Rating: 
Summary: Glad I got the companion video to go with it -
Review: A reef will cause waves to break before a shore. The creation of a slick of disturbed water, by use of a parachute type anchor, held just below the surface, two wavelengths directly upwind of you, can do the same thing and create a pocket of relatively undisturbed water, in which a boat can ride out a violent storm safely. This being the case, the crew have only two concerns. 1) Keeping the boat positioned so that the sea takes one side of the bow more than another prevents oscillations and keeps the ride smooth. Keep the bow strait to the seas is actually rougher and not desirable. This offset can be made with a bridle. And, 2) Preventing chafe, which will part your rode and lose your para-anchor, and put you at the mercy of the full fury of a storm. The Pardey's successfully used these techniques to heave-to in storms and avoid loosing ground when the winds became unfavorable, and then continued on when conditions moderated. They did this with confidence. My only concern, is the Pardey's experience was strictly small boat. Small boats have an advantage in a way, in that they can be easier to handle. The question remains. How well will these techniques work with larger boats. I would like to read about the results of people using this technique in a larger boat in more severe conditions. For example: a 42-48 foot catamaran and/or a 45-50' monohull in 100+ mph winds with large breaking seas.
Rating:
Summary: Essential information for those travelling offshore
Review: A reef will cause waves to break before a shore. The creation of a slick of disturbed water, by use of a parachute type anchor, held just below the surface, two wavelengths directly upwind of you, can do the same thing and create a pocket of relatively undisturbed water, in which a boat can ride out a violent storm safely. This being the case, the crew have only two concerns. 1) Keeping the boat positioned so that the sea takes one side of the bow more than another prevents oscillations and keeps the ride smooth. Keep the bow strait to the seas is actually rougher and not desirable. This offset can be made with a bridle. And, 2) Preventing chafe, which will part your rode and lose your para-anchor, and put you at the mercy of the full fury of a storm. The Pardey's successfully used these techniques to heave-to in storms and avoid loosing ground when the winds became unfavorable, and then continued on when conditions moderated. They did this with confidence. My only concern, is the Pardey's experience was strictly small boat. Small boats have an advantage in a way, in that they can be easier to handle. The question remains. How well will these techniques work with larger boats. I would like to read about the results of people using this technique in a larger boat in more severe conditions. For example: a 42-48 foot catamaran and/or a 45-50' monohull in 100+ mph winds with large breaking seas.
Rating:
Summary: LOGIC, CAN DO ATTITUDE, EASY READING
Review: AFTER I READ THIS, I BEGAN LOOKING AT OTHER STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO GOT IN TROUBLE AT SEA. FOUND THE PARDEY'S ARE RIGHT, THOSE WHO HOVE TO, CAME THROUGH, THOSE WHO DIDN'T OFTEN GOT IN TROUBLE. IF PEOPLE READ THIS BOOK AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HEAVING TO IS REALLY ABOUT, MAYBE WE CAN READ LESS ABOUT PEOPLE CALLING FOR HELP.
Rating: 
Summary: Sydney-Hobart Storm - investigators recommend Pardey Book
Review: After the disastorous results of the l998 Sydney Hobart Race, where only 45 out of ll5 boats finished, and six sailors lost their lives, investigators concluded that those who either kept sailing slowly to weather, or hove to, seemed to fair best. Storm tactics Handbook was suggested as a book that should be on board all race boats in future. The book is now in its fifth printing in less than three years, and continues to attract attention and comment amoung those who go offshore. Lin and Larry Pardey have recently been presenting seminars at varius venues in the U.S. on heavy weather sailing, preparing you and your boat, plus storm tactics, as they introduce their newest book, Cost Conscious Cruiser, Champagne Cruising on a Beer Budget. Larry has just departed to race around Vancouver Island with another very well known voyager, John Guzzwell. We await his comments as gale warnings and headwinds to 35 knots await these sailors as they beat to windward down the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I got the companion video to go with it -
Review: As usual Lin and Larry are trying to share the things they learned so people with less experience can feel more confident at sea. Now they have demonstrated what their book describes in video format (I actually got the DVD so I could have it on board to use on my laptop) cleared up any questions I had left and was lots of fun besides. I got it from their website, wonder if they will let...carry it. Should be a package deal. Got my wife dreaming and feeling less worried about storms.
Rating:
Summary: I Can't Wait to Try Out the Tactics
Review: I want to learn how to safely handle a sailboat in high winds and waves. Even though I sail on relatively small Lake Erie in a modest Catalina 30, I still want to be able to handle the boat safely in all conditions that I might encounter. It is my plan to charter in other parts of the world. This book gave me lots of useful information to try out. The theory and tactics described relate to the smaller type of cruising sailboat, which fits my needs. The illustrations are helpful. The text is well written and interesting. The experience of the authors is vast. The stories are on point. I have not had a chance to apply much of what is in the book yet, but I plan to this upcoming season.
Rating:
Summary: LOGIC, CAN DO ATTITUDE, EASY READING
Review: The book goes into the unpleasantness of what to do to prepare for and survive a major storm at sea. It is well thought out and well written, with several check lists for the sailor who wants to make sure his own vessel will survive the passage through force 8 and higher seas. I hope I never have to test the advice of the authors, but I feel confident that they do know what they are talking about. Hopefully, the Pardey's will continue to update the book as information becomes available.
Rating:
Summary: Every blue water sailor should read this book
Review: The book goes into the unpleasantness of what to do to prepare for and survive a major storm at sea. It is well thought out and well written, with several check lists for the sailor who wants to make sure his own vessel will survive the passage through force 8 and higher seas. I hope I never have to test the advice of the authors, but I feel confident that they do know what they are talking about. Hopefully, the Pardey's will continue to update the book as information becomes available.
Rating:
Summary: This book is essential equipment on any sailboat,
Review: The sheer logic of this book explains why the Pardeys have become the most respected sailors out cruising today. In this book they make it clear they are not inventing anything new, just reminding us that the sea does not change nor does basic seamanship and understanding the principles of heaving to are one of the most basic premises of helping your boat make it through a storm. Wish I could attend one of their storm tactics seminars one day.
Rating:
Summary: Alchemy For Rough Seas.
Review: This book is essentially about one thing: how to create the "Von Karmon Vortex Street". What the authors have done is taken a scientific approach to storm-survival and have gathered evidence both ancient and modern to support their thesis. It turns out that a sailboat's anatomy - high wind exposure even running bare poles and a deep keel - can be used to defeat the underwater component of a breaking sea, rendering it harmless foam. The key, of course, is knowing how to stabilize the yacht in relationship to wind and water. Using various sail configurations and/or anchor chutes and by simple tests like dropping bits of paper into the water, the boat may be kept within the confines of its own self-created safe haven. This is not a "best-kept secret", but rather something that has been discovered and rediscovered in a fairly random and haphazard manner over time. Most sailors can't confidently say why certain storm strategies worked in some cases and others didn't. The authors have not taken lightly the presentation of this material to the boating public. We are all indebted to their work and insight.
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