Hove Too

[thaeni]

Is there a secret on how to Hove too?. I tried with no success. First I
pulled the main sail in and slowly turned into the wind until the Genoa
blew the other way. Then I turned the wheel away from the wind but the boat didn't come about and the main sail didn't fill in from the other side.
What did I do wrong?

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Hove To

Thaeni,
We used to start just like a tack procedure. Put the rudder over, cross through the wind. Once the head sail back winds, take the rudder hard to the other side and let the main fly. The head sail works against the rudder to balance the boat at about 45º to the wind. There should be no pressure in the main at all or you will continue to sail forward.

When to reverse the rudder is the part that is art. It differs from rig to rig. On modern sloops its not that critical because they are so responsive.

The only rig I know that heaves to using the main is a schooner. It will do so with the bow directly into the wind, so it acts like a weather vane rather then opposing head sail and rudder. It works because the center of effort is aft of the pivot point, opposite of our sloops.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Video

Here is a good video of the process

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-heave-sailing-243493/

 

[Warren Milberg]

It is often difficult to heave-to with a large headsail. If you have a small one (100 per cent or less) or can furl up or reef your genoa, try it the way Cephius describes. Backing a big headsail will often overpower the rudder and make heaving to impossible. You also have to play with the rudder position once the headsail is backed to get it to balance the boat. The boat should fore-reach a bit, fall off, and then fore-reach again, etc. once balance is achieved. Each boat does this in its own unique way. Keep practicing.

 

[Brian M H23]

What I do:
Ease the headsail a bit - maybe 12". Ease the main a lot.

Head up into a tack - stay head to wind to burn off speed, then finish the tack.

Turn the rudder to head up into the wind again - but the goal is to not have enough speed, so the boat stalls.

Trim the main until the boat holds a constant heading - if it's falling off, more main, if it's heading up, less.

 

[Bill Roosa]

fin keel boats are more difficult

You are balancing on a small (fore to aft) keel area so balancing headsail, main and rudder effects does take some experimenting. If she wants to turn down wind do things that will either counteract (rudder and main) or reduce the tendency (reef the jib).
I can't have any jib up when hove to. It is all main and rudder. The forward topside is more than enough to stop most of the headway.
Also don't try it in light conditions, it is almost impossible to heave to in winds less than 15 knots with a fin keel boat.

 

[Deadline]

Short answer:
Come about quickly without releasing the jib/genoa.
It will lock up and backwind, stopping the boat dead.