Heave-to on main only

[Franklin]

A few days ago I was reading a post about a guy who heave-to on a 1979 hunter 33' Cherubini using just the main only. <Quote>so I headed up, sheeted the mainsail in hard with the traveler down to port, and with the boat effectively stopped, spun the wheel all the way starboard, locked it in place and sat down to see what would happen. With a little fine tuning of the traveler position, the effect was close to magic. As the forward motion stopped, so did the spray. The mainsail stayed filled with wind coming over the starboard bow enough to keep it from seriously luffing at any time and the boat was almost upright, heeling perhaps 5-10 degrees to port. </Quote>I tried this on my boat (Hunter 376 with fractional B&R rig) and couldn't achieve a heave-to last night. although I had some things different. It was only 12 knots true and I was flying my full main only..but it was fully out. I had it sheeted tight and flattened as much as I could. I had the traveler all the way to the port side and then reducing the AWA slowly. When the boat stopped, I turned the wheel all the way to starboard and the boat started to tack so I pulled it back. I played with the wheel position to find the spot where the main would stay filled with only a little fluff at the luff. I finally found a spot where it would stay and locked the wheel. The boat continued on about a 30 degree course (maybe a little less) at about 3 knots. This is a typical feathering, not a heave-to so I didn't achive my objective.Now I don't want to sound questionable about his experience. I'm sure it worked for him and I'm sure that the conditions being different and me having all of my main up was a big factor so I am now writing to ask how a heave-to works with just the main. What counter's the main's drive and the rudder's starboard turn? Is the main supposed to be weaker in force then the force of the wind on the bow? If so, that would mean it's harder to do in meduim winds, right? Has anybody else heave-to with just the main successfully?Just asking because I kind of like the idea of sailing with main only when under one sail now that I tried it. Usually I use the jib only in high winds because the jib helps counter the weather helm created by the heal. So if I can find a way to heave-to with just the main in a blow, then I will definately change my process of depowering to rolling the jib first after a reef because I have a feeling a heave-to will never work just just a jib out (then again...never tried it)

 

[Paul]

try this

i've had some luck holding position in my 356 by heving to with the main let out a bit, rather than sheeting it in tight. put the main where you might for a broad reach, play with the wheel to position the boat as if on a close reach. the main will mostly flutter. see if that works.

 

[Capn Dave]

A Hunter might do it

but my boat shure as hell wont. I can sail her under main alone, under jib alone, but to heave to I have to backwind the jib throw the rudder over so the It fights the boats tendancy to turn to windward and the rudder acts like a brake and then the keel will stall. Dammed if I know of anyother way to do it. I don't have a Hunter, but from what I hear from Hunter owners they are blue water boats.Fair WindsCap'n Dave

 

[Franklin]

fluttering

The other guy said his main didn't flutter much so I was trying to keep it from fluttering because that wears out the sail.Cap'n Dave:We don't think our boats are blue water, we just have confidence in our boats to handle it...up until we sink with it

 

[Stu Jackson]

It's called fore reaching, and it is NOT

a heave - to, which requires a jib.

 

[Franklin]

fore reaching

Normally I would agree with you but fore reaching normally has you going forward like I was last night. He says he was drifting leeward at 1 knot just like a heave-to.

 

[Stu Jackson]

A matter of semantics

Joe, you're right. All I was pointing out was the terminology, not that other tactics of stopping a boat with only a main don't exist. Indeed, neither the "Rod-stop" or John's "let the main out but you'll still be sailing" maneuvers are actually called "heave-to," they are differently named ways of stopping the boat. I used those on single-sail boats, like Beetle cat boats, when I was younger, and do on days when we don't have our jib up, mainsail only (rare). But with two sails, backing the jib is called heave-to. Thanks for providing the details of the other methods of stopping.

 

[Terry Arnold]

Franklin, interesting that you were able on

second try to get your 376 fractional rig to heave to with the main alone. For a boat to successfully heave to whatever the rig, I think that there has to be the same cycle of events. Starting with the boat dead in the water and the rudder turned as if to tack, the boat will start to drift downwind, the rudder with water flowing backward over it will function oppositely bringing the bow increasingly off the wind. At some point the boat begins to range slightly ahead, the rudder regains its normal action, turns the bow up into the wind, the mainsail luffs, the boat stops and the cycle repeats. Though this cycle is necessary for any boat to heave to successfully, the configuration that allows it may not include main alone for all boats under all conditions. Seems to me the worse outcome for main alone would be for the boat to actually tack, and of course with a backed foresail, this possibility is minimized. The night I tried main alone I was not theorizing but simply observing with some amazement and gratitude when the boat stopped and as someone has said about heaving to "sat on the water like a duck with head under its wing"

 

[Joe]

Semantics

heh, heh... Stu, I understand what you're saying, because if you look up heaving to in many sailing glossaries, "backing the jib" is invariabley part of the description. John Rousmaniere's book even describes it as such. Interestingly though, in the same book, on page 87, under the heading HEAVING TO, John says "You can also heave to without a jib.." and continues to explain the maneuver.Now, why do you think he did that? Because semantics confuse people. The description of heaving to usually includes backing the jib, but the action of heaving to doesn't require it. Or does it? I'm so confused...let me out! I've got to go sailing and if I decide to heave to with main only,(to change a headsail for instance}....I will... and I'll call it heaving to instead of something else.

 

[Franklin]

Thanks Terry

I guess you could say that each boat will act differently when trying to heave-to with just the main.