I'm no expert and have yet to experience waves that big, but here's what I've done so far for challenging conditions, so take my advice with lots of salt. I've got 2 reefs in the mainsail. I have a jib with a reef in it. I have an autotiller. I have a big drift sock. If I had to do it, I'd drop the sails, put out the drift sock, set the tiller so as to not take the waves head on andvery carefully go up and on my stomach, put in the lower reef for the head sail. Easy to say... On Sunday, June 2, 2019, 1:39:05 AM PDT, Rusty Knorr via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote: Soooo, we got our butts kicked today on Puget Sound. Coming from a Flicka, I’m still learning to sail these little boats, and finding out their capabilities. I know, I’ve read all the accounts, heard all the stories, but we had two M-15s out singlehanding in steady 15 to maybe 20 knot gusts, with reefed mains and working jibs, and close hauled were on the verge of being overpowered to the point of losing control. I know all the tricks about keeping the sails flat, etc. but I tell you, I was out of my comfort zone. So my question is, how do you change out to a smaller headsail in 2’ to 3’ waves when you are overpowered? I have a downhaul and got the jib down no problem, but I wasn’t about to let go of the tiller and go forward in that, no way. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Don’t tell me to start the day with a smaller jib, it was forecast for 5 to 10 and went from ghosting to overpowered in less than a minute. I did learn, despite everyone saying to the contrary, that at least MY boat sails just fine with only a reefed main and no jib. I wish I had two reefs though, it would have been much more comfortable today. M-15 sailors with experience, share your advice! I’ll pop this on the Facebook group too. Thank you, Rusty M-15 “Vanilla”