Leisure Crafting

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

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 Amazon

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars 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.

4 Stars 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.

5 Stars 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.

5 Stars Storm Tactics
Find the book clear,concise and complete. Full of facts; their experiences and the others well narrated

5 Stars I had the first, the second is worth having too
My first copy was pretty worn, so I decided to buy this edition. Really interesting new stories, not only from the Pardeys expereinces in storms, but also from others. I liked the deductions made by folks from both ends of the experience spectrum, one a real novice, others all along the expereince wave, they all add to the information Lin and Larry share in a very understandable manner. I still think this book is really important. And this edition is definitely easier to navigate. I have the Storm tactics DVD and like it. The two work well together.

Buy/More Info