One of the colorful traditions of the sea is the use of rhymes and ditties
to remember important concepts and help sailors keep safety information
handy in their minds. You know, the "Red sky at night.." sort of thing.

You raise a very important question because thinking about these situations
and how you would handle them will make you a better sailor and better able
to fulfil you sacred responsibility towards those who have put their faith
in your skill and judgement and entrusted you with their lives.

There is a particulary ditty that bears directly on the situation you
describe even though it isn't exactly nautical and needs some modification
in execution to apply on a sailboat:

"When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout."

The answer to the little problem you pose lies quite a bit in the past.
Anticipation and early response to developing situation is, indeed, a key
principle of safety.

--
Roger Long