Mark,
One of the best advantages of owning a R22 is that no matter how stupid the  
owner is, the boat is very forgiving and will not let you down.
On most boats, if the forestay comes loose, the mast will come tumbling  
down. With the redundant rigging of the R22, this will not happen. That being  
said, I was on a R22 where the forestay failed in pretty good air. The mast  
stayed where it was, but as a precaution we tied a line from just above the  
spreaders down to the deck cleat. We motored into a safe harbor and drank  massive 
quantities while discussing the great design features that had just  saved our 
asses.
 
Rummy