What's the story with heeling?

Bill Roosa · Mar 25, 2010

Yeee Hawwww!!!!

Ain't it great?!?!!!!!
Just kidding. To answer the question how much is too much? Boats sail best when sailed upright (<15 degrees of heel). So less heel is better. But to get power out of the sails the boat HAS to heel. Sailboast with ballasted keels (not boards) will heel to 90 degrees and stand right back up. Course most of the stuff inside will have issues with that much heel. The hull and rig can take it fine but the engine and "stuff" in the cabin will certainly need attention after such an event. The real issue with heel beyond 90 degrees is dragging the mast in the water and breaking the rig (de-masting). course the more you heel the less the wind can effect you so it is a self correcting problem. Most get de-masted by a wave making them heel beyond 90 degrees.
If we are talking about wind induced heel and not wave induced, the first rule is
1) keep a weather eye out.
followed closely by
2) reef when you first think about it not after you wish you had
3) if it is gusty and you are beating,
3a) up in the puffs and off in the lufts
4 if it is gusty and your are running
4a) off in the puffs and up in the lufts (this is a common source of confusion as they are backward and people quote them not knowing there are two)

don't try this with thunderstorms or squalls. Drop the sails and motor for 15 minutes till things die down. Also don't let the sails out so much that they flogg themselves to tatters. Change your point of sail

Tom Spohn · Mar 25, 2010

First of all you should know that it is very unlikely that you will go all the way over. Even if you do your boat will right itself again. At least this is true for normal winds--say up to about 20 knots and just a normal main and jib. One reason is that the further the boat heels the lower percentage of the total wind force the sail feels. Another is that lead keel hanging from the bottom of the boat. For most boats heeling beyond 20 degrees spills too much wind and actually slows the boat down. That is why racers put crew on the windward rail in a race--to keep the boat flatter to capture as much of the force of the wind as possible. Having said this I know from experience that wives fear of heeling has nothing to do with numbers and logic. It is more of a sensation felt in the gut and can be quite scary. She will be much happier if you keep the boat upright--even if it slows you down. How to do that? ( assuming the wind is building)
1. Flatten the sails--more outhall, vang, halyard (or Cunningham if equiped), backstay (if adjustable). More jib halyard tension.
2. Induce more twist--Ease the mainsheet till the leading edge of the sail flaps around. (luffs) Then ease it till it just stops luffing. If not using the vang drop the traveller down (to leeward) and tighten mainsheet till luffing stops. Move the jib lead forward and ease the sail till the telltales are all streaming properly.
3. If still too much heel, time to reef the main and furl some of the jib or use a smaller jib.

OK you do all that and a puff heels you over and the wife start to complain. Just release the main sheet and the jibsheet and the boat will stand up again. Some folks always let the wife handle the main sheet since she will know she has control over how much the boat heels. This may not be very efficient sailing at first, but is more fun than leaving her on shore.

sailingdog · Mar 25, 2010

Generally, most boats sail better when they're not heeling too much. 15˚ is about right for many boats, and anything more is excessive.

First, you need to practice reefing the sails in relatively good weather so that you can do it under 2 minutes max. Then remember, if you're ever thinking of reefing, it probably means you should be putting a reef into the sails.

Second, you don't tighten the sheets to reduce heeling—you ease them. No wonder she was worried... As the others have said, if it feels like the boat is going to go over...let the main sheet and jib sheet go... the boat will stand up again...

There are other things you can do to reduce heeling, but reefing is really your best option to start with. Other steps you can take, when sailing to windward, are:

increasing tension on the main halyard or cunningham to flatten the mainsail;
tightening the boom vang, again to flatten/depower the main sail;
moving the traveler to leeward to change the angle of attack;
increasing backstay tension to remove sag from the headstay and flatten the jib and main;
move the jib fairleads aft to flatten the jib.

Newbie Sailor said:
...How much is too much? I'm still not sure how it works, but I can imagine it's not difficult with a good amount of wind to get the boat heeling 15 degrees or so and at that point, then it will be quite difficult for it to heel all the way over/aka capsize. Is that right? Is there an order to what we should do when we get very uneasy with the amount of heel? Such as:
1. tighten the sheets
2. drop the jib
3. reef the main
4. let out the main
5. drop the main or sail downwind if possible

What do you guys normally do?

Thanks!

Ross · Mar 25, 2010

Re: Yeee Hawwww!!!!

What Bill said . Wind induced heeling is self limiting but it doesn't reduce the scream factor. Reef when the heeling STARTS to be uncomfortable. There is more than enough power in the wind at 15 knots to drive your boat with a reef in the main. If stuff starts to fall on the floor down below you have waited too long. Then you head up into the wind and tuck in the reef.

COOL · Mar 25, 2010

Newbie Sailor said:
5. sail downwind if possible

That's your best answer, if you do not like heeling then always sail downwind.
But if you do not intend to sail right around the world, then you will need to
go to weather at some point. And some heeling is an accepted part of
sailing upwind or close reaching, unless you switch to a multihull.
A Cat 27 does not have a tremendous amount of initial stability. They
will quickly heel to 10 or 15 degrees, and it is quite normal to sail
with 15 to 20 degrees. If you are dragging the lee rail in the water
then you are over powered. The first place to reduce sail area is in
headsail size.You may want to use a small 90 to 110% jib until
gain some confidence that the boat will not roll over.

356_Steve · Mar 25, 2010

Heel is normal, and is a factor of sail area, wind speed, and relative wind direction. Typically, if you heel too much, the wind will spill out of the sail and the boat will round up (head into wind). This doesn't feel to good, the sails flap loudly to tell you its a bad thing to do, and you basically a loose of control of the boat for a short period of time. As the boat heels over, the rudder stops working to counteract the wind pushing you over, and the wind force stops moving you forward.

You should reduce sail area to match conditions. If you are having a hard time hold the boat on course (turning up as the wind pushes you down...weather helm), then you have too much sail up. Most boats sail faster when they are standing up, so don't be afraid to reef. The rule of thumb is that if you think it is time to reef, then you are at least 5 minutes late.

Keep you sails balanced. If your main is reefed, match it by furling the jib a little. This is come with experience. If it is gusty, let you traveler out in a gust, and bring it back in the lulls.

Sails should have twist in them in heavy winds. It lets more air spill out of the top of the sail. Try and keep the draft, or belly, tight to reduce the power of the sail as well. Read a few books (like Don's Sail Trim) and keep sailing. The boats can take more than we can in most cases. Have your wife read as well. The more you both are comfortable on the boat, the better time you will both have.

We cannot always sail in the best weather, and it does change quickly. A little practice, and a little experience, will prepare you for the times the weather comes up. Hang in there, and enjoy.

Steve

Les · Mar 25, 2010

Dear New, you brought back fond memories. I think every new sailor and family go through this episode at some time--maybe more then once. My wife was scared of sailing until I show her how a well balanced boat when you release all lines should come into the wind and wait for you. We did this several times in moderate winds and she would let the mainsail sheet go and we'd come upright. It really made her feel good about being in the boat. Later on she really learned to sail, even teaching sailing to others. But letting out the main was her first line of defense against heeling.

If the winds picked up you can always let the main go, then reef if you want. If it is temporary, after the gust, bring the main back in. A good technique in wind gusts is to tighten the jib and let the main backwind the jib (letting the main out). You can jog along quite safely under these conditions. Someone once told me that on the east coast this is called fisherman reefing....

We've sail alot around Sidney--the gulf islands and the san juans. Lots and lots of gusts. The wind quite often comes in the Strait (or down the strait) and then over all our islands and it breaks the wind up in gusts and directions. You just have to play them

We now own a boat with a furling main and the first thing my wife did was to figure out how to release the mainsheet and then how to bring in the main. Then she learned how to roller furl the main. We cool now.

Bill Roosa · Mar 25, 2010

YEEE HAWWWW!!!! redux

I should have said
3a) STEER up...
and
4a) STEER off...

By that I mean use the helm to control the amount of power the sails have and hence the heel. Steering "up" is up wind or the smallest angle toward the eye of the wind. Steering "off" is down wind or the smallest angel toward dead down wind.
So going to windward in a gust you want to turn into the wind and "de-power" the sails and probably point toward the direction you want to go too. When running with the wind in a gust you want to turn away from the wind and use the increased relative speed of the boat to the wind to "de-power" the sails.
All that stuff about flattening the sail is good too but I'd try learning to reef first as it gets results, big results. Flatting the sail gets results too but you have to experiment with it to get good. It is more of a racing thing to get the most out of the boat. Since I sail for pleasure, I just reef as that automagicaly flattens the sails. If we are on a long tack and I'm done doing maintenance on the first mate then I start playing with the sail shape to get to the resterant faster. Don't do it much to effect heel though.

RECESS · Mar 25, 2010

I am lucky to have a wife that enjoys to heel over the boat and let her ride. Our boat sails best when she is heeled over and the opposite locker becomes a foot stop. I do not mean all the way over excessively but it seems there is a "pocket" you get the boat into and they just really sail their best. I love when there is enough wind to get my boat to really slide across the water.

Does your wife take a turn at the tiller/wheel? Most of the people I know that have a partner that does not take time at the tiller tend to really worry when the boat is doing what it was designed to do. I have a couple that almost named their boat Dammit Steve! Every time he got the boat heeled over and running it wide open his wife screamed Damn it Steve!

I agree with those that said to get really good at reefing the main. I have a 140% and a 100% jib. I only sail the 140% in very light wind days. If I get caught in a blow with it up I just drop it and sail main alone until I the wind gets tolerable again and I can switch to the 100%. On a day that has wind and forecasts of increasing wind I sail my 100%, it really handles the wind well with not so much heel.

Number one rule is sail safe and enjoy the voyage. I made my wife hold the rigging with white knuckles in a storm on our Prindle 19 once. She made sure I paid dearly for every second of white knuckles.

sailingdog · Mar 25, 2010

I'd highly recommend you buy Dave Seidman's book, The Complete Sailor and read it cover to cover.

BobM · Mar 25, 2010

If you think it may be necessary to reef...

stop thinking about it and reef. It is easier and safer to let out an unnecessary reef than to put one it too late. This is solid advice...especially if your Wife is on board, a reluctant sailing Wife (RSW) and you want her to come back aboard someday.

I go out solo to play when the small craft warnings are issued.

If you don't go out and play you will not learn how to handle your boat in rough weather and you won't build confidence in your skills and your boat. Pick a day when the weather is a bit rough, then go out for a few hours staying close to your home port so you can safely call it a day if you tire. Have fun!

tommays · Mar 25, 2010

Well it can always get worse

Johnb · Mar 25, 2010

Aye to what all the others have said, plus one more comment - we have found that if people feel secure, like they are not about to slip off the seat and take a tumble that also goes a long way to accepting the heel. They also don't like leaning backwards. I encourage them to sit on the windward side, brace their feet on the opposite side and enjoy the ride. Better still, as the others have said, get them to participate

CharlieCobra · Mar 25, 2010

tommays said:
Well it can always get worse

Yep, ya know ya been sailing when ya sail back in with 6' of kelp in yer spreaders on BOTH sticks...

Stu Jackson · Mar 25, 2010

Heeling is the natural occurrence when sailing upwind. You cannot go upwind without heeling. The amount you heel is based on the windspeed and the amount of sail you have aloft. Buying a book about this basic concept of sailing is very good advice.

duality · Mar 25, 2010

forget the inclinometer!! the best thing that happened to me is when my big fat head knocked it off. it used to be my wifes gauge to start yelping. without she is much better crew!!

mike

Alan · Mar 25, 2010

I'm with duality !!!!!
Don't EVER buy an inclinometer. It's of no practical value for sailing and it only serves to make land lubbers nervous.

After YOU gain a little sailing experience and some confidence your ability to control your boat will increase. This increase in skill will be the single biggest factor in your wife's comfort not reading some bubble.
The learning curve is steep, enjoy the ride!!

Pick up Don Guillette'sbook "Sail Trim Users Guide" available from this site. I highly recommend it.

What's the story with heeling?

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