Heaving to with IP cutter rig and self tacking staysail

My wife and I are in the initial stages of searching for our first cruising sailboat. We have been looking at some IP boats and have been very impressed. A couple months ago I read Lin and Larry Pardey's book "Storm Tactics". I was wondering what sort of techniques IP owners have implemented to 'heave to' with the cutter rig and self tacking staysail?

Is the staysail of a heavier fabric that it is intended to be used as a storm sail?
If so, what methods work well to backwind it?

Thanks!

I have a fore guy rigged on both stbd and port that can be used to back wind the staysail. But I have found on my 485 there is enough windage fwd that you don't need any staysail or jib to keep you off the wind. Infact you have to add a little main to keep the bow from falling off.

I too have read that book....bottom line is if you expect to be exposed to that kind of weather: buy a parachute sea anchor......period.

Until you have a lot of experience: the best solution is to stay out of trouble in the first place. With all of the great communication devices and professional weather routers there is no excuse to get onto that type of trouble until you are way off the beaten path.

John: 28,000 sea miles and 2 trans Atlantics

Hi Utyak, Good question. I have liked heaving to in previous boat, not for survival, but just to calm things down and take a rest. We have IP380 and have only tried to heave to a few times for practice, in 20kts or so. We used a little of the jenny and sort of got it stable, but too broadside to the wind. I've read that most IPs use jenny to heave to, or use added lines to staysail (to keep to windward). But the IPs have such a nice motion in a seaway, that you may never even want to try to heave to. I just did it for fun.