Posted by Laurence Monkhouse on November 10, 2004 at 18:02:51 from 62.253.32.5 user Laurence_.
In Reply to: Re: 'Bent on' posted by Peter H on November 10, 2004 at 17:37:03:
It is NOT a nautical term, either pretentious or unpretentious.
I expect it means just letting the mainsail flap, by heading into the wind. Letting out the mainsheet would have had the same effect.
I was a bit puzzled by this part of the article myself. Speaking as one who until two years ago didn't have an engine which could be started in less than half an hour it would never have occurred to me to use the engine in any emergency like this. As is said several times in the series "sail is the thing" I always feel far safer under sail than power - you have a much better control of what is happening.
It is also a little surprising that a line squall got so close without being noticed.