Morgans wrote:

Now, for all of you sailors out there, we did very little right, that day.
It was the first year, (we didn't know nearly enough) and we were still
learning, and not well equipped for such storms. We got a storm jib (very
small) and another set of reefs for the main, (to make it smaller, yet) and
purchased a sea anchor. That is a unit that looks somewhat like a wind
sock, and provides a way to let the boat drag through the water, and pull on
the boat to keep it pointed in the direction that you need.

Every experienced sailor has been there at one time or another. One
thing that's good to know is how to heave-to. You basically set the
headsail on an opposing tack and lash the tiller hard to windward, and
the boat *should* just sort of hang right there. Depending on wind
direction this may give you a better option than dragging on a drogue,
especially if you've got a lee shore nearby.

http://www.sailonline.com/seamanship...ng_to_man.html

The "should" part of this is that not all boats heave-to equally well
depending on the keel and rig design, so it's good to practice before
it's a real emergency.

-cwk.