I think the REAL answer of heeling is based on 'experience from heeling' and what ACTUALLY happens to the boat when its really heeled over. You can 'theorize' until the cows come home; but, if you dont occasionally purposely push the limits slowly and occasionally, you will never slowly and gradually 'master it' and 'enjoy' it.
If you dont push the limits you really wont have the experience of what happens, how to correct, how the boat performance degrades (or improves), etc. when the boat goes over ... and this is a realm of 'developed' comfort factor. Once you increase your comfort factor by constant practice at over-heeling and realize that heeling is not the jaws-of-death that youre sailing into, you may start to really 'enjoy' over-heeling now and then.
On a keel boat with a stout companionway (closed to prevent the cockpit from filling and then downflooding through the open companion way and into the boat) or being daring with an open boat (pfd on, and checked that when turtled that the boat 'will float' when swamped/over and sometimes having a large pfd hanked to the backstay so that you can "swim-out" the pfd to the top of the mast to prevent the mast from pointing straight down, etc.) ... simply go out and SEE what actually happens beyond your current comfort level and gradually build the confidence that comes with aggressive heeling. Experiment with sail shape and trim, and the various reefing positions and combos. ENJOY yourself ... it really isnt all that 'bad' when 'heeled well over' ... it can actually be 'fun'.
I think that for most boats, you'll be surprised at how far over you can effectively sail and how the boat begins to harden-up and resist the heeling forces .... the resistance to heeling gets greater the further over the boat heels ... in most cases.
This would be similar to any 'extreme sport' ... where you dont as a 'beginner skier' jump off a 50 ft. high cliff into the air and expect to survive; but rather, gradually increase your 'adrenalin tolerance level' in increasingly small steps until you become conditioned, then tolerant, then acclimated, then finally - "Holy S#iT this is wow/neat!".
This confidence and mastery comes with continually forcing the 'envelope' and that will bring increasing mastery and confidence ... and you'l be out sailing more and with less 'stuck to the dockside' time.
Slowly build confidence as you can SEE/FEEL/OBSERVE what the boat can do, how the boat reacts and behaves ..... and how you can begin to enjoy and master it ... and you eventually *become one with the boat*. Without continually building up confidence (in over heeling, etc.) it would be like having an auto that can do 170 mph ... and you limit your speed to 35 mph.
Just dont go beyond 90° over or have your spreaders in the water .... often.
;-)
If you dont push the limits you really wont have the experience of what happens, how to correct, how the boat performance degrades (or improves), etc. when the boat goes over ... and this is a realm of 'developed' comfort factor. Once you increase your comfort factor by constant practice at over-heeling and realize that heeling is not the jaws-of-death that youre sailing into, you may start to really 'enjoy' over-heeling now and then.
On a keel boat with a stout companionway (closed to prevent the cockpit from filling and then downflooding through the open companion way and into the boat) or being daring with an open boat (pfd on, and checked that when turtled that the boat 'will float' when swamped/over and sometimes having a large pfd hanked to the backstay so that you can "swim-out" the pfd to the top of the mast to prevent the mast from pointing straight down, etc.) ... simply go out and SEE what actually happens beyond your current comfort level and gradually build the confidence that comes with aggressive heeling. Experiment with sail shape and trim, and the various reefing positions and combos. ENJOY yourself ... it really isnt all that 'bad' when 'heeled well over' ... it can actually be 'fun'.
I think that for most boats, you'll be surprised at how far over you can effectively sail and how the boat begins to harden-up and resist the heeling forces .... the resistance to heeling gets greater the further over the boat heels ... in most cases.
This would be similar to any 'extreme sport' ... where you dont as a 'beginner skier' jump off a 50 ft. high cliff into the air and expect to survive; but rather, gradually increase your 'adrenalin tolerance level' in increasingly small steps until you become conditioned, then tolerant, then acclimated, then finally - "Holy S#iT this is wow/neat!".
This confidence and mastery comes with continually forcing the 'envelope' and that will bring increasing mastery and confidence ... and you'l be out sailing more and with less 'stuck to the dockside' time.
Slowly build confidence as you can SEE/FEEL/OBSERVE what the boat can do, how the boat reacts and behaves ..... and how you can begin to enjoy and master it ... and you eventually *become one with the boat*. Without continually building up confidence (in over heeling, etc.) it would be like having an auto that can do 170 mph ... and you limit your speed to 35 mph.
Just dont go beyond 90° over or have your spreaders in the water .... often.
;-)
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