Can anyone give me some advise on how to heave to in my 2006 Hunter 45? I'm having difficulty keeping her from drifting into or away from the wind. She has a Sheldon in mast furling main and a 120 Genoa.
Difficulty heaving to in a Hunter 45
- Thread starter Charlotte Ann
- Start date
Heave To Question
I recently watched a video about heaving to while single handed. The video demonstrated heaving to as essentially tacking without letting off the jib sheet on the windward side. I realize it is something that I will need to practice on my boat as each vessel is slightly different but my real...
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I'm the guy who admitted I couldn't get my Ranger 29 to heave to. So I'm not the one to give advice about your Hunter 45. I would note that the Hunter B&R rig features a larger main sail and smaller jib than the masthead rigs of the 70's and 80's. That difference and others like more windage on the relatively high freeboard hull, and a wide flat transom, would make the boat behave differently.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,178
It is a skill of balancing the trim. Think about the two sails. You need to balance them so that the boat stops forwaed progress and slides sideways in the direction of the wind and waves.
Some find they get into position with the bow being pushed one way as the jib/genoa backs. The bow keeps being pushed down wind by the jib - Jib overpowering the main and rudder. You counter with a little more rudder and more trim on the main.
You may find that the boat want to head up trying to tack - the main is over powering the jib/genoa, then you release some trim on the main and ease the rudder.
Some find they get into position with the bow being pushed one way as the jib/genoa backs. The bow keeps being pushed down wind by the jib - Jib overpowering the main and rudder. You counter with a little more rudder and more trim on the main.
You may find that the boat want to head up trying to tack - the main is over powering the jib/genoa, then you release some trim on the main and ease the rudder.
If you have roller furling, try bringing the jib in to about 100% or less, to keep it from overpowering the rudder. You should have the tiller completely to loo'ard, main not sheeted. The idea is to pit the headsail against the rudder. Consider using the size of the jib to balance the rudder. You can use the main, but now you have three forces rather than two. The main is so huge that any changes in wind velocity will unbalance the plan easily. Small forces fore and aft are much easier to balance.
As I describe in another recent post here, in addition to shortening the headsail to 100% you may have to fairlead your sheets to the sheet winch inboard of the shrouds. Beamy boats with shrouds far outboard make it hard to trim a back-winded headsail. A baggy headsail catches too much wind IMO and blows off the head. Yachts with “narrow” fin keels and flat bottoms may not present enough lateral resistance to stop the boat from pivoting and falling too far off the wind, etc. However, the keel of the H45 looks to be wide enough with good profile. So you might be able to get it balanced.
Heaving-to is supposed to be a simple, effortless, maneuver; which it can be. But not on my boat; possibly yours. It’s nearly as much trouble as setting a preventer.To fairlead the sheet inboard of the shrouds you’ll need a snatch block with an adjustable pennant fixed to a strong point outboard (at the gunnel). Together with the furler that will allow you to adjust the trim and area of the headsail to balance the boat. Good luck! Lot’s of practice.
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Heave To is a FAST STOP maneuver or no forward motion by wind power.
If you want to practice Main and Genoa sails management and drift before trying Heave To...
1) Have full winds in all sails.
2) Set your traveler to minimum swings to restrict your boom swing and main sail into your spreaders. [mine are set and never change]
3) Warn everyone aboard
4) Release your Helm Wheel, thus no rudder control. Be prepared to regain control of the Helm.
Your boat will point into the wind and then see what your sails do. Then adjust them to stop them flailing around.
Boat Drift is a problem with no way on. Drop anchor in an emergency.
Jim...
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You don’t mention your direct experience heaving-to in your Hunter. Might be of more help to the OP.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,178
In general sailing conditions if your sails stop functioning and your auxiliary power systems are not working, then boat drift could be a problem.
If you heave-to you intend to initiate boat drift. You will drift with the wind. You will need to be aware of your location and direction of drift while you are hove-to. Drifting towards an obstacle or lee shore may cause you to get back to sailing or getting that auxiliary power system back up and running.
If situation becomes uncontrollable drop anchor and wait out the problem or call for assistance on your VHF radio.
The H45 and my in-mast Main on my H430 are very similar boats.
I posted my directed technique on my post #25 this thread...
Heave To Question
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The key for the B&R Hunters is their overhead traveler. Not possible to get a "Boom Bonk" unless you are standing on the side deck and can easily dunk a basketball.
Jim...
PS: Soon time to Heave To with some Xmas Adult Beverage. Alas no fireplace needed, 78°F tomorrow
I see, I think. Bringing the boat head to wind to stop it (i.e., putting her in irons) is not the same as heaving it to. I suppose the boat will fall off the wind at some point, one side or the other. But bringing it to a stop is not a necessary step. Maybe not so helpful an explanation for this OP’s query here. But now I understand your drift comments.The H45 and my in-mast Main on my H430 are very similar boats.
I posted my directed technique on my post #25 this thread...
Heave To Question
____
The key for the B&R Hunters is their overhead traveler. Not possible to get a "Boom Bonk" unless you are standing on the side deck and can easily dunk a basketball.
Jim...
PS: Soon time to Heave To with some Xmas Adult Beverage. Alas no fireplace needed, 78°F tomorrow
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Goes into irons… almost… falls off… rudder set to bring it back to irons… repeat
In a Cal 20 or Cat 22 (for example) one tacks while sailing close-hauled to back-wind the headsail, you then put the tiller down and secure it. Boat settles more-or-less beam to the wind and makes drift to leeward. There are options about how use the mainsail. When deployed as a storm tactic a hove-to vessel is meant to create a slick to weather as it drifts leeward b/c a slick tamps down some the waves passing under at the beam. (e.g., no, or less, spray or sea coming aboard). Heaving-to in this manner does not involve maintaining the boat virtually in irons.
To the dismay of some cruisers, vessels can make slow progress to weather while hove-to in the manner above. It sails out of the slick it is creating which reduces its effectiveness as a storm tactic, allegedly. Point is: a vessel does not lie head or stern to wind, or virtually so, when it is properly hove-to. If properly balanced it’s stable beam to wind and sea and does not need to be tended to.
As I describe above, the Bavaria 38 apparently will not do that. In my trials the boat, if set then left unattended, will eventually, in a short period, either tack or bear away stern to the wind.
To the dismay of some cruisers, vessels can make slow progress to weather while hove-to in the manner above. It sails out of the slick it is creating which reduces its effectiveness as a storm tactic, allegedly. Point is: a vessel does not lie head or stern to wind, or virtually so, when it is properly hove-to. If properly balanced it’s stable beam to wind and sea and does not need to be tended to.
As I describe above, the Bavaria 38 apparently will not do that. In my trials the boat, if set then left unattended, will eventually, in a short period, either tack or bear away stern to the wind.
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I did not see this mentioned at all so I’ll offer it here.
In general, fin-keel boats do NOT like to lie at heave-to. It is something about having insufficient lateral area underwater to allow the hull to pose enough resistance to the water current. This has been common knowledge since the advent of fin-keeled boats in the 1960s. So you’re not alone in having this trouble. In no small part, the very improvements we as an industry have promoted in hull design have exacerabated the problem.
It is even worse with fin-keeled boats with split rigs - especially yawls.
I think the worst part must be that the hull, which under all other conditions would be helping you, is trying to claw its way towards windward - thus destroying the desirable ‘slick’. All fin-keel boats are designed to, when left alone, gradually and gently turn up into the wind and stall there, a true help when you get overcanvassed or - God forbid - you fall overboard. But it’s not helpful if you need to heave-to in a mild blow to get some off-watch rest.
I don’t have any sure answers; and you must not expect that what works definitively for someone else’s boat ‘should’ work with yours. Every boat is different. Even stupid-sounding factors like how much weight you have in the ends and where and how the dinghy is stored on deck are going to affect how it will heave to. Traveler position, sheetline tension, shape and condition of sails, jib-lead block position, tiller position, Bimini top - all of these and more will matter more than you expect they will. You might need a warp. You might need a sea anchor. You might need a reef. You might need to shake one out. (I would be willing to bet that a roller-furling genoa, though I do not have one so I can’t know for sure, will be no help at all.)
Do not assume you ‘should have it right now so all’s well’ till you actually do.
The secret is finding your individual boat’s own perfect balance - and finding that comes only from repetitive practice.
In general, fin-keel boats do NOT like to lie at heave-to. It is something about having insufficient lateral area underwater to allow the hull to pose enough resistance to the water current. This has been common knowledge since the advent of fin-keeled boats in the 1960s. So you’re not alone in having this trouble. In no small part, the very improvements we as an industry have promoted in hull design have exacerabated the problem.
It is even worse with fin-keeled boats with split rigs - especially yawls.
I think the worst part must be that the hull, which under all other conditions would be helping you, is trying to claw its way towards windward - thus destroying the desirable ‘slick’. All fin-keel boats are designed to, when left alone, gradually and gently turn up into the wind and stall there, a true help when you get overcanvassed or - God forbid - you fall overboard. But it’s not helpful if you need to heave-to in a mild blow to get some off-watch rest.
I don’t have any sure answers; and you must not expect that what works definitively for someone else’s boat ‘should’ work with yours. Every boat is different. Even stupid-sounding factors like how much weight you have in the ends and where and how the dinghy is stored on deck are going to affect how it will heave to. Traveler position, sheetline tension, shape and condition of sails, jib-lead block position, tiller position, Bimini top - all of these and more will matter more than you expect they will. You might need a warp. You might need a sea anchor. You might need a reef. You might need to shake one out. (I would be willing to bet that a roller-furling genoa, though I do not have one so I can’t know for sure, will be no help at all.)
Do not assume you ‘should have it right now so all’s well’ till you actually do.
The secret is finding your individual boat’s own perfect balance - and finding that comes only from repetitive practice.