Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition
In a storm at sea, luck is highly biased toward the sailor who has a plan. So write Lin and Larry Pardey in this, the third edition of their highly regarded Storm Tactics Handbook. As in the first two editions of this book, they describe their concerns about the tendency of modern sailors to discard the classic methods used to bring sailing vessels of all sizes from vast clipper ships to tiny yachts through amazingly strong winds and heavy seas. There is only one storm tactic that has the ability to sap the power of breaking seas, they explain. With clear and concise diagrams, they proceed to show how heaving-to works and how even the most modern of yachts can be made to heave-to, whether with only sail power or with the assistance of a sea anchor. A discussion of the many ways heaving-to can be useful at sea as a way to help the crew keep well rested, to effect repairs, to steady a vessel should outside assistance ever be necessary will convince even those who plan to run before their imagined ultimate storm that heaving-to is still a must know. A series of user-friendly checklists will help sailors from the moment they start looking for their perfect offshore boat, through outfitting, and as they encounter their first storms at sea. Highly readable stories of the Pardeys encounters with storms, and of experiences related by several other modern sailors, help illustrate and expand the points made in this book. Since writing the previous edition of Storm Tactics Handbook, Lin and Larry have voyaged an additional 35,000 miles. This has taken them as far north as Norway, twice across the Atlantic, south to Argentina, into the Pacific, around Cape Horn against the prevailing winds, and then on a circuit of the North Pacific. With insights gained from these recent voyages, they have fully revised and expanded this text by more than 40 percent, including nine completely new chapters. New material includes: Lessons from Cape Horn An interview with the late Sir Peter Blake, on storm survival and heaving-to Heaving-to using a Galerider on 55-foot Morgan s Cloud Adding rudder protection stops Discussions on avoiding chafe, building and using storm staysails, choosing storm gear, deploying para-anchors, avoiding the worst areas of cyclonic storms, and many more have been expanded to answer many questions posed by readers and seminar attendees. Mario Vittone, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer for 14 years, in an unsolicited testimony, wrote: I have been on several rescues (and heard of many more) that would have been completely unnecessary if the sailboat captains aboard would have . . . practiced the skills taught by Lin and Larry Pardey. Not knowing how to heave-to in bad weather is as inexcusable as not knowing red, right, return . Previous editions of Storm Tactics Handbook have sold more than 32,000 copies worldwide. As recently as November 2007, the second edition ten years after its publication was consistently #1 on Amazon.com for instructional sailing books and #2 for atmospheric science. The companion DVD, Storm Tactics is also available through AmazonProduct Details
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
The second edition of this book sold over 30,000 copies and drew excellent reviews from all major sources. The newest edition is already in its second printing and is used by many sailing schools as an important part of their curiculum. To be sure you are getting this new edition, look for Storm Tactics Handbook 3rd edition with the cover which shows a boat hove to with a bright orange trysail while a wave is breaking just forward of the bow.
From the Author
Lin and Larry Pardey have voyaged togethre for over 26 years, covering the equivalent of 5 circumnavigations on board their own self-built cutters, Seraffyn and Taleisin. Larry worked as first mate on a 140-ton, 85-foot schooner, Double Eagle, voyaging from Newport Beach, California, to Hawaii and back and along the Mexican coast before meeting Lin. He, along with Leslie Dyball, won the handicap prize for first overall in the exceptionally stormy 1974 Round Britain two-handed race. Lin and Larry have delivered two dozen boats across oceans and raced their own and others boats. Their interest in storm tactics has led them to research both older and modern methods of heaving-to, by talking and corresponding with sailors from dozens of countries, by working with Victor Shane at the Drag Device Data Base, and by testing both on their own boat in hurricane-force winds and on modern boats off the Cape of Storms, in South Africa.
Larry was selected as the winner of the International Oceanic Award, givenby the Royal Institute of Navigation under the sponsorship of the Little Ship Club of London and presented by Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, for the most meritorious voyage of over 2,000 miles using traditional methods of navigation. Larrys award was for 30 years of successful voyaging, covering more than 150,000 miles on 21 different vessels and using onlysextant and chronometer, including his 2,840 mile voyage in 1995 from Fernancdo do Noronha to Horta, in the Azores.
In March 1996, Lin was presented with the Ocean Cruising Club Award for the person who has done the most to foster and encourage ocean cruising in small craft and the practice of seamanship and navigation in all branches, at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, in London.
Articles by Lin and Larry have appeared in Sail Magazine, Cruising World, Woodenboat (USA) Practical Boat Owner, Yachting Monthly, Classic Boat Magazine (UK), Cruising Helmsman (Australia), South African Yachting, and Nautica (Brazil).
Their nine books have been published in both the United States and England; two have been translated into German and Japanese. Lin and Larry are currently writing a new book, The Cost Conscious Cruiser. Their most recent voyage took them to Scotland and Norway, and Taleisin is ready for another voyage, either west or north in the spring of 1998.
About the Author
After voyaging tens of thousands of engineless miles under sail, penning more useful marine books than Hiscock and Moitessier combined, and receiving more awards for their pursuits than Tom Hanks has for his, Lin and Larry Pardey are entitled to their well-earned nautical opinions. Herb McCormack, editor-at-large, Cruising World Lin and Larry Pardey have been called the enablers. Their books and videos have encouraged sailors of all ages to stop dreaming and start doing. The knowledge they share has been earned during the more than four decades they have been voyaging together, years during which they completed both eastabout and westabout circumnavigations on board their own self-built, engine-free cutters, Seraffyn and Taleisin. During their most recent east-to-west voyage, they sailed below four of the great Southern Capes, including Cape Horn. An avid racing sailor from the age of 17, Larry worked as first mate on the 140-ton, 85-foot schooner Double Eagle, voyaging on her to Hawaii and along the coast of Mexico before meeting Lin. Larry, along with Leslie Dyball, won first on handicap in the exceptionally stormy 1974 Round Britain two-handed race. Lin and Larry have delivered more than two dozen boats across oceans and raced on their own and others boats. To date, Lin has sailed almost 185,000 miles and Larry has accumulated more than 200,000 miles at sea. In 1996, Larry received the International Oceanic Award from the Royal Institute of Navigation, presented by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, for meritorious voyaging using traditional navigation methods. During the same year, Lin received the Ocean Cruising Award for being the person who has done the most to foster and encourage ocean cruising in small craft and the practice of seamanship and navigation in all branches. In 2000, both were inducted into the Cruising World Hall of Fame. Lin and Larry s articles have appeared in Cruising World, Sail, Good Old Boat, Wooden Boat, Practical Sailor, Yachting World, Yachting Monthly, Classic Boat (UK), Cruising Helmsman (Australia), Boating New Zealand, South African Yachting, Nautica Brazil, and Yacht (Germany). Their books and video programs have been published in the United States, England, and New Zealand; three have been translated into German and Japanese. Lin and Larry are cruising on board Taleisin and during the Southern Hemisphere summers, they often return to New Zealand, where they cruise and race on their 113-year-old classic gaff-rigged cutter, Thelma.
Customer Reviews
Storm Tactics Review
This is an excellent book. Well researched, thorough, with experience from many sources and clear, practical guidelines for real life use. Highly recommended.
Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition 
Storm Tactics Handbook: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions, 3rd Edition
Hands on approach, real cases examined. Pragmatic. Though through careful planning a modern sailor would seldom find him/herself in the conditions described, the book is very readable, informative and, most important, helps increase skills and safety of the average sailor.
A must have
I got the 3rd edition. In very few words what I believe it makes this book a real treasure is the authentic storm experience Lin and Larry is sharing with the reader. It is not a book written or inspired by other books. It is a testimony of real life storm survival experience and the story about how they improved their techniques over time. And maybe what I value most about this book is that Lin and Larry do not give general ideas and stop there, but they do go into the very fine details about almost everything. Also catamaran enthusiasts be warned that since Larry and Lin have no sailing experience on catamarans you will find nothing about cats in this book.
Since personally I haven't gotten into more that force 6 storm, this book was an excellent educative reading and provided me with more that enough information to try lay hoving-to with or without a para-anchor in worse that force 6 storm conditions.
Also note that the book is clearly written for real sailors, its focus being on how you get things done properly and in the most optimal way. Even though the science behind these phenomenons it is mentioned in a few places, you will not find here a mathematical model of let say Karman vortex street or other fluid dynamics phenomenon that may be of any interest in boating. It is a pragmatic book, a comprehensive essay about storm tactics and a superb attempt of passing by this valuable knowledge to sailor from all over the world.
Thank you Lin and Perry.
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