On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 17:42:17 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

How many boats get knocked down anyway? I mean cruising boats, racers
intend to be on the edge. My own boat, a 28' S2, if a sudden gust
came up, I'd never be able to hold the tiller and she'd round up into
the wind before getting knocked down.

There are limits to that. If you get knocked down hard enough and
fast enough, the boom will hit the water and prevent the mainsail from
being eased. That's where the fun starts, and some boats will tend
to stay on their beam ends once they get knocked flat with the mast in
the water.