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Before we leave the subject of parachute anchors, we want to come
back to the issue of keeping the bow head to wind. In breaking seas
everything possible must be done to maintain this attitude. This
means reducing windage forward by getting rid of roller-furled sails
and increasing it aft with a back staysail. If you are successful,
the boat will lie more or less quietly head to wind, and the breaking
seas will be more likely to pass you by without imparting huge impact
loads. The alternative, shown with the boat to starboard, is to
have the head fall off and lie at an inviting angle to the waves.
If a big one catches you in this attitude, the loads generated are
likely to be so huge that no conventional parachute, rode, and deck
hardware combination is going to cope. The result will probably
be a knockdown or rollover.
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