Heave too, always good to learn something new.

[deisher6]

Heaving too is not new to this forum.  I have read threads here describing how to do it.  However I have never tried it nor seen it done.  That is until yesterday. 

Wes and Mack his sea dog took me sailing on the Pamllico Sunday in very stiff/gusty winds in his C-19.  Wes had a first reef in the main and only about 2/3 of the jib unfurled.  He showed me how to heave to: just tack, leave the helm over and do not tack the jib.  You wind up with the jib backwinded controlling the angle of the boat into the swell with the mainsheet.

I was impressed with how the boat quietly settled down.   What a good skill to keep handy.  Will try it out in our C-27 next time out.

Seeing it done was so much better than reading about it.

Thank you Wes and Mack.

regards charlie

[atrometer]

You're absolutely correct about something VERY good to know - could save your life too.  There are a lot of videos (many very good, some not so) that show "how to" on U tube

[wes]

Lin and Larry Pardey, in their book "Storm Tactics," talk about the almost magical ability of a hove-to boat to prevent big seas from breaking directly over it. Something about the sideways motion of the keel creating a calm area around the boat (actual physical calm, not just the emotional kind). As you might imagine they have survived some seriously huge storms at sea, partly by using this technique.

God willing, I'll never be surfing down 60' waves off Cape Horn like the Pardeys. But even on the not-so-mighty Pamlico, there have been times when I was stressed out by an unexpected crisis (caused by my own mistakes, usually) or just tired and not thinking clearly, and heaving to gave me time to rethink and regroup.

Very handy to keep a short bungee on each side of the stern rail, to lash the tiller in position when hove-to.

Wes

[Citroen/Dave]

Things happen too fast on my C16 when the breeze kicks up.  How can a solo sailor heave to and reduce sail area at the same time?  What is going to keep the boat stable and balanced while the sail center of effort is being changed?  [I just purchased a drogue to keep me head into the wind while I go forward to down haul the jib and/or reef the main.]

I understand heaving to "stop" things from happening and I look forward to trying it, again. I am not yet comfortable with the idea of putting the boat out of balance changing the sail area while heaving to.

[rbh1515]

I guess you can't heave too in a cat boat (without a jib), right?  I never had to do it in the many years of sailing the various sloops that I owned.
Rob

[Craig]

Actually you can! Each boat is a little different but essentially you head up close to the wind,ease out the sail to slow down, as an option you can ease the peak(gaff) halyard to de-power  (The amount may vary boat to boat), raise the centerboard, trim the sail as if to tack and tie off the helm to leeward. In essence the boat tries to tack but with a de-powered sail and little forward motion, cant and just stays in irons permanently.Some boats may need a little centerboard for balance. You just need to experiment.

[Elk River]

To Citroen/Dave:

     You could do as Charlie says; tack the boat, leaving the jib sheets alone.  Put your helm down a little, let your main out a little.  The jib is now sheeted on the 'wrong' side.  You could then let the main out a little more and tuck a reef in it while the boat is calm.  I have done this with a 17' 0'Day Day Sailor, and it worked fine.  I did not have an overlapping jib, so the boat was not overpowered in that regard.  Practicing in light-ish winds, when you do not have to heave-to, is a good idea.

     Elk River

[Bob23]

Dave:
  Mr. Elk would know. He was hove to while we were racing at BBB 2014...at least it looked that way.
Bob23...just couldn't resist!

[Elk River]

You just ruined your chances of Blue Heaven pulling you out of the wonderful Elk River mud...

Yours Truly,

Elk River

[redfishnc]

I usually have to reduce my 135 jib to about 100 or so for my 27 to heave too.  My sailing instructor first demonstrated this for me on my boat, i was swayed...

[Citroen/Dave]

Thanks for your comments.  I have some practicing to do and Spring has sprung in Central Virginia . . .

[deisher6]

Good to hear that RedFishNC has heave too'd in a C-27.  I look forward to trying it.  I have a 110 and about a 155....Hope to be able to heave to with the 110.

Thanks to you all for your patience and comments.

regards charlie

[BruceW]

Heave to is a great maneuver; I try to do it every once in awhile so I don't forget how. I also learned to heave-to with my Suncat, as described above. What was funny was after I got used to the Suncat heaving to, I sold it and got a P-21. First time I tried heaving-to, I just went around in a bunch of circles, until friends who were howling with laughter finally caught their breaths and reminded me to back wind and hold the jib; then I let the tiller out, and bungeed it in place. I guess that time is why I keep practicing.

It's a great thing for taking a break, reefing sail, or even just sailing slow in a small lake when you want to take awhile before the next of 500 tacks.

[mattman]

Dave,  Here is a link on how it is done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI_PnHZwBOY

[redfishnc]

Charlie, In addition once we hove to he reefed the mainsail effortlessly.  Mine had a slight forward motion once heaved to but smoothed nicely.