea-sickness that may take days to shake off. 7 - As mentioned, the most common mistake when beating into wind and waves is to be underpowered. Conversely, some vessels tend to have too much sail up when running off, thus putting enormous strain on the rig (particularly when running off under jib alone)and the helmsperson, thereby creating the risk of losing the rig, especially when broaching or pitchpoling. 8 - Do not use the engine unnecessarily in heavy weather and seas. Due to a variety of factors (e.g. stirring up fuel tank deposits, possible seawater intrusion into vents, poor lubrication at maximum heel angles, rapid fluctuations in propellor resistance and RPMs, engine overheating, electrical shorts, etc.) the chance of malfunctions is greatly increased in heavy weather conditions. Also, the sounds and smells of the engine are unpleasant to most crew members and make it more difficult to "listen to the sounds of the boat". Most importantly, you may need your engine later to claw off a lee shore (e.g. while motor-sailing), to avoid a collision, to control the bow or to enter a crowded harbor of refuge. Fair winds to y'all Flying Dutchman
) 1 - If at all possible, avoid heavy weather by waiting for a more favorable window, skirting a strong weather system or taking shelter. Although heavy weather sailing can be great sport, one should never face forecast heavy weather intentionally if vessel and crew are not prepared to face conditions at least 40 % worse in view of the inherent uncertainty of any weather forecast. 2 - Maintain enough searoom. Unless you are dealing with a short-lasting squall or thunderstorm, immediately check sea-room (i.e. distance to the nearest lee shore, reef, shallows or other non-navigable obstacle) and, if necessary, try to increase your searoom buffer until it is proportional to the expected duration of the storm times the calculated rate of drift. 3 - When possible, don't take heavy seas on the beam but run off or beat into wind and waves. Violent rolling caused by taking heavy seas on the beam is dangerous (risk of losing crew & accessories, or even capsizes/rollovers with associated rig loss) and extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, running off (with or without drogues) is usually advocated. However, slowly jogging into wind and waves under deep-reefed main and staysail or deep-reefed genoa is fast becoming the method of choice for light and medium-heavy cruising vessels with good upwind capabilities. 4 - Heaving-to, a natural extension of that approach to a minimum headway situation, is usually achieved by backwinding the headsail. Never heave-to in heavy weather with more sail than necessary to keep the bows into the wind (or else risk serious damage to vessel and sails if a big gust or freak wave manages to break the heave-to). 5 - When beating into wind and waves make sure to use sufficient sail area to punch through the waves and maintain rudder control. At the same time, keep trying to find that vessel speed and wave intersection angle at which slamming is minimized (Rivendel only slams occasionally when we keep speed through the water at 5 knots or less). 6 - Sometimes, upon motoring out of the harbor or anchorage, one runs right away into much heavier wind and waves than expected. In these conditions, either turn around or make sail as fast as possible. The change in comfort between a medium light cruising vessel under bare poles (with or without engine) and under a properly sized and balanced sail plan in heavy seas is a difference between night and day. Unless everyone on board happens to have a leather stomach, motoring another 15 or 30 minutes could easily trigger unnecessary bouts of sea-sickness that may take days to shake off. 7 - As mentioned, the most common mistake when beating into wind and waves is to be underpowered. Conversely, some vessels tend to have too much sail up when running off, thus putting enormous strain on the rig (particularly when running off under jib alone)and the helmsperson, thereby creating the risk of losing the rig, especially when broaching or pitchpoling. 8 - Do not use the engine unnecessarily in heavy weather and seas. Due to a variety of factors (e.g. stirring up fuel tank deposits, possible seawater intrusion into vents, poor lubrication at maximum heel angles, rapid fluctuations in propellor resistance and RPMs, engine overheating, electrical shorts, etc.) the chance of malfunctions is greatly increased in heavy weather conditions. Also, the sounds and smells of the engine are unpleasant to most crew members and make it more difficult to "listen to the sounds of the boat". Most importantly, you may need your engine later to claw off a lee shore (e.g. while motor-sailing), to avoid a collision, to control the bow or to enter a crowded harbor of refuge. Fair winds to y'all Flying Dutchman