On 13 Nov 2006 17:55:21 -0600, Dave wrote:

You'll find that an autopilot is a lot more practical for this purpose.

There are a couple of big "ifs" in that assumption.

Do you still have electrical power?

Not necessarily in my experience.

Is your engine (or deeply reefed main) capable of holding the bow into
a storm force wind or breaking wave?

Not necessarily in my experience.

One of the worst storms I was ever caught in lasted only an hour or so
but it was very educational. The wind gusted to over 60 kts and waves
built to over 10 ft, some breaking, in no time at all. The bow of the
boat would absolutely refuse to come closer to the wind than about 90
to 100 degrees. Every time it would come higher, the bow would get
picked up by a wave a be blown side ways again. Fortunately we had
adequate sea room to run off a bit but it was very disconcerting,
especially in the days before LORAN and GPS where you didn't know
exactly where you were. The force and fury of a 60+ wind is almost
unbelievable.