I've got a few questions of my own regarding the topic. If there's anything else you'd like to add to these four paragraphs of currently pending questions, feel free to. I'm counting on you /r/sailing and /r/AskHistorians.

First, I'd like to know which model/type of ship would fare best in a storm. The ship I have in mind is a Galleon. The Galleon was large (often used as a warship) and had a great speed for its size. So I'm thinking being caught in the middle of a storm while sailing on one of these bad boys would be quite advantageous. However, that's just an assumption based off the top of my head with no factual evidence backing it.

Can someone elaborate on this quote for me, "If the situation were desperate, the pirates might throw cargo barrels or even cannons overboard to lighten the sloop." From what I've read, a heavier ship had a better chance at survival than a lighter one, so what advantages did lightening the ship bring forth and what exactly would that "desperate" situation be? Was the purpose for lightening the ship in order to gain extra speed to outrun the waves or something of the sort? If so, what else might you need to toss overboard in order to lighten the ship?

Which sails had to be furled during a storm and why? Did this differ depending on the model/type of ship? Would the furling of sails also depend on the class of the storm and wind force? Should battening down the hatches be first before anything? Also, what kind of things found loose aboard, aside from cannons should you tie down to keep from wrecking the ship while jibing (rocking) back and forth? Where would you tie these things down to?

Finally, say there was a whirlpool up ahead and the wind was pushing you towards it. What would you do then? Would you use the method "heave to" and toss out a sea anchor to possibly steer away from it? Next, say a massive wave was approaching you? Would shooting the waves with cannons do any significant damage to prevent the waves from enveloping the ship and swallowing it whole? Finally, say there were about 300 men aboard ship. What roles did everyone aboard play during such a crisis in order to survive a storm?

If you are not a sailor or a historian but have read books and articles, or even watched films and documentaries that deal with pirates and how they weathered storms, please refer me to them as well! Thanks!