hove to?

[Tom Foly]

Can some one explainhow to "hove to" and why you would do it? Thanks

Tom Foley

CD 25



alewifehouse@mainecoast.net

[john churchill]

the verb is actually to heave to, hove to is the past tense. the goal is to get the boat to lie approx 50 head towind and drift slowly !/@ knot or lee) to leeward to put a "slick" to windward to calm breaking waves. it is used to essentially park the boat. in storm conditions, the trysail or triple reefed main is sheeted in hard with the helm lashed alee and the boat is allowed to tend herself. the experts say that every boat is a little different in the sail combination that works. in storms, you do not want the boat to make any headway or she will sail out of the protective slick. i have found on my cd 26 that while daysailing on the chesapeake, she will heave to satisfactorily with whatever main i have up sheeted in hard and the jib backed. in stronger winds, less sail is needed. in extreme conditions a sea anchor or drogue is set off the bow on a bridle.
the definitive book on heaving to in my opinion is the Pardey's "Storm Tactics Handbook" available thru barnes and noble, SAIL magazine or the armchair sailor(www.seabooks.com). essentially all my knowledge comes from this text which i keep aboard with chapman's and the first aid manual.




jchurchill@erols.com

[Buzz]

Can some one explainhow to "hove to" and why you would do it? Thanks

Tom Foley

CD 25

Heaving to can be useful in other than storm conditions too. If you're single handing, or your mate is simply below catching 40 winks, it is a handy tactic for more or less staying put while you go down to the head, to fix a cup of coffee or, if you need a lull to get your bearings, to give yourself a few minutes to do some serious piloting.



akpjr@landmarknet.net

[Bruce Barber]

Can some one explainhow to "hove to" and why you would do it? Thanks

Tom Foley

CD 25

Tom,

For the "classic" hove-to attitude, you want to 1) back the jib and 2) lash the tiller down. While sailing closehauled, tack the boat but don't touch the jibsheet. After the tack, lash the tiller down (as if you're going to tack again) and that‘s it. The boat will sit there quite comfortably a few points off the wind, making a little leeway, and you're free to do other things.

For instance, reefing the main is a snap while hove to, especially when you're singlehanded. The mainsail can be in any position, so you can slack its sheet, let it luff a little, and take your time with the reefing operation. With the main depowered, the boat will have very little heel on it.

A couple of other comments:
The jibsheet (or the sail) will ride on a shroud, so for chafe prevention you might want to cover the shrouds with the plastic split tubing that's sold by West et al. Cheap insurance



bbarber38@aol.com