Heaving To (How does it work ?)

[B27]

Again, this depends on the boat. My PDQ would do that, my F-24 will snap into irons and stay there. Almost as good as heaving too, as long as you lock the tiller. The F-24 with main only is really stable in irons. To get it out, if backing does not work (and often it does not), lift the CB. Then it falls right out. To sail with main-only, lift the CB half.

Some boats can be remarkably stable 'in irons'.
Some can be unpredictable, more so if the sea isn't flat.

The worst I've experienced is borrowing an RS600 dinghy, a fast light singlehander with trapeze.
It's party piece was to get into irons, accelerate backwards then capsize bow over stern.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

can also be handy to pick up a fore & aft or swinging mooring, heave to upwind & do a little forward / reverse blast of the engine now & then to slowly drift onto the mooring.

And a very easy and fast way to get back to a MOB if sailing upwind. Tack, heave to, engine on and usually reverse back and drift down.

It works very well, I recommend folks to try it.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Some boats can be remarkably stable 'in irons'.
Some can be unpredictable, more so if the sea isn't flat.

The worst I've experienced is borrowing an RS600 dinghy, a fast light singlehander with trapeze.
It's party piece was to get into irons, accelerate backwards then capsize bow over stern.

That is an awesome party piece. More fun even than the dart 18, which, in anything over 15kn of wind, requires particular care when bearing off at the windward mark, or risk putting the bow so deep in the water you’d stop dead, and skipper and crew would fly gracefully forward, landing in the water, whereupon, if the boat didn’t capsise, they didn’t always, you would be run over by your own boat.

 

[westernman]

That is an awesome party piece. More fun even than the dart 18, which, in anything over 15kn of wind, requires particular care when bearing off at the windward mark, or risk putting the bow so deep in the water you’d stop dead, and skipper and crew would fly gracefully forward, landing in the water, whereupon, if the boat didn’t capsise, they didn’t always, you would be run over by your own boat.

I understand exactly what you mean.
I had a Hobie FX One, and that would pitch pole ass over tit if you gave it half a chance.

I did many pitchpoles, but never had the ignomy of being run over by my own boat.

 

[B27]

That is an awesome party piece. More fun even than the dart 18, which, in anything over 15kn of wind, requires particular care when bearing off at the windward mark, or risk putting the bow so deep in the water you’d stop dead, and skipper and crew would fly gracefully forward, landing in the water, whereupon, if the boat didn’t capsise, they didn’t always, you would be run over by your own boat.

Dinghy racing, I sometimes get to the gybe mark, look behind me and think ' I better not capsize, or I'll be run over by my 'friends'.'

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Dinghy racing, I sometimes get to the gybe mark, look behind me and think ' I better not capsize, or I'll be run over by my 'friends'.'

Switch to XODs. They’re so slow you can probably out-swim them if you fall out.

 

[Sandy]

The headsail.

On re-reading this is wrong. It is the mainsail, I knew that!

Look at the boom.

 

[Daydream believer]

Dinghy racing, I sometimes get to the gybe mark, look behind me and think ' I better not capsize, or I'll be run over by my 'friends'.'

Get lapped a lot, do you?

 

[Daydream believer]

And a very easy and fast way to get back to a MOB if sailing upwind. Tack, heave to, engine on and usually reverse back and drift down.

It works very well, I recommend folks to try it.

Really?
Only if you volunteer to be the MOB

 

[Rhylsailer99]

Its great for fishing as the boat will sit nicely without rocking and just drift slowly, also a life saver if rolling at anchor makes you sick.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Really?
Only if you volunteer to be the MOB

I would use my horseshoe lifebuoy to demonstrate the manoeuvre. I have gone in the water at anchor or on a mooring to allow crew to recover me back on board. I am fairly confident what works and doesn't work on my boat to get back to people and recover them from the water.