I've used mine in 50 knot winds, but not in anything stronger. It's home made - just a small triangular sail (about 10 sq ft) with hollowed edges, reinforced with folded fabric tabling. Corners have D-rings with webbing. In strong winds, it does give a pretty good 'thump' when it tacks itself from side to side.
For higher winds, it should certainly be smaller and probably use a different design that doesn't have to tack to be effective - maybe two panels meeting in a vee at the fwd edge? Certainly rope tabling at the leading edge. I'd also secure the tack with double lines - both leading forward, but one to port and one to stbd to stabilize the leading edge.
The steady sail that I have is very effective in normal conditions. I have no experience using a steady sail in hurricane conditions. But certainly keeping the bow into the wind and seas would be a good thing. In high winds, the seas get big and taking them on the beam puts a huge strain on the ground tackle.