The book "Storm Tactics" by Lin & Larry Pardey is focused on using this method of heaving to under main alone for weathering serious ocean storms in a small boat. They recommend using a para-anchor offset to one side of the bow to augment this in extreme conditions, as it creates a region of turbulence that will break waves before they hit the boat. I've also played around with these techniques on my M15, and even carry a small army surplus supplies parachute plus a snatch block and swivel, but I haven't yet had the chance to try deploying it in rough conditions. Without a winch on board the M15, I expect it could be challenging to recover the parachute. Sincerely, Tyler ----- Original Message ----- From: "bkurlancheek" <bkurlancheek@gmail.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 9:28:18 AM Subject: M_Boats: Heaving to in an M15 with Mainsail only Most sailors know, or should know, how to heave to in a boat like the M15 by, just tacking, backwinding the jib, setting the tiller to the same side of the boat as the boom, sheeting in the boom slightly, and letting the boat lie about 50 degrees off the wind. But the other day out in the middle of the lake in winds 5 to 10, I decided to practice lowering and then raising the jib, with the boat facing into the wind. After I lowered the jib, standing in the companionway, with the tiller unattended, and allowed to move about on its own, and the mainsail sheeted so that the boom had enough slack to be about 45 degrees of the centerline of the boat, I noticed the boat went into a predictable pattern. First the mainsail would fill with air, bringing the bow through the wind till where it lay about 60 to 70 degrees off the wind. The bow would then come to a stop and then slowly the bow would climb back up towards the wind, and then through it - tacking in other words - till the boom lay about 60 to 70 degrees off the other side of the boat, where it again came to a stop. This pattern repeated over and over, the boat continually tacking back and forth, from a close reach on one side, over to a close reach on the other. So I thought to ask the forum, Is this a known phenomenon? Does it have a name? Is it just a form of heaving to in a sloop when the jib sail is down but the main is up? It seemed like a good thing to know about my Monty, as the pattern is fairly predictable, even in winds of 5 to 10, and is another way to take a break and not have to tend the tiller, for when the jib sail is down. Thanks for any insights! - Brad, 1987 M-15 ("Half Monty")