How to heave to?

[prv]

Given you only heave to in strong winds and big seas

No I don't.

In fact, to the best of my memory, precisely none of the times I've hove to have been in strong winds and big seas.

Any reason from needing a pee in confined waters (so not safe to leave the boat sailing under autopilot) to eating lunch while in no hurry to get anywhere to letting my mate down below carve a whole roast ham without things flying off the saloon table. But not (yet) in storm conditions.

Pete

 

[DanTribe]

I must be doing something wrong. I never sail with the topping lift on.

Nor do I, but some people do.
I once suggested to a club member that his boat would go better if he slackened the topping lift.
Apparently it was supposed to be like that because an expert had set his rig up for him and nothing ever needed adjusting.

 

[PhillM]

Just don't forget that while the boat is parked, the water is not.

When "playing" around to see how it worked one afternoon we managed to get from near Gurnard almost to Yarmouth. Good job that was my chosen destination

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I have a question that I've never understood...

I've hoved-to a couple of times as practice, but I understand it's something you'd do in a storm.

So I'm confused - if you're sitting there, with your sails 90 degrees to the wind, why doesn't your boat get blown over violently?

Key point in Storyline's reply is "stalled". Just like an aeroplane that has stopped going forwards will not produce any lift from it's wings so a sail that no longer has air flowing across it (as opposed to blowing straight at it) will not produce any "lift". It's almost like you're going downwind but with the boat turned sideways. Hopefully (in a well-behaved boat) heaving to means very little forward motion - so no pitching - as well as not lying to a beam sea and still having the sails up and acting as a big damper.

 

[mjcoon]

Key point in Storyline's reply is "stalled". Just like an aeroplane that has stopped going forwards will not produce any lift from it's wings so a sail that no longer has air flowing across it (as opposed to blowing straight at it) will not produce any "lift". It's almost like you're going downwind but with the boat turned sideways. Hopefully (in a well-behaved boat) heaving to means very little forward motion - so no pitching - as well as not lying to a beam sea and still having the sails up and acting as a big damper.

I understood chrisbitz's question better than I do that answer. A better answer would explain why heaving-to is different from a broach or knock-down, which I think was really the question.

And maybe the answer is that the sails are not really at right-angles, though it is difficult to show that without a diagram (can anyone do one?). And also the several comments that a large genoa should be partly rolled away.

Mike.

 

[oldvarnish]

I understood chrisbitz's question better than I do that answer. A better answer would explain why heaving-to is different from a broach or knock-down, which I think was really the question.

.

It's difficult. I'll have a go, and I might be wrong.

The chief benefit from being hove-to is that the boat is not moving forward through the water. In effect, you are bobbing up and down with the seas like an empty bottle - the safest position to be in. As long as you stay on the inside and the sea remains in the outside, you will be OK. It might not be pleasant but you will survive.

The effect of the sails is only to dampen the motion and hold the boat at an angle to wind which prevents her from running off.

As I understand a broach, it is a result of the stern of a boat being lifted by a wave while the bow digs into the back of the previous one. If the boat is not making forward progress that is less likely to happen.

As regards a knock-down - it seems that the traditional hove-to set up with main and backed jib brings the boat more beam on the seas making her more vulnerable to a breaking beam sea. This is why some people choose to run downwind, slowing the boat with ropes or a drogue to prevent a broach as described above.

That's how I've always seen it, anyway.

 

[Salty John]

I understood chrisbitz's question better than I do that answer. A better answer would explain why heaving-to is different from a broach or knock-down, which I think was really the question.

And maybe the answer is that the sails are not really at right-angles, though it is difficult to show that without a diagram (can anyone do one?).

Mike.

If you go back to page one, there's a link to my blog where there is a diagram.

 

[Salty John]

Regarding a broach and knock down compared to being hove-to the obvious difference is that being hove-to is a deliberate defensive action, the others aren't.

In my experience the trick with heaving-to is to find the balance between the boat's tendency to fall off the wind (assisted by the jib in most cases) and the main's tendency it drive it up to windward. The fine balance being achieved by the rudder position. Thus, the boat is stalled and drifting slowly more or less downwind depending on the boat and the conditions.

If you drop all sail you're lying ahull, not hove-to, by the way.

 

[mikeinkwazi]

If you go back to page one, there's a link to my blog where there is a diagram.

Salty John is correct. I have hove-to hundreds of times like this for all kinds of reasons from anchoring or having a pee to full gales (under storm jib and tripple reefed main)
NB some boats with narrow fin keels will refuse to play!

 

[dylanwinter]

hove to

settles the boat nicely for a bit of filming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2jqraoL8N4

D

still looking for a centaur

 

[mjcoon]

Regarding a broach and knock down compared to being hove-to the obvious difference is that being hove-to is a deliberate defensive action, the others aren't.

Ah, mental approach is always important in physics!

Mike.

 

[sailorgirl]

Just to add that every boat is a bit different as to the final position of the rudder. You just have to see what feels right at the time. You will end up drifting slowly at about 45° to the wind so it is worth taking that into account when deciding what tack you choose.

We proved we could heave to without a rudder a few weeks ago and with the headsail furled so it was backed within the fore-triangle, actually steer the boat using both sails, hard work but we had control despite the rudder loss. After a couple of days of enforced practice we were almost steering our original course too though wobbling about back and forth more than a bit. When we wanted to rest we let out a bit more jib and eased the main so we genuinely were hove to. The boat looked after herself quite happily in quite big seas.

 

[oldvarnish]

We proved we could heave to without a rudder a few weeks ago and with the headsail furled so it was backed within the fore-triangle, actually steer the boat using both sails, hard work but we had control despite the rudder loss. After a couple of days of enforced practice we were almost steering our original course too though wobbling about back and forth more than a bit. When we wanted to rest we let out a bit more jib and eased the main so we genuinely were hove to. The boat looked after herself quite happily in quite big seas.

Very impressive. Tell us how you lost your rudder.