Would very much like to hear from other owners of 37 Cutters what configuration you use when hove to in both moderate and nasty conditions. I still vacilate between using the staysail, a storm jib hanked on the club, or a "hanky of the Yankee"...all with the main reefed or the storm sail in its place. Who out there has experimented?
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Moderate conditions test.
We have tried stopping for lunch just as a test. Only 15-20 knots of wind in 3-foot waves. Dropped the main, furled the yankee, and sheeted in the staysail. I thought she rode really well but the conditions were just not that bad. My long range plan was always a separate track on the mast for a stormsail. We should get some good info from those at sea.
We have tried stopping for lunch just as a test. Only 15-20 knots of wind in 3-foot waves. Dropped the main, furled the yankee, and sheeted in the staysail. I thought she rode really well but the conditions were just not that bad. My long range plan was always a separate track on the mast for a stormsail. We should get some good info from those at sea.
A different approach
When I asked the same question earlier, I got a couple of different answers. Here's what worked for me under 20 knot winds and 3-4 ft seas (in San Francisco Bay as a test): I tightened the staysail all the way in. I had already reefed the main. I executed what I was taught is a standard heave too, tacked through the wind but leaving the jib attached so it becomes backwinded, and then dump the mainsail and put the wheel hard over and tie it in place. When the boat settled down, I brought the main in slightly so the wind would alternately fill and dump. That kept the head up with the boat gently moving between what would normally be beam reach and close reach. I checked and we were drifting at about 1.5 knots, acceptable for the situation we were in. I have also been told to drop either the jib or the staysail, and execute a heave to as in a sloop. Let me know if you find the perfect system Sanders s/s Good News
When I asked the same question earlier, I got a couple of different answers. Here's what worked for me under 20 knot winds and 3-4 ft seas (in San Francisco Bay as a test): I tightened the staysail all the way in. I had already reefed the main. I executed what I was taught is a standard heave too, tacked through the wind but leaving the jib attached so it becomes backwinded, and then dump the mainsail and put the wheel hard over and tie it in place. When the boat settled down, I brought the main in slightly so the wind would alternately fill and dump. That kept the head up with the boat gently moving between what would normally be beam reach and close reach. I checked and we were drifting at about 1.5 knots, acceptable for the situation we were in. I have also been told to drop either the jib or the staysail, and execute a heave to as in a sloop. Let me know if you find the perfect system Sanders s/s Good News
Heaving to in gale conditions
We don't have one of the venerable cutter-rigged 37s but "Rivendel II", our Legend 43, is equipped with a good-sized roller-furling staysail (mounted on an inner stay) which has given us plenty of opportunity to play with heaving to when one has a choice between the mainsail, the genoa and the staysail. Altogether, we have probably spent nearly 80 hours hove-to over the past 12 years in near- and full-gale conditions with the crew too tired or sick to continue without a rest or with equipment problems bogging us down for awhile. In addition, we have often hove to under more pleasant conditions, e.g. to sort out some reefing problems or to wait for the sun to rise outside an unknown harbor. In those situations the methods used by us were similar to what the other two posters describe. Therefore, this post only adresses the nasty weather situation. Having a roller-furling staysail is a great blessing. Even in 30-35 knot winds it remains relatively easy to furl and unfurl. So, wev leave the genoa tightly furled and may even add a few extra lashings in order to prevent the furled genoa from spontaneously peeling off in strong gusts. For winds above 40 knots or so we do have a sleeved Galesail on board to hank over the furled staysail. Fortunately, we have not had to deploy that. Neither have we ever had to use our drag devices (a Paratech sea anchor and a Galerider drogue). We heave to by tacking, while leaving the staysail clew sheeted to weather and slacking the main (preferably already deeply reefed), or by pulling the staysail clew to weather on the winch and then releasing the mainsheet. As soon as the staysail is backed into the wind the wheel is gradually rotated to windward till it is hard over and can be lashed down. Then we observe the vessels's attitude and motion. If the bow points into the dominant swells and waves at an average angle of 60 degrees or so, the vessel has minimum tendency to lie abeam to the waves or broach downwind and the overall motion is fairly comfortable we drop the main entirely. This puts a minimum of sail area at risk to the forces of the wind, allows us to secure the boom and minimizes the potentially bad consequences of an unintended tack or jibe. If the bows do not point into the waves well enough a variety of minor adjustments can be tried, as discussed in earlier threads but the long and the short of it is that you may have to keep using the main (preferably triple-reefed) or hoist a boom-less trysail, if available. The main or trysail needs to be sheeted in just tightly enough to bring the bows up and minimize damaging luffing but not so tight as to get the boatspeed up over 2 knot, or so, and risk a spontaneous tack (by powering the rudder up too far). Much more could be said but the most important 2 points to remember are: (1)within the Tradewind belts gale force winds are usually associated with a shift in wind direction from the usual NE (or SE) whereas the biggest swells may well keep coming from the old direction. In other words: wind and waves are rarely perfectly aligned. Therefore heaving to on a port tack or on a starboard tack may make a big, big difference. (2) In situations where wind and waves are poorly aligned it is more important to keep the bows into the waves than into the wind; unless, of course, there is insufficient searoom. on the preferred tack. The latter situation may even force one to deploy a sea anchor as the only remaining option, unless the vessel can be kept sailing under properly reduced sail while standing clear off the obstacle. Have fun! Flying Dutchman "Rivendel II"
We don't have one of the venerable cutter-rigged 37s but "Rivendel II", our Legend 43, is equipped with a good-sized roller-furling staysail (mounted on an inner stay) which has given us plenty of opportunity to play with heaving to when one has a choice between the mainsail, the genoa and the staysail. Altogether, we have probably spent nearly 80 hours hove-to over the past 12 years in near- and full-gale conditions with the crew too tired or sick to continue without a rest or with equipment problems bogging us down for awhile. In addition, we have often hove to under more pleasant conditions, e.g. to sort out some reefing problems or to wait for the sun to rise outside an unknown harbor. In those situations the methods used by us were similar to what the other two posters describe. Therefore, this post only adresses the nasty weather situation. Having a roller-furling staysail is a great blessing. Even in 30-35 knot winds it remains relatively easy to furl and unfurl. So, wev leave the genoa tightly furled and may even add a few extra lashings in order to prevent the furled genoa from spontaneously peeling off in strong gusts. For winds above 40 knots or so we do have a sleeved Galesail on board to hank over the furled staysail. Fortunately, we have not had to deploy that. Neither have we ever had to use our drag devices (a Paratech sea anchor and a Galerider drogue). We heave to by tacking, while leaving the staysail clew sheeted to weather and slacking the main (preferably already deeply reefed), or by pulling the staysail clew to weather on the winch and then releasing the mainsheet. As soon as the staysail is backed into the wind the wheel is gradually rotated to windward till it is hard over and can be lashed down. Then we observe the vessels's attitude and motion. If the bow points into the dominant swells and waves at an average angle of 60 degrees or so, the vessel has minimum tendency to lie abeam to the waves or broach downwind and the overall motion is fairly comfortable we drop the main entirely. This puts a minimum of sail area at risk to the forces of the wind, allows us to secure the boom and minimizes the potentially bad consequences of an unintended tack or jibe. If the bows do not point into the waves well enough a variety of minor adjustments can be tried, as discussed in earlier threads but the long and the short of it is that you may have to keep using the main (preferably triple-reefed) or hoist a boom-less trysail, if available. The main or trysail needs to be sheeted in just tightly enough to bring the bows up and minimize damaging luffing but not so tight as to get the boatspeed up over 2 knot, or so, and risk a spontaneous tack (by powering the rudder up too far). Much more could be said but the most important 2 points to remember are: (1)within the Tradewind belts gale force winds are usually associated with a shift in wind direction from the usual NE (or SE) whereas the biggest swells may well keep coming from the old direction. In other words: wind and waves are rarely perfectly aligned. Therefore heaving to on a port tack or on a starboard tack may make a big, big difference. (2) In situations where wind and waves are poorly aligned it is more important to keep the bows into the waves than into the wind; unless, of course, there is insufficient searoom. on the preferred tack. The latter situation may even force one to deploy a sea anchor as the only remaining option, unless the vessel can be kept sailing under properly reduced sail while standing clear off the obstacle. Have fun! Flying Dutchman "Rivendel II"
Thanks Henk.
I always appreciate your experience and ability to share it. My memory is shot so I usually print your replies and insert them in the binder on the boat. Now if I can just remember that they are there for review!
I always appreciate your experience and ability to share it. My memory is shot so I usually print your replies and insert them in the binder on the boat. Now if I can just remember that they are there for review!
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