how many people know how to or have ever hove-to? I have a traditional, full keel boat which will heave-to like a dream. My wife call it "parking".

"If I could suggest one lesson to be taken from this sad tale, it would be to reinforce the value of the tactic of heaving-to... Aside from being a practical strategy, it has the even more beneficial psychological effect, amazingly underrated by modern sailors as far as I can see, of being the equivalent of taking a deep breath... Had they simply hove-to that night, gotten some rest, etc - I'll bet upon assessing the conditions the following morning, they would have decided "No Way...", and made for an alternative landfall... Every time I've ever hove-to, I'm simply amazed by how everything changes, settles down, and relaxes the crew. It's a great pity this skipper apparently didn't consider it to be a viable tactic..."

It has served me well on several occasions and I highly recommend figuring out how your boat reacts to it. Have you ever tried it in "rough weather" just to see what it's all about. Most people just want to get home when the weather turns south and the idea of actually stopping for no reason just to try some new tactic out puts them off. Try talking your wife into it on some 30 knot afternoon and just see what happens. But Jon's right. This is an important tool not to be overlooked.