Jeff Asbury
Principal Partner
"Heaving to"?
1. What is "Heaving to"?
When a sailboat is set in a heave to position, she slows down considerably and keeps moving forward at about 1 to 2 kts, but with a significant amount of drift. The drift creates some turbulence on the water, and that disturbance decreases significantly the sea aggressiveness. The pounding felt when going upwind in strong seas almost miraculously disappears and the boat does not heel as much. This is MUCH more comfortable. It's a little bit like "parking" the boat on idle speed. The limitations of this technique are: a)you need enough sea room because of the important drift; and b) beyond a certain level of wind, other measures need to be taken (we won't get into this here since not too many charterers get caught in 50kts winds. Hopefully!)
2. How To Do It
Let's say you've been beating hard upwind for quite a while on a port tack in 4 to 6ft. seas, no reef on your sails, the wind is about 16kts. You're the only one on board to be able to steer and you want to take a break. Or you're hit by a squall with 30kts wind gusts, and you would be more comfortable waiting until it passes. Here is what to do:
Sheet in the main sail tight. You're already going upwind so you may just have to give the main sheet a few turns on the winch.
Tack the boat but do not touch anything on your head sail, jib or genoa (I know, this is the weird part.) It is a good idea (unless you know exactly what you are doing) to make the initial tack very slowly: head into the wind until the speed has really come down before finishing the tack.
When you finish the tack, you're now on a starboard tack, your main has switched side (normal) but your headsail is now in a position you have not seen before: the head sail is set against the wind with its clew is to windward instead of leeward as usual, meaning that even though you're now on a starboard tack, the clew is on the starboard side of the boat.
Note: If you do not know what a clew or a starboard tack are, do yourself a favor, take on roller skating and forget sailing
Lastly, turn your steering wheel all the way to windward and lock it. To make things clear, since you are now on a starboard tack, turn your wheel all the way to starboard. If your boat has a tiller, push the tiller all the way toward your main sail and lash it.
You now notice an uncanny change in the boat attitude (obviously!): the pounding against the waves has stopped and the boat is slowly moving and drifting in a smooth and comfortable behavior, at about 45°off the wind. Isn't this the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Now, one bit of caution: not all boats react the same way to a heave to position. So if you intend to use this technique, we suggest you try it in smooth waters with moderate winds.
3. Some Other Ideas for Use of This Technique
Heaving to can be useful for reefing (or dropping) the main. In fact, if conditions are rough or you don't have an autopilot, heaving to whilst reefing comes in pretty handy.
When you want to have lunch in more peace & quiet, and you are not up against a particular schedule, heaving to can be very pleasant, and lets the helmsman enjoy the meal as well.
It can be also used it when rendezvous-ing with the dinghy (if you are single handed sailing whilst crew were ashore in dinghy) - it made getting the crew back on board a snap. For this you obviously have to have enough sea room clear of a lee shore and the conditions need to be settled or you may lose some of the crew!
4. How to Get Out of It
When you are ready to resume your normal course, do this.
Unlock your wheel or unlash your tiller.
Turn it all the way to the other side (it was locked to starboard, so turn it all the way to port.)
The boat will turn almost to a complete 360° and you will find yourself back on the port tack you were on before the beginning of the maneuver.
This is not rocket science. It is a very simple maneuver, which every self-respecting sailor should know for his/her safety and comfort.
This is from: http://www.sailonline.com/seamanship/Heaving_to_man.html
1. What is "Heaving to"?
When a sailboat is set in a heave to position, she slows down considerably and keeps moving forward at about 1 to 2 kts, but with a significant amount of drift. The drift creates some turbulence on the water, and that disturbance decreases significantly the sea aggressiveness. The pounding felt when going upwind in strong seas almost miraculously disappears and the boat does not heel as much. This is MUCH more comfortable. It's a little bit like "parking" the boat on idle speed. The limitations of this technique are: a)you need enough sea room because of the important drift; and b) beyond a certain level of wind, other measures need to be taken (we won't get into this here since not too many charterers get caught in 50kts winds. Hopefully!)
2. How To Do It
Let's say you've been beating hard upwind for quite a while on a port tack in 4 to 6ft. seas, no reef on your sails, the wind is about 16kts. You're the only one on board to be able to steer and you want to take a break. Or you're hit by a squall with 30kts wind gusts, and you would be more comfortable waiting until it passes. Here is what to do:
Sheet in the main sail tight. You're already going upwind so you may just have to give the main sheet a few turns on the winch.
Tack the boat but do not touch anything on your head sail, jib or genoa (I know, this is the weird part.) It is a good idea (unless you know exactly what you are doing) to make the initial tack very slowly: head into the wind until the speed has really come down before finishing the tack.
When you finish the tack, you're now on a starboard tack, your main has switched side (normal) but your headsail is now in a position you have not seen before: the head sail is set against the wind with its clew is to windward instead of leeward as usual, meaning that even though you're now on a starboard tack, the clew is on the starboard side of the boat.
Note: If you do not know what a clew or a starboard tack are, do yourself a favor, take on roller skating and forget sailing
Lastly, turn your steering wheel all the way to windward and lock it. To make things clear, since you are now on a starboard tack, turn your wheel all the way to starboard. If your boat has a tiller, push the tiller all the way toward your main sail and lash it.
You now notice an uncanny change in the boat attitude (obviously!): the pounding against the waves has stopped and the boat is slowly moving and drifting in a smooth and comfortable behavior, at about 45°off the wind. Isn't this the greatest thing since sliced bread?
Now, one bit of caution: not all boats react the same way to a heave to position. So if you intend to use this technique, we suggest you try it in smooth waters with moderate winds.
3. Some Other Ideas for Use of This Technique
Heaving to can be useful for reefing (or dropping) the main. In fact, if conditions are rough or you don't have an autopilot, heaving to whilst reefing comes in pretty handy.
When you want to have lunch in more peace & quiet, and you are not up against a particular schedule, heaving to can be very pleasant, and lets the helmsman enjoy the meal as well.
It can be also used it when rendezvous-ing with the dinghy (if you are single handed sailing whilst crew were ashore in dinghy) - it made getting the crew back on board a snap. For this you obviously have to have enough sea room clear of a lee shore and the conditions need to be settled or you may lose some of the crew!
4. How to Get Out of It
When you are ready to resume your normal course, do this.
Unlock your wheel or unlash your tiller.
Turn it all the way to the other side (it was locked to starboard, so turn it all the way to port.)
The boat will turn almost to a complete 360° and you will find yourself back on the port tack you were on before the beginning of the maneuver.
This is not rocket science. It is a very simple maneuver, which every self-respecting sailor should know for his/her safety and comfort.
This is from: http://www.sailonline.com/seamanship/Heaving_to_man.html
Hi Jeff
Thanks for your very quick responce. I do understand what you have to do but not all boat are the same.
Have tryed doing it on my E35-2 but with no luck Boat will not stay in the Heave to position.
Do i need to Reef one or boath sails to stop the boat from going throught the tack i surpose is more the question?
Thanks for your very quick responce. I do understand what you have to do but not all boat are the same.
Have tryed doing it on my E35-2 but with no luck Boat will not stay in the Heave to position.
Do i need to Reef one or boath sails to stop the boat from going throught the tack i surpose is more the question?
Jeff Asbury
Principal Partner
Yeah, to be honest I have had a bit of difficulty when I have tried it on my E-27. It has worked best with the 140 furled to about 2/3 rds. I thought I might have jumped the gun in assuming you hadn't tried it. I am sure you will get more replies. I leave the main un reefed.
Solving it
If the problem is that the boat wil not stay close to the wind while hove to, and despite having the helm hard over, it keeps bearing away under load from the headsail, you probably don't have the main sheeted tight enough. Or, if you have a large headsail and reefed main, there may not be enough sail area behind the CG to keep the boat's head up. Usually, if the boat was sailing reasonably well balanced before you heave to, with appropriate sail area being fown for the conditions, it will heave to just fine.
To fine tune, sheet the main harder if it won't stay close to the wind, or ease it some if the boat keeps rounding up (less likely). Both models will heave to just fine once you get the "pressures" right.
Cheers,
S
If the problem is that the boat wil not stay close to the wind while hove to, and despite having the helm hard over, it keeps bearing away under load from the headsail, you probably don't have the main sheeted tight enough. Or, if you have a large headsail and reefed main, there may not be enough sail area behind the CG to keep the boat's head up. Usually, if the boat was sailing reasonably well balanced before you heave to, with appropriate sail area being fown for the conditions, it will heave to just fine.
To fine tune, sheet the main harder if it won't stay close to the wind, or ease it some if the boat keeps rounding up (less likely). Both models will heave to just fine once you get the "pressures" right.
Cheers,
S
NateHanson
Sustaining Member
Seth, it sounds to me like Mark's problem isn't the boat bearing off, but rather gathering too much headway, and then tacking through the wind. It's not luffing up and getting pushed back by the backwinded jib.
It could either be gathering too much forward speed too quickly, so that the boat isnt' stopped by luffing before it can turn through the wind. Or it might have too much pressure on the main. Or it could have the helm over too far to windward.
To address the pressure you can try lowering the traveller to leeward. Might also need to play with the helm. On a spade-ruddered boat with a quick responsive helm, it might turn too quickly, so the boat doesn't have time to luff to a stop before the bow is steered across the wind. So you might need to straighten out the rudder just a bit - not have it cranked all the way to windward. Of if it's getting too much drive, maybe the main and/or jib could be flattened more to give them less acceleration, so you don't speed through the tack.
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maybe..
I am still not clear what he means when he says "going through the tack"...
1). You are sailing along on stb tack, and wish to heave to.
2). WITHOUT uncleating the headsail, slowly tack the boat, so that the headsail is backed. Then try and head back up into the wind as far you can. The boat should stabilize with the headsail still backed, , the wind still coming over the PORT SIDE, and the boat making slow headway. If you have allowed the boat to slow enough, you should be able to lash the tiller to LEEWARD (as if trying to tack back to stb), but the boat cannot get head to wind and tack because of the backed headsail.
So, Your problem must either be:
a). The boat (after you make the tack and the headsail is backed) will not stay bow up, and bears away under the load of the backed headsail and picks up speed...or
b). Tacks back to starboard tack. Unless you really work at it and have a lot of speed after the initial tack to heave to, this is very unlikely. The backed headsail will almost certainly prevent you from being able to tack back to stb. The only way I could see this is with a very small jib in flatter water and light-medium conditions-enough to get the boat sailing along at 4-5 knots, but the jib is so small relative to the main that the IS able to tack back-but again, I would be surprised.
The more common problem is the boat keeps bearing away after you make the initial tack to heave to, and you can't get it back up to a close to the wind (but hove to) position.
The solution is to make the initial tack slowly, and as soon as the headsail is backed, steer back up towards the wind to slow down as much as possible, but keep the headsail backed. When the boat is nearly stopped, leave the tiller/wheel neutral, and see what she wants to do. If the wants to bear off, put the helm to leeward and lash it to keep the bow up. If she still will not stay up, trim the main tighter until she does. If this does not do it, as I said before, you likely have too little main up, or too much headsail..
So, having said all this, please confirm which of the problems you are having as described above-then we can really help you..
I am still not clear what he means when he says "going through the tack"...
1). You are sailing along on stb tack, and wish to heave to.
2). WITHOUT uncleating the headsail, slowly tack the boat, so that the headsail is backed. Then try and head back up into the wind as far you can. The boat should stabilize with the headsail still backed, , the wind still coming over the PORT SIDE, and the boat making slow headway. If you have allowed the boat to slow enough, you should be able to lash the tiller to LEEWARD (as if trying to tack back to stb), but the boat cannot get head to wind and tack because of the backed headsail.
So, Your problem must either be:
a). The boat (after you make the tack and the headsail is backed) will not stay bow up, and bears away under the load of the backed headsail and picks up speed...or
b). Tacks back to starboard tack. Unless you really work at it and have a lot of speed after the initial tack to heave to, this is very unlikely. The backed headsail will almost certainly prevent you from being able to tack back to stb. The only way I could see this is with a very small jib in flatter water and light-medium conditions-enough to get the boat sailing along at 4-5 knots, but the jib is so small relative to the main that the IS able to tack back-but again, I would be surprised.
The more common problem is the boat keeps bearing away after you make the initial tack to heave to, and you can't get it back up to a close to the wind (but hove to) position.
The solution is to make the initial tack slowly, and as soon as the headsail is backed, steer back up towards the wind to slow down as much as possible, but keep the headsail backed. When the boat is nearly stopped, leave the tiller/wheel neutral, and see what she wants to do. If the wants to bear off, put the helm to leeward and lash it to keep the bow up. If she still will not stay up, trim the main tighter until she does. If this does not do it, as I said before, you likely have too little main up, or too much headsail..
So, having said all this, please confirm which of the problems you are having as described above-then we can really help you..
I've had trouble with this tactic on board modern fin keeled
boats, Ericsons in particular. My experience has been that the
boat won't stay up even with the boom above centerline and
a scrap of jib unfurled in anything above about 22 knots. Instead
it wants to lay beam on to the seas-the most vulnerable position
for a knock down. Short of deploying a sea anchor, we've always
ended up hand steering whenever it got really nasty. If any one
else has successfuly hove to aboard a small Ericson in deteriorating
conditions I'd really like to hear about it.
Martin
boats, Ericsons in particular. My experience has been that the
boat won't stay up even with the boom above centerline and
a scrap of jib unfurled in anything above about 22 knots. Instead
it wants to lay beam on to the seas-the most vulnerable position
for a knock down. Short of deploying a sea anchor, we've always
ended up hand steering whenever it got really nasty. If any one
else has successfuly hove to aboard a small Ericson in deteriorating
conditions I'd really like to hear about it.
Martin
Richard Murphy
Member II
My attempts at bringing my E25+ to the hove to position ended up just like Martin King's attempt's. I would always have the Main reefed before I would hove to,anything over 15k. Seth tactic's sound interesting, I will try to hold her close to the wind with the tiller and see what she wants. I will play with the size of the of the head sail, Its to ulgy in a blow to shake out the reef in the main. Sailing season is comming soon to us New England sailors.
Rich
Rich
Morgan Stinemetz
Moderator
Heaving to...
Guys,
I've heaving to on and off for a long time. The last time it really paid off was when my crew of one and I were coming back from Cuba and were just too damn tired to sail the boat any longer. We were out in the Straits of Florida, so we just backed the working jib (that's the one that works best on my E-27 in my experience) and we already had a reef in the main. We put the helm down--tiller to the leeward side--and tied it down. The tiring motion stopped. We were able to get some sleep. My guess would be a couple of hours, and we were both in the cockpit, where we could stretch out. My boat has a keel, of course, and stays upright easily. I would assume that if a boat had a centerboard one would have the board down. Can't see where there would be a problem with lateral stability if the sails were balanced. Practice it in benign conditions. It's a great way to relax and go virtually nowhere.
Morgan Stinemetz
Guys,
I've heaving to on and off for a long time. The last time it really paid off was when my crew of one and I were coming back from Cuba and were just too damn tired to sail the boat any longer. We were out in the Straits of Florida, so we just backed the working jib (that's the one that works best on my E-27 in my experience) and we already had a reef in the main. We put the helm down--tiller to the leeward side--and tied it down. The tiring motion stopped. We were able to get some sleep. My guess would be a couple of hours, and we were both in the cockpit, where we could stretch out. My boat has a keel, of course, and stays upright easily. I would assume that if a boat had a centerboard one would have the board down. Can't see where there would be a problem with lateral stability if the sails were balanced. Practice it in benign conditions. It's a great way to relax and go virtually nowhere.
Morgan Stinemetz
heave to/ho!?
I found heaving to on both my 27 & 30+ worked best when using a #3 (110%) headsail. Both boats would "bob" along very nicely, a comfortable motion which allowed the crew some needed rest. This is in the Great Lakes which are noted for their short choppy seas, yet it still works. I have not tried it with my E34 as of yet. It has roller furling which may make some difference (as you roll the sail you reduce sail area but tend to move the center of effort up & forward). On the smaller boats it took a little tweaking to get them comfortable but once set up it was remarkably comfortable. Definitely a skill to have if your venturing out of sight of land, IMHO.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 #265 "Escapade"
I found heaving to on both my 27 & 30+ worked best when using a #3 (110%) headsail. Both boats would "bob" along very nicely, a comfortable motion which allowed the crew some needed rest. This is in the Great Lakes which are noted for their short choppy seas, yet it still works. I have not tried it with my E34 as of yet. It has roller furling which may make some difference (as you roll the sail you reduce sail area but tend to move the center of effort up & forward). On the smaller boats it took a little tweaking to get them comfortable but once set up it was remarkably comfortable. Definitely a skill to have if your venturing out of sight of land, IMHO.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 #265 "Escapade"