Customer Reviews
I had the first, the second is worth having too 
2008-04-08
My first copy was pretty worn, so I decided to buy this edition. Really interesting new stories, not only from the Pardeys expereinces in storms, but also from others. I liked the deductions made by folks from both ends of the experience spectrum, one a real novice, others all along the expereince wave, they all add to the information Lin and Larry share in a very understandable manner. I still think this book is really important. And this edition is definitely easier to navigate. I have the Storm tactics DVD and like it. The two work well together.
Convincing 2007-11-24
The authors give their opinion. It can be discussed but they support it by many examples. I was convinced by the interest of heaving to in bad weather or just to wait and rest at sea. Now, I am buying a parachute anchor...
Must read for all off-shore sailors 2007-11-24
In my humble opinion this is the Pardey's best book to date. The techniques they present are life savers have no doubt.
M. Bertsche
best I've read 2007-08-30
My wife and I spent four years living on our sailboat (55ft) voyaging from Calif. to the east coast and read every book I could find on heavy weather sailing. About half-way through I came across Pardey's book. I think it's far and away the best volume out there on the subject. Even if you pass on the parachute angle and just plan on heaving-to in a tough situation. Should be in every crusing boat's library, and read and implemented by the skipper.
Heaving to techniques from cover to cover 
2007-04-10
After reading this book you will know a lot of theory about when and how to heave to. Diagrams and well-written explanations describe methods and techniques of survival during a storm at sea. Also consider "Heavy Weather Sailing" (revised edition) as an excellent source of information on storm tactics and heavy weather sailing. It describes the yacht's stability in more detail.
MAKE SURE MAKE SHORE 2007-03-08
Modern methods of heaving-to for survival in extreme conditions. Trysail and para-anchor technology for all types of boats and sailors.
It was good, but.... 
2007-02-16
I just could not warm up to the story. It seemed to drag out much longer than it should. The parts that were good were very good, but there was a lot of dead space between those. It is a good read, but not a top shelf book.
a clear discussion 2006-12-04
In this small book, the Pardeys describe methods of enduring difficult sea states. While it may not be completely relevant to this review, I have noticed on Internet chat sites that some people seem to think that this book (and, I suppose, the companion video), are rather slender in content. I think perhaps such people miss the point. What this book does in some detail is describe ways to heave-to -- with and (mostly) without a para sea anchor. I suspect that the people who dismiss this book are the sorts of novice sailors who think that safety is something that can be bought, a piece of gear, rather than being a product of learned and practiced seamanship. This book is about learning and practicing a particular set of storm seamanship skills which are peculiarly suited to the sort of Mom and Pop crewed boats so prevalent in todays' cruising fleets. Really a nicely done little book.
Must Get This Book 2006-06-13
If you are thinking about making a passage, then you have an emergency if you haven't purchased and read this book.
I have done some study into the subject of heaving-to and drag devices, having used some and spent some time in heavy weather.
One thing that all books except this one have in common is a lack of serious discussion of heaving-to. "Heavy Weather Sailling," by Adlard Coles, is interesting but ignores heaving-to.
There are many tactics that can be used in heavy weather, but heaving-to is the one that ultimately works. The key principle is not easy to see, but obvious once you understand it: the water in big waves moves up and down, not down wind, and hence running (even with a drag device) is very dangerous, because if you stop surfing, you are moving far faster than the water, and you will crash.
It is also the waves, not the wind, that destroy boats. Keel boats will heel as far as necessary to unload excessive wind force, unless irresponsibly over canvassed, but it is the breaking waves that pick boats up and drop them on their sides, causing dismasting, collapse of cabin tops, blowing out of portholes, etc.
In "Storm Tactics," Lin and Larry Pardey put it all together. They cover all the above, and more, and give you the science behind heaving to, and the Von Karmann area. The prose is simple, logical, and unassailable. These people not only give you the principles behind heaving-to, but they have actually done it, over and over and over again. This book should represent a revolution for yachts that will help them weather the worst of storms and make more confident passages.
In particular, I recommend the "Question and Answer" section. In it, Larry and Lin address the concerns of other cruising sailors regarding heaving-to, but especially they go into the reasons why it has taken nearly a century for us to rediscover heaving-to.
The question for passage makers at this point is not "Should I heave to", but rather, "Is my gear in proper shape to weather a bad storm?" Instead of arguing and wondering whether heaving-to is the right tactic, we need to be setting up our storm trysail so we can get it up quickly in bad weather, and making arrangements so that the sea anchor can be quickly unstowed, deployed, and protected against chafe in the extreme conditions of a typhoon or hurricane. And, we need to practise these tactics.
Larry and Lin help a lot with this. One criticism I have of this book is it just needs to be a little bigger. They spend a lot of pages (necessarily) defending the idea of heaving-to. This is absolutely necessary, unfortunately. In the next edition, I would like to see more information and detailed instructions/options about how to stow the gear needed so that it can be quickly and safely deployed, and more information about the sea anchor arrangements.
Yes, there are probably other sources for some of this information, but Lin and Larry are the best authorities, and hearing it from them gives me much more confidence.
If you are still questioning whether these tactics are really as good as they say, then the best thing to do is get out in a moderate gale and try it out. Fortunately, my boat heaves-to pretty easily in moderate to heavy gale conditions without additonal equipment, and I can vouch for the Von Karman field and the feeling of confidence that comes from being able to use this technique effectively.
For more evidence, read the books, "Once is Enough," and "Because the Horn is There," in that order, by Miles Smeeton. In the first book, Miles and B. use the technique of running in heavy weather trying to round the horn. In both tries, they were dismasted, once because they were pooped and flipped by a following sea, and once because they were rolled after they lost control. At one point they even speculate that another boat that had trouble rounding the horn was probably lost because they were "hove-to."
In the second book, they are trying again, this time with the experience of sailing around the world several times in all kinds of conditions. This time, they are heaving-to quite a bit.
The change is amazing.
You should read Lin and Larry's other books as well. While they have quite a bit of "travelogue" material, every once in a while these people will casually mention something that will improve your boats (and your!) seaworthiness significantly. There is nothing like learning from real honest-to-god experienced people.
So, Lin and Larry, good on ya! for sharing your experiences and wisdom with the rest of us. You are definitely saving lives.
"Storm Tactics" Review 2005-10-25
As a sailor, I value worthwhile, real-time advice provided in a spirit of simplicity and practicality. The Pardeys consistently elucidate their advice with tested experiential anecdotes. Storm Tactics is full of a variety of examples and situations; enhanced by illustrations, anecdotal episodes, pictures, and complementary information from other sources. This is a valuable resource for those aiming to set off for the wild blue yonder.
