A fellow Flicka owner Bill Hogan posted this story on the Yahoo group forum.  I thought it would be nice to share it here.

Many thanks to Bill for writing up this adventure. I hope it inspires others to get some heavy weather sailing experience:-

"Hi everyone -

I wanted to relate a story to this group about the experience I had yesterday
October 27th out on Santa Monica Bay. I was out in my 1978 Flicka in solid Force
8 conditions gusting to Force 10.

We were hit with a severe gale here in Los Angeles that knocked out power all
over the city, and gusts were recorded at over 70 mph in some locations.

I was out on the bay when it hit. I hope this story puts to rest any notions
that the Flicka can't go to weather in a blow, and any of the other nonsense you
might read on the internet about it's seaworthiness. My boat has the original
tanbark main with two reef points, and I flew a wire luff 80% jib (my smallest)
in the storm.

It was the most intense sailing I've ever experienced.

It was ominous heading out - a high layer of cirrus clouds, and strange birds in
the harbor. They obviously knew something was up. I did too, but the forecasts
were for 25 knot winds building to 30, not waht I ultimately got nailed with.

When I first went out, the wind was from the west - as usual - a few whitecaps,
and about 15 knots. Big seas - maybe 10 foot - probably kicked up by the
approaching frontal system (buoys in the outer waters were recording waves over
25 feet high) Then, the wind started
shifting north and dying. I had my 80% jib up and one reef in the
main at first.

I soon shook this out, and was even contemplating moving up to the 100% working
jib due to light and fluky winds.

I started headeding back to the south Marina Del Rey harbor entry on a broad
reach on port tack at around 3:30. As I approached, the wind suddenly started to
blow... 15, 20, then 25 knots, and it kept shifting north. I was surfing down
10 foot swells at over 7 knots.

What a rush! I made the entry quickly, but it was dead upwind about 500 yards to
the fairway from there, and blanketed by the jetty, with two other jetties to
leeward - with swirling winds and BIG confused, breaking seas at the entry. I
saw one boat stuck trying to tack in....

(Later, he ended up on the rocks and had to be rescued by Baywatch - I heard his
mayday on VHF.)

Well, I didn't want to use my outboard, (I don't trust it, and I'm a SAILOR
DAMMIT!) and screw those downwind jetties, so I decided to leave the "protected"
water and beat to windward up to the north harbor entry by way of the open
ocean.

(I also wanted to see what the little Flicka could do,
and figured I could always turn tail and run for the south entry like a wuss if
things got too hairy =)

They got hairy.

As soon as I cleared the breakwater I looked north over the bay and saw that the
wind had turned offshore, and knocked those big swells FLAT.

The tell-tales on my shrouds actually blew off.

About 1/2 mile out, it REALLY hit! I quickly double reefed my main, but I was
STILL rail down in the puffs, and had to beat out at least another mile or so
out to make the north entry.

Thank god for the autopilot (Raymarine ST2000) - it steered while I worked and
trimmed the sails.

It was wild! 35 knots steady wind with gusts to 40 or 50+ knots, and
occasional sets of big seas. Spray everywhere, and total knock
downs in the gusts- I mean like 60 degrees (from vertical). The boat would lie
down, round up, fall off, and keep driving to windward.

Reminded me of my Laser days, only much drier, and no capsizing....

My headstay had a BIG cantenary sag in it from the pressure on the jib, but I
didn't dare drop the jib, or I'd never make progress to windward (I learned this
by experimenting several times a week over the summer in milder 20 - 25 knot
conditions)

So I moved the jib blocks ALL the way back, grabbed my winch handle, and got
that headsail sail as flat as I could.

The main was another whole issue - When sheeted in, the boat heeled over past 45
degrees - more in the puffs. I only have have two reef points that reduce it to
maybe 70%, so I had no choice but to sheet it out....I did this until it was
flogging, then brought her in again just enough to where I was no longer scared
that it would tear itself apart. Again, I could have dropped the main, but also
no progress to windward in that configuration.

Keep in mind that every time a puff (if you can call a 45/50 knot gust a "puff")
hit, the boat would round up, and kick up a big plume of spray. It was
spectacular. I had to take my sunglasses off because of the spray - guess what I
really needed was ski goggles....The boat never shipped any green water, even
when knocked down on her beam ends - she just lay down spilled air, rounded up,
and kept going. The momentum provided by her heavy displacement meant she just
kept driving ahead into the seas, and that full keel kept her from making much
leeway. The wide beam, full lead keel, and round bilge meant that as she heeled
to those extreme angles, she got stiffer and stiffer. No way any amount of wind
will capsize the boat - you'd have to get nailed from windward by a breaking
beam sea to do that.

After about 20 minutes on starboard tack, I came about, and tried for the north
entry from about 1.5 miles out on port tack.

By the way, forget all the nonsense you might have read about how hard the
Flicka is to tack in severe conditions. Let the jib back a bit, and she will
come around faster than you can reel in the leeward sheet. It just takes some
practice and good timing.

I misjudged the harbor entry on the first tack: She MIGHT have cleared the north
jetty without short tacking, but again, screw THAT! A lot of boats were now
trying to make it back in. Some over twice my size and carrying 1/2 the sail. I
didn't want to be tacking in that traffic jam.

(As a side note, the bigger boats looked like they took more of a beating than
me - They were hobby horsing and pounding in the seas, where my little Flicka
just rode up and down on the swells like a duck. When I got back in the harbor,
those skippers and crews looked shaken....)

About 1/2 mile out, I tacked again to a starboard course, and headed once more
out to sea. The wind and sea were absolutely amazing - I had a dry mouth from
the fear and a huge grin....I was scared and exhilarated at the same time....
definitely a peak experience.

Once I had enough weathering, I tacked again, and jealously guarded my progress
to windward by disabling the autopilot and manually steering. The boat's helm
was actually pretty neutral, except for weather helm in the knockdowns.

I was surrounded by boats twice my size running for home....all had completely
furled their jibs, and a 50 foot heavy displacement ketch came in beneath me,
motorsailing into the wind under just main and mizzen.

This was exactly the sort of sea trial I was seeking before I do an extended
cruise - Force 8 conditions, gusting to force 10. The boat, even though over
canvased, performed flawlessly. She came really came alive under those
conditions.

When I got back, I checked a couple of local anemometers on my I-phone, and they
confirmed my seat of the pants wind speed estimates of 40 to 50 knots. The wind
might have actually been stronger over the open water since the primary and most
reliable / accurate anemometer I've found for the local conditions is at the USC
Information Sciences building, about 2 miles inland.

Lessons:

1) I need a smaller jib and a removable inner forestay for such conditions.
That sagging, curvy headstay had me a little worried, as did the knockdowns.
Maybe running backstays too? I currently have a single asymmetrical fixed
backstay.

2) I need either a third set of reef points for the main, or a storm trysail.
Now I understand why you need that sail on it's own mast track...the wind came
up so suddenly and strongly that removing and securing the mainsail and loading
and rigging a flogging trysail would have been VERY difficult - especially with
a lee shore in the picture.

3) I would have been screwed if I had a roller furling genoa. No way I could
have made progress to windward under those conditions with a baggy headsail. All
the other boats were upwind, and had their jibs furled. A furled headsail with
an inner forestay storm sail would have worked great though.

4) A dodger might have kept me a little bit drier, but so what? it would have
been a huge liability as far as getting to windward and staying upright in the
gusts. That's what foulies are for anyway. The cockpit actually stayed very dry
considering the extreme conditions.

I guess it's time to talk to both a sail maker and a rigger.....

A final note: It was quite amazing and beautiful to be surrounded by the power
of nature like that. It was also humbling. This to me is what sailing is all
about, and I can't imagine a better boat to really put you in close touch with
it - safely."

Bill Hogan
"Nomad"