What about thunder storms?

Today with so many smart phones around it is possible often to check the local weather radar even on a small boat if you see a questionable cloud bank approaching. You may be able to estimate time of arrival and or severity and get to harbor before it hits. Keep in mind the Internet image may have a 10 or 15 minute delay on the information shown.

These days, with the increasingly weird and severe weather events we are experiencing I would treat every potential storm as a real 70 mph screamer and head for harbor right away. But what about those hazy days when you don't see anything and then 20 minutes before the first blast you suddenly notice it's a lot darker in the west? Then you hear the boom of warning. Now it's too late to get under any lee or in the harbor.

Get life jackets and safety tethers on and the sails down and well secured.

I think if you have room and no or tiny engine, run with it. You might put a scrap of jib up or simply bare pole it. Your rig develops a lot of windage when it's blowing 50 plus. You'll move right along making 4 knots maybe, so this is an option if you have lots of sea room. Most summer thunderstorms with wind and waves last an hour or less on the lake. The waves may build to 5 or 6 feet, then it's over.

After it goes by you can assess your options and raise some amount of sail and head in or continue on your way.

Boats with more powerful auxiliary motors can jog, head into the waves at a bit of an angle, keeping just enough way on to keep some sort of control.

Some sailing websites suggest heaving to. This might work if you have a full keel boat, though you will at least occasionally get thrown around by some of the waves. The few times I've tried to heave to with our fin keel sloop she has not been very comfortable with it and tended to fall off and work up again heeling a lot as she did so. There may also be a fair amount of strain on the rudder. This is something to test out before a squall. Try it there's a brisk wind and some waves just to see how your boat acts.

Traditional gaff management calls for "scandalize the main". We tried it once and it flogged terribly.

Won't do that again. Luckily the weight of the gaffs usually makes it fairly easy to get the sails down in a hurry even in a wind.

Some websites advise staying away from the mast and motor to avoid side flashes from lighting. If you're busy sailing you may not have a lot of choice about where you sit but perhaps the crew can go below and away from these potential sources of high voltage. Lightning strikes are surprisingly infrequent here on Lake Ontario but sailboats do get hit and sometimes damaged. Some boats, like our Chris Craft sloop have good bonding and grounding via the cast iron fin keel. Some boats like Sara B with wooden masts and hull don't.