Heave to

justsomeguy · Aug 11, 2012

Only you can say. Your boat will have its own characteristics, and you should learn them in reasonable conditions. Go out and heave to.

Stu Jackson · Aug 11, 2012

Actually having that size jib is GREAT. Why? Because a lot of skippers with 155 jibs can't get their boats to heave to because their jibs are too BIG. We generally suggest they furl them to about 110 to 130 before they heave to.

Give it a try, regardless of what the winds are. The higher the winds the more delicate a balance it will be. Same with lighter winds. Just don't turn too quickly and use the tiller/wheel to assure that the jib gets truly backed, then play the mainsheet and traveler to get the right balance.

It's fun and very, very useful for a whole bunch of things.

Joe · Aug 11, 2012

c_witch said:
Thanx guys,

One article I was reading the diagram showed the boat beam on to the wind with the main sheet let out fully. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with this arrangement. Other articles have mentioned sheeting in the main so that your pointing into the wind about 45 to 60 degree's. The other point seems to be that properly done one should NOT be making any headway but slipping sideways in the water.

I guess my question about the finickyness has to do with moving about inside our boat and upsetting the trim and therefor having it move out of a hove to state esp. if I happen to be using the head at the time. She's only ~2500# boat with an 8 foot beam (about 7-4 at the waterline).

c_witch

The method you mentioned with the main is useful for small boats with no headsail.... cat rigged boats, such as lasers, sabots, etc... have no shrouds and no headsail so you must "weathervane" beam on... the sail fills on one side then the other. This method is litterally impossible with swept back shrouds.

I think what everyone here is advising you to do is go out and experiment..... you might be overthinking this, all you are doing is setting up counteracting forces to hold the boat in position.

On a three masted square rigger the foremast topsail is backwinded just as you would with a sloop's jib..... except they would use the gaff rigged "spanker" on the mizzen mast to counter act the backwinded fore topsail rather than the rudder.

You see, every type of rig can be hove to.... you just need to find out with what works best for yours.

BTW, Stu's comment regarding heaving to with a smaller headsail is totally accurate. A smaller headsail will balance against the rudder so you can normally just let the main weathervane..... i.e. stay neutral.

rgranger · Aug 12, 2012

c_witch said:
I guess my question about the finickyness has to do with moving about inside our boat and upsetting the trim and therefor having it move out of a hove to state esp. if I happen to be using the head at the time. She's only ~2500# boat with an 8 foot beam (about 7-4 at the waterline).

c_witch

You might be right about that. I have a similarly designed boat. The only time I have ever hove to was just to see if I could do it. I did not take a walk about the boat while hove to so I can't say if it would have held its trim. I can say is that I have used sheet to tiller self steering and the boat's course was affected by the crews movement on board.

I think you will just have to go try it out. And after reading this post, I think I need to hove to and then take a walk about my boat as well. Interesting questions. And now I have an excuse to go sailing (like I needed one)

chp · Aug 12, 2012

I've done it many times on my Mac. About the same weight. I can walk about my boat with very little change. I think the pressure on the sail keeps her steady. One thing I find is you do need some wind to make it work properly. Sometimes I have used the main to help balance the rudder, but again every condition is a bit different. The only way to find out is to try it.
I single hand a lot and when the bathroom break comes around or to grab a wobbely pop I will heave to in strong winds and waves. Boat settles right in and is a pleasure to take a break. The boat just seems to "squat" in the water and becomes pretty stable.

sinnettc · Aug 12, 2012

My capri 22 fin keel doesn't heave to worth beans.

Stu Jackson · Aug 12, 2012

My C22 with a swinger hove to wonderfully, that's the boat on which I learned to do that maneuver. What were the conditions when you tried, or is this one of those "ain't gonna happen" moments?

rgranger · Aug 13, 2012

chp said:
... One thing I find is you do need some wind to make it work properly. ....

Why would you need to hove to if there is no wind...

shnool · Aug 13, 2012

I can't get my 25 to stop sailing while trying to heave to. We attempted it several times in 15mph winds, and I was making 1 knot forward while attempting it. If I eased the main any more , we'd get pushed around.

I find it easier to just lash the tiller spill the genny, and ease the main while pinching. It'll flog the genny, but if you drop the genny shortly thereafter it should sail along nicely with a bubble in the main, at a very slow pace.

Stu Jackson · Aug 13, 2012

shnool said:
...and I was making 1 knot forward while attempting it.

You will always be doing that when hove to. people sometimes misinterpret what it means. You do NOT stop. The boat does keep moving.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Aug 13, 2012

Depends on the boat. Had a Prindle 18 that would just park when hove too. Had a long keel, attached rudder 1960's era CCA boat that would do the same. My longish keel 21 footer forereaches at about 1/2 knot.

So it depends.Also depends on what size head sail you have up. The last two I mentioned would heave too beautifully with a working jib- not so well with a genoa.

SchwarckT · Aug 13, 2012

My O-Day 22(shoal keel with centerboard) heaves to very well. It feels lilke it's sitting on its trailer in the parking lot (winds around 25 mph with 3' waves). My other two boats (centerboard) don't heave to as well and never really settle down.

Indysailor · Aug 13, 2012

My boat takes a little while to settle down- it will do a little dance, rounding up, then falling off as I play the genoa sheet and the rudder to get the right balance. Mostly, I let the mainsail vane in the wind, but I have sheeted it in just a tad to keep it from flogging. Once the boat settles down, it bobs along nicely to leeward.

oldiesrocker2001 · Aug 14, 2012

C_witch, the fractional rig with only a 100% jib could make the boat very finicky even trying to heave to. My V21 is a masthead rig but with a smallish jib(probably belonged to a 19-footer) and I've never been able to get it to settle down for more than a few seconds when attempting to heave to.

Hollyweirdos · Aug 17, 2012

We had our V17 hove to nicely the other day in 10-15 kts. She pokes along at around 1 kt. Enough to easily get in to swim, we needed a line in the water though to hang on to.

Ray Bowles · Aug 18, 2012

I sail a San Juan 23 which has a small weighted stub keel with a centerboard housed inside. With my std. jib and the full main she heaves to nicely. I have a topping lift that is run through sheeves and to a line stopper. It allows easy adjustment of the boom from level to about 2 feet higher at the rear of the boom. By raising the boom this way it is very easy to find the hove-to sweet spot.
Ray
Ray