heaving (or hove) to

[Peter]

When you have heaved (or hove) to, assuming everything set correctly, you have a rate of drift. My novice question is. In what direction do you drift in and at what speed, is it in the direction of the wind or in some other direction under other influences?

Peter

 

[DoctorD]

Good question!. Depending on your boat the wind will basically push you sideways at maybe a knot or more. At the same time the tide will be moving you over the ground. your actual movement over the ground will be a combination of these two effects.

I've been experimenting heaving to in my boat (great for a cup of tea when you need a rest e.g. yeterday in the Solent). I lie with the wind just forward of the beam and slowly drift sideways.

Graham

 

[AndrewB]

Normally at an angle slightly greater than a right angle to the wind, with the bows pointing around 60 deg to the wind. The rate of drift is ideally under 1 knot. This way, in rough open water, the yacht is not beam on to the waves, and creates a slight 'slick' for itself to ease the motion. A modern lightweight fin-keeler will be difficult to hold in this position and keep this slow though, except on sheltered water.

 

[HaraldS]

Usually you have some control over this, by varying surface of main vs. jib and the position of the helm.

If you like you should be able to almost stall any forward progress, in which case you drift with wind and waves. Not so good as you can be pushed backwards and the rudder might not like it.

More typical is to be pointed about 60 degrees to the wind, going sideways at one to two knots, so the resulting direction is 30 degrees off from the straight down wind direction.

I usually go beyond that and give her some forward motion around a knot or two. That is what you would read on the log. The drift component is about the same size but sideways and a bit backwards, so that the resulting direction is about 120 relative to the wind. I prefer this as is gives me more helm and lets me point even higher than the 60 degrees and then you take the waves better.

It is worth trying this with your boat in moderate conditions, every boat is a bit different.

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: heaving to a Ketch

I had a go at it a couple of weeks back in a F5 using half furled Genoa and Mizzen (no main).
Seemed to make a knot and a bit at about 50 degrees. I dont know what it would be like at sixes & sevens.
Has anyone experience of this?
Is it better to drop the mizzen and use what would probably be a reefed main. As I've yet to try it this way.