Heaving to

[Dean Abramson]

I was looking at the tread about reefing, and several posters mentioned that they first heave to.

Heaving to is not something we ever do, even though on our first two boats I did do it a few times just to try it out. I reef while sailing at least somewhat upwind (apparent) while Marvo, aka Marilyn, steers, as we sail with headsail(s).

It has come to my attention that everyone might not mean the same thing when they refer to heaving to. To me, heaving to means having the tiller or wheel immobilized so that, say, the boat is trying to steer to starboard, while the jib is back-winded on the starboard side, preventing the boat from tacking, and the main is released.

But one very experience sailor I know told me that heaving to is simply releasing all the sheets. I assume that then the boat would drift sideways. This would mean that reefing would be done with the boom out at something approaching 90 degrees. Now, on my boat, the boom won’t go out that far without running into the aft intermediate shrouds. Also, even if I could take enough pressure off the main that way to do the reef, it’s doubtful I’d be able to get the main back up without the lazy jacks catching the batten ends. For raising sail, our rig really needs the main to be totally slack, and with the boom pointing directly into the wind to not snag the lazy jacks. Also, if the wind is building, why would I want to be beam-on to the wind? So I would never try to reef like that.

So, I degressed into reefing. But my basic question is: what does heaving to mean to you?

When I’ve done it, I simply tacked without touching the jib sheets. I secured the wheel/tiller so the boat is trying to turn to windward, left the now back-winded as is, and released the main. The boat creeped slowly forward on a close reach, while making a fair amount of leeway.

I’d like to occasionally heave to in this boat, but I’ve never taken the time to master a system with the cutter rig. Our staysail is self-tacking on the boomlet; I’ve thought about rigging a preventer to it, for the purpose of being able to backwind it. It seems like one could get the boat to find that balance. I think I once tried heaving to in this boat with the yankee, and IIRC it was not satisfactory, but I don’t remember why.

I’d like to be able to use a full or reefed staysail (I’m set up to do this) and a triple-reefed main to heave to in really nasty conditions to take a break. BTW,I have motor-sailed with this combo in snotty conditions, and it worked well.

Comments?

[Kickin Bears]

Quote ^^^ “But my basic question is: what does heaving to mean to you?”

Jib backed, main eased, rudder turned into the wind hard over (lock/lash)

Fw momentum pretty much stops; slight slide to the lee ... we just chillled in Herring Bay a few weeks ago heaving-to for lunch (though admittedly I should have reefed the jib a touch to level out the deck ha).

PS - we have a cutter too. I drop the stay sail to heave-to

[Steve Laume]

"But one very experience sailor I know told me that heaving to is simply releasing all the sheets. I assume that then the boat would drift sideways"

Your "very experienced sailor" has no idea what heaving to is. Maybe he is a racer and it doesn't enter into his world. What he is describing, is drifting or laying a hull with the sails flogging themselves to death, while the boat rolls uncontrollably and the boom swings around trying to kill you.

Bad advice is worse than non, Steve.

[Chrisa006]

What Steve said!!

[Dean Abramson]

"But one very experience sailor I know told me that heaving to is simply releasing all the sheets. I assume that then the boat would drift sideways"

Your "very experienced sailor" has no idea what heaving to is. Maybe he is a racer and it doesn't enter into his world. What he is describing, is drifting or laying a hull with the sails flogging themselves to death, while the boat rolls uncontrollably and the boom swings around trying to kill you.

Bad advice is worse than non, Steve.

To me, lying ahull means the sails are not up. It’s just a drifting survival technique. (Which sounds like barforama, to be honest.) He was referring to the sails being up, and it was stated as a way to reef. Didn’t make sense to me either. ???

Anyway, has anyone with a dual headsail CD ever lay hove to with the staysail somehow backed, and a reduced amount of main? We are in Camden now. Maybe when we leave here I’ll find some room in Penobscot Bay, and play around with this. One problem is that one could easily creep over one or more of our gazillion lobster buoys. I think the chance of snagging one in a CD while not motoring is slim, but certainly not impossible. I’ll probably wait until some time when we’re further out in deep water with few pot buoys.

[s2sailorlis]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaving_to

[Jim Walsh]

Starboard tack is preferred when you heave-to.....if there is sea room, other sailing vessels should recognize that you have the right of way and avoid you.

[fmueller]

All boats heave to differently and differently in varying wind and sea states ... there are plenty of boats that can't really classically heave to at all.

The problem I have with reefing while hove to is that my CD27 really needs the main driving quite a bit to heave to successfully, which of course makes lowering the main in order to reef problematic. In fact to get anywhere near having the bow about 60 degrees to the wind and fore reaching at a knot or two on my boat (classic heaving attitude) requires rolling in the jib quite a bit before the backing tack is initiated, as well as having drive from the main - then with the tiller lashed well to leeward, my boat does a very good classic heave too with the still water to windward and aft and the boat drifting slowly to lee and forward. Very cool.

Heaving to on jib only does not happen at all ... the bow just blows almost completely down wind, then of course the main fills and the boat slowly rounds up to something barely approaching a beam reach, but then blows down again and then repeats ...

If I initiate a successful heave to as described, and then ease the main, the bow blows down - and I fall out of classic hove to position pretty quickly.

Now - can I yank the main down to reef when I am successfully hove to - in lighter air, yes, (but so what). In air that would call for reefing - it's much more of a chore.

For that reason I am one of the group who prefers to reef with the jib trimmed but a just a little loose, the main well eased, and either a crew mate or the tiller pilot keeping a fairly tight angle to windward but still making way. This puts the boom over the boat, mostly, and puts the boat at a good angle to the sea but not pounding.

That's the way it is for me ...

Fred

[mgphl52]

Starboard tack is preferred when you heave-to.....if there is sea room, other sailing vessels should recognize that you have the right of way and avoid you.

And then there are the "non-sailing" vessels that haven't a clue about right-of-way...

[Steve Laume]

Or any boater that doesn't recognize what you are doing and then comes to see if you need assistance because your sails are all messed up and you aren't going anywhere.

Heaving to seems to be a lost art in modern boating with today's boat designs, Steve.

[Dean Abramson]

Starboard tack is preferred when you heave-to.....if there is sea room, other sailing vessels should recognize that you have the right of way and avoid you.

And then there are the "non-sailing" vessels that haven't a clue about right-of-way...

Last week in Southwest Harbor, we were motoring slowly through the fairway that runs along the north side of the harbor. I notice a passenger ferry (converted large lobster boat, goes to Little Cranberry Island) approaching from about 10 o’clock. Very young woman skipper, she is in among the moorings, and going a tad faster than seemed appropriate. We are for sure on a collision course. Since I am 1)in the fairway and she’s not, 2) she is looking at our port bow, and 3) if she would by chance enter the fairway before we reached the collision point, convention would dictate we go port to port, I held my course and speed. Once it became clear that she was not intending to yield, and getting too close for comfort, I swerved to starboard. At the same instant she swerved to her port, making things even worse. Each of us us rammed it into reverse and we stopped a couple of boat lengths from each other. I raised my arms as if to say WTF, and she stared at me like she had no idea what my problem was. And her deckhand gave me the identical WTF gesture. I cannot believe that the skipper girl (who has to have a USCG license to run that boat) could be that clueless. Scary. Her deckhand may not know much, but the captain is supposed to. A “professional skipper!”

[Bill Goldsmith]

In my experience there are some ferry captains, regardless of the size of their vessel, who believe they are the stand-on vessel in any circumstance, regardless of whether that is supported in the Navigation Rules. Obviously not all or most ferry captains, but they are out there.

[John Stone]

If you are moving forward at all you are not technically hove-to. You are fore-reaching. If you’re forereaching, there is water moving across the rudder and with the helm lashed to leeward the boat will try to steer up into the wind in a puff and try to tack or best case you’ll sail out from behind the protective slick to windward caused by the boat drifting dead down wind. You want to be about 50° to the wind when you heave to but each boat has its own peculiarly needs. Sometimes, some boats, need to have the stays’l backed to keep the bow from coming up into the wind. So try easing the main out a bit and find the sweet spot for lashing the helm. I also like to use 1/2” shock cord on the tiller—both sides.

Typically the boat is 50 to 60’ish degrees to wind. Double reefed main and sheeted snug. Might need stays’l backed or not. Helm lashed to leeward...find the sweet spot. Ideally you want boat to drift dead down wind creating a protective slick to windward. The slick is the magic. You need to say directly to leeward of it to maximize the benefits of heaving to. This fore-reaching carries you out from behind the slick.

Depending on the sea-state I usually have the main sheeted in snug with the traveler dropped to leeward. But some time big confused seas and lots of wind necessitates some experimentation with more or less main.

The Pardey’s described heaving to for many different kinds of boats in their excellent book “Storm Tactics.”

[fmueller]

John,

I don't understand how lashing the tiller to leeward would have any effect without some forward motion - ie water flowing past the rudder bow to stern. Why would you even need to do it? There has to be some small forward motion for this to be the case - No ?

You and I do seem to agree that the main sail is a major part of the heaving to balance of forces-and can't be exempted; which is why I don't understand the comments on this board (in many other threads) that a good way to reef is to heave to - and then ease the main in order to reef, as if heaving to only involves the backed jib and the angle of the rudder.

Maybe it's a matter of degree (easing of the main sail) , but with my boat very little backed jib is necessary (about 60% of the fore triangle) - but significant main sail is absolutely required to create some forward motion so the rudder has some force to drive to windward and counter the backed jib. When I get it to go well there is always a little forward motion - maybe a knot. The slick is very apparent, always a little aft of beam, so I know I am moving downwind significantly but also forward. I don't see how I could eliminate all forward motion.

I can get it to be very stable. If the main is reefed at its first reef point, I need even less backed jib.

I should make a video.

Fred

[John Stone]

John,

I don't understand how lashing the tiller to leeward would have any effect without some forward motion - ie water flowing past the rudder bow to stern. Why would you even need to do it? There has to be some small forward motion for this to be the case - No ?

You and I do seem to agree that the main sail is a major part of the heaving to balance of forces-and can't be exempted; which is why I don't understand the comments on this board (in many other threads) that a good way to reef is to heave to - and then ease the main in order to reef, as if heaving to only involves the backed jib and the angle of the rudder.

Maybe it's a matter of degree (easing of the main sail) , but with my boat very little backed jib is necessary (about 60% of the fore triangle) - but significant main sail is absolutely required to create some forward motion so the rudder has some force to drive to windward and counter the backed jib. When I get it to go well there is always a little forward motion - maybe a knot. The slick is very apparent, always a little aft of beam, so I know I am moving downwind significantly but also forward. I don't see how I could eliminate all forward motion.

I can get it to be very stable. If the main is reefed at its first reef point, I need even less backed jib.

I should make a video.

Fred

Fred
If the boat is moving forward you are not hove to, you are sailing. Without the tiller lashed to leeward she can bear off in strong gusts...which could cause a gybe. If you are sailing at a knot your bow is pushing out from behind the slick and with the tiller to leeward the forward motion can cause the boat to tack. The slick causes waves to break up wind of the boat. The waves will break on each side of the slick.

Lashing the tiller to leeward counter acts the tendency of the waves to push the bow to leeward. In fact Larry Pardey, who arguably has the most experience on heaving-to and the most informative book on the subject, is so adamant on no forward movement he recommends if unable to achieve it with sails alone setting a small drogue on a bridal rigged from the bow and stern to ensure the boat has no forward movement but drifts dead down wind at the correct angle. In high winds, even Taliesin will forereach so he sets a drogue even on a boat with the ability to heave to worked into the design.

If you fore-reach you will still see a slick but it’s small. When you are completely stopped so all movement is DDW the slick is significantly larger.

I agree that proba no one is really hove to while reefing. What folks are really doing is reefing while fore reaching. I have done that too (reefed while fore reaching) when the seas are big because at that point I’m just trying to keep the boat under control and forereachig is very effective and easy to manage.

I always have trouble typing on the forum with my phone. I can barely see the letters. So I have edited for appalling grammar and spelling.