try to stay upright
I have owned and sailed a daysailer for 4 seasons now. A mentor of mine always encouraged me to sail with the sheets on my lap, and preferably in my hand with the other hand on the tiller. The sheets can be cleated. I sail single handed most of the time. Whenever the wind starts to blow it over, the first place water will come in, is over the leeward quarter. Sitting higher on the coaming will help it back upright. Either turn into the wind with the rudder, or release the mainsheet somewhat, and the boat will upright itself again. Ignore this warning and prepare to go over! I have never ignored this warning, and have never gone over. I note others that have however, and according to their testimony, the boat will fill with water and swamp, but will at the very least float at the gunwales unless you have loaded it down with motor and gear past its floatation capability, at which point, it will sink. Assuming you have only swamped it, and it has not turned turtle, it will likely be bailable, sea conditions permitting. If however it turns turtle, you will likely require other boat assistance to right it. If you are lucky, you may be able to step out onto the cb as it is going over, but if you are that intuitive, you would likely have already released the sheets and turned into the wind, preventing the need for standing on the cb to right it. The danger is moving around the boat with the sheets and tiller cleated, during gusty conditions or a strong blow. Your weight shifts the trim of the boat so that the center of lateral resistance moves forward or back, causing you to either round up or fall off from your course. Either way, the amount of power changes, and places you in a position to heel excessively. If you must cleat and leave, then hove to first, or put the boat into irons.
