Heaving To (How does it work ?)

[B27]

That is always a worthwhile goal.

The US Navy current dictionary says: Heave to: to bring the vessel's head or stern to the wind or sea and hold her there by the use of the engines and rudder. ...

I'll bear that in mind when suggesting what the USN do with their motorboats.

Various online dictionaries give a spectrum of meaning from simply 'stop' through 'stop head to wind' to 'stop using the sails to act against one another'.
The more modern and American tend towards the 'just stop' end of the range.

If 'heaving to' includes all these things, then we need a new term to define the classic backed-jib method?

I can see it's useful to say 'stop the boat and hold station head to wind' in two syllables.
I guess on a sailing boat, we have time to say 'back the jib and heave to'......


There's not much ambiguity on a diesel freighter.

 

[[194497]]

I finally got to try heave too on our new boat, with mixed results.

It's a Hunter Horizon 23 with self tacking jib. Having rigged a line to stop the jib traveller we tried heaving too.

The jib will back, but we could not find a stable position, Tiller free or hard over either way and the boat would just continue turning and end up sailing off the wind.

We had some limited success if you kept steering the tiller, you could keep it hove to for a short time, long enough to drop the mainsail, or put a reef in for example, but it was very unstable and required attention to stop it turning one way or the other.

I guess with the small self tacking job it is never going to heave to like a normal larger jib.

I had a Sonata which is fundamentally the same boat as a Horizon 23 and the only way I found to heave to was to sail to windward with the jib sheeted in, the mainsheet slacked off somewhat and the tiller fairly central. She'd pick up speed and bear away, then the main would fill, she'd luff up, lose the wind in the main again and lose speed. Depending on sea state and wind she would either find an equilibrium or keep luffing up and bearing away. The net result was a couple of knots to windward.
But the main flapped a lot and it wasn't that relaxing; good for a break to make tea or reef the main while single handed, though.
She needed a small jib for the wind strength for this to work. The self tacker on the Horizon might be about right. The trick was to slack off the main the right amount and to tie off the tiller in the right place, both by trial and error.

 

[Travelling Westerly]

When setting a reefed backed jib does having the sheet hard up against the shourds give any cause for concern regarding stresses on the rig etc?

 

[Poignard]

Also known as 'dodging'









Source: FV Gaul - Wikipedia

 

[srm]

Also known as 'dodging'

Been there, done that. 1970's working as a surveyor in N Sea for pipeline routes etc. We would have to spend time dodging, usually in the winter but there were the odd summer gales. One contract, mid winter, on a chartered ex Dutch sidewinder trawler. We spent a couple of days "dodging". When conditions eased we were able to head in to Peterhead. Radio call asking for permission to enter, harbour radio asked where we were from. . . . . . "You can't have been there, its been force eleven".

I had just bought my first cruising yacht and spent time in the wheelhouse watching the seas and wondering just how I would manage in a small sailing boat. Fortunately, I have never seen conditions like that when sailing, but did learn to avoid the N Sea in winter.

 

[Daydream believer]

When I was holed up in Peterhead one year the harbour master said that his son was at sea on an oil rig supply vessel currently just riding out a F10 for 2 days. I asked why they did not come back to Peterhead. He said that the vessel only got paid when at sea, so the owners insisted that they stayed at sea for as long as possible, to get max return for the vessel from the oil co. Seems that it was standard practice & they did it quite often.

 

[wingcommander]

Also known as 'dodging'

Not to be confused with the term dogging

 

[Rhylsailer99]

My Cobra 850 sits nice in a heaved to position.

 

[Jon magowan]

MORE HELP PLEASE !!

Ok, so out sailing today, F3 in my Bavaria 33.
Full Genoa, reefed main.
Tried to heave to.
Genoa backed, tiller full over to windward. Main totally released and flogging.
Boat stable, but I could not stop it going forward at about 2.3 knots.
Heading oscillating about 30 degrees and apparent wind about 90 degrees.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable and our wake was well behind us, instead of close to the beam, as I expected.
How do I arrest the forward speed ?

 

[Poignard]

MORE HELP PLEASE !!

Ok, so out sailing today, F3 in my Bavaria 33.
Full Genoa, reefed main.
Tried to heave to.
Genoa backed, tiller full over to windward. Main totally released and flogging.
Boat stable, but I could not stop it going forward at about 2.3 knots.
Heading oscillating about 30 degrees and apparent wind about 90 degrees.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable and our wake was well behind us, instead of close to the beam, as I expected.
How do I arrest the forward speed ?

The tiller should be put down to leeward. Not necessarily all the way.

 

[B27]

MORE HELP PLEASE !!

Ok, so out sailing today, F3 in my Bavaria 33.
Full Genoa, reefed main.
Tried to heave to.
Genoa backed, tiller full over to windward. Main totally released and flogging.
Boat stable, but I could not stop it going forward at about 2.3 knots.
Heading oscillating about 30 degrees and apparent wind about 90 degrees.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable and our wake was well behind us, instead of close to the beam, as I expected.
How do I arrest the forward speed ?

The rudder depends on forward motion.
You might reduce the forward motion to less than 2 knots, but not zero.
You should have a balanced rig to start with IMHO, Then tiller to leeward will counter the jib.

I am coming at it from what works in a fractional rig dinghy with big main, smaller jib.
there is a spectrum of what works on different rigs and boats.
To me, a couple of knots is fine, VMG at about 90 to the wind, tiller lashed or steering with my leg, main cleated, sandwich in hand.

In my yacht, I'd roll some jib for starters.
But don't copy people like me, experiment with your own boat and know what works in what circumstances.

Some old long keel boats will be a lot closer to the zero forward motion you hint at.
Heaving to in a fin keel boat is different, but still has real value IMHO.

 

[Jon magowan]

Thanks B27, all noted.

 

[Rhylsailer99]

MORE HELP PLEASE !!

Ok, so out sailing today, F3 in my Bavaria 33.
Full Genoa, reefed main.
Tried to heave to.
Genoa backed, tiller full over to windward. Main totally released and flogging.
Boat stable, but I could not stop it going forward at about 2.3 knots.
Heading oscillating about 30 degrees and apparent wind about 90 degrees.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable and our wake was well behind us, instead of close to the beam, as I expected.
How do I arrest the forward speed ?

your always going to move with the water i.e. tidal flow.
correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The rudder depends on forward motion.
You might reduce the forward motion to less than 2 knots, but not zero.
You should have a balanced rig to start with IMHO, Then tiller to leeward will counter the jib.

I am coming at it from what works in a fractional rig dinghy with big main, smaller jib.
there is a spectrum of what works on different rigs and boats.
To me, a couple of knots is fine, VMG at about 90 to the wind, tiller lashed or steering with my leg, main cleated, sandwich in hand.

In my yacht, I'd roll some jib for starters.
But don't copy people like me, experiment with your own boat and know what works in what circumstances.

Some old long keel boats will be a lot closer to the zero forward motion you hint at.
Heaving to in a fin keel boat is different, but still has real value IMHO.

It has value in any boat. The transformation from smashing to windward in 20kn of wind to the peace of heaving to has to be experienced to be believed. To rest, to take stock, brew some tea, have a meal, or watch all the other idiots wearing themselves out before a race start, what’s not to love.