This article, published in Ocean Navigator magazine, has some sage advice for handling a boat in storm conditions.

Ocean Navigator:  Seamanship & Navigation – Heavy Weather Sailing Considerations

Often it’s the unrelenting, deafening scream of the wind that is the most terrifying and unnerving part of a storm, but from the standpoint of the vessel’s survival, the wind’s effects are secondary. Water does the damage. While wind does cause a boat to heel over, when the wind stops, other things being equal, the boat stands up again.

But a roaring crest crashing down the face of a stormy sea can smash onto a boat with tons of force and, when the wave rolls past, the boat may be left shattered. Because they bear such great potential for damage, the skipper must be wary of the waves and how they strike the boat.