Tips on how to Heave To.. Please

[jimbouy]

Hi

Last weekend on DS course we covered Heaving To.

Tack the boat. Leaving foresail sheets alone so Genny backs.
Let go main sail and as the Genny backs swing the helm back over.

The boat (Bev 38) gently swings in and out of the wind making a smidge of way.

Knowing that I've not been able to get my boat to Heave To...

I pipe up with " will this work on any boat as i thought there was abit more to it"

"No any boat will do it"

So yesterday I give it another quick try in Lady Jayne (17ft BK)

And as expected it doesn't work. She just carries on thru the tack.

Am I right that I need to get a little bit of power from the main so as to get some water passing over the rudder? Or may be less of the Genny?

Or am I missing something (or perhaps several things)



<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[Talbot]

He is correct as far as it goes , in that all boats will heave too, but some are a lot easier than others, and for some (like mine) it is a real waste of time. Best to reduce your genny until it is forward of the shrouds (reduces possibility of sail damage), and alow a small amount of drive from mainso that the main is pushing one way, and the backed genny the other. On my cat you need a small amount of way , and then she will surge forward to the popint that the genny overpowers the main, then pay off quickly, then surge forward again, all the time moving sideways at up to 3 knots! Not something I would ever contemplate doing for real

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[Sunnyseeker]

Keep trying, it does work on every boat I've tried from a Merlin Rocket to Rival 38 to Hunter 707.
But it is a balancing act of forces on rudder/keel against windage and sail plan. Without being on the boat its difficult to tell what you should alter, but its worth playing around with, and it will vary with wind strength and sea conditions on some boats.
Its worth it in the end.
Neil


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[jimbouy]

Hmm.
When I have more time on my hands I'll have a little play about. It would be nice to know that I can get her to do it, and to see how much ground she covers in which direction(s)

It may be an academic excersice but interesting to see.


Jim


<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[jimbouy]

I can see I need to try and analyse what is happening.

I reckon the first thing is to roll up some of the Genny, as quiet frankly we seemed to be spinning worryingly out of control... which worried me a little.


Jim

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[steve_l]

I was taught the "boom boom" method...
Push the tiller hard towards the boom and when the boom swings over, pull the tiller back over to the boom side of the boat again (assuming you're sitting on the weather side of the boat). Don't touch anything else in the meantime. Lash the tiller in place and the boat should then be sitting at some angle to the wind with the headsail backed, drifting slowly downwind. The actual angle will depend on the boat...
Always works for me, long keel, short keel, big, small...

Not sure what you mean by "let go main sail"? Shouldn't need to touch the main...
Maybe that's the problem...?

Another thing to try is...
Drop (or furl) the headsail, sheet the main in hard, rudder centred. Boat will then slowly tack back and forth through the wind making very slow headway to windward. I've used this on boats up to 30ft. Haven't tried on anything bigger but I've been assured it works also...

Happy heaving to! )
-steve-

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[charles_reed]

Heaving to

I've found that whilst many boats will heave to with an overlapping foresail some refuse to do so unless the clew is in front of the mast.

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[Talbot]

<<Drop (or furl) the headsail, sheet the main in hard, rudder centred. Boat will then slowly tack back and forth through the wind making very slow headway to windward>>

Dont try this on a cat in a strong wind unless you are feeling very brave!

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[charles_reed]

You need some keel

to grip the water - so trying to heave-to in a pusser's issue whaler is also quite an interesting challenge

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[jhr]

An academic exercise?

Like you say, I'd definitely keep experimenting. It may be an academic exercise or, alternatively, the day may come when you're damn glad you persevered! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[jimbouy]

Not sure what you mean by "let go main sail"?

On the DS we let go the main sheets and just left the main to its' own devices.

Furling the genny and sheeting in the main would, I reckon, work in the way you describe... this is pretty much what I do at the moment when starting the OB ready to go back in to the harbour.

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"

 

[charles_reed]

Far from being an academic exercise

it's probably one of the most useful manoeuvres (next to arriving and leaving) that you can master.

I sail about 3500 miles a year mainly single-handed and heaving to is invaluable in any seaway when:-

You want to cook and eat a meal
get a bit of shut-eye without being thrown off the bunk
Use the toilet

Of course most yachties take care to never experience any seaway...

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[steve_l]

Never tried it on a cat.
I can't visualise the effect so please explain.
Be interested to know what happens...
...always better to learn from other peoples mistakes )

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[snowleopard]

if you sheet the main hard in on a cat in strong winds and leave it so that it can bear away and fill the main....

your drift may be greatly reduced by the main acting as a sea anchor/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[steve_l]

Okaaayyyy...
Don't touch the mainsheet!!! At least, not until you've "stopped". It's needed to balance the effect of the backed headsail. I think you'll find that's the answer...
Once you've "stopped", THEN you can play with the mainsheet a little if the boat is too much broadside to the wind... But it should never be free to it's own devices!

Good luck!
-steve-


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[steve_l]

Even without the headsail(s)...?
With only main, the wind pressure should be all aft of the mast, or is the mast on a cat so far forward that there is a component forward of the centre of hydrodynamic balance.
Or do cats behave so much differently from keelboats.
Not trying to be difficult, just that I really don't know and would like to fill that knowledge gap... )

-steve-

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[mirabriani]

Yes, Heaving to seems to be a question of balance.
I need the no 1 jib to heave to successfully.
With the genoa up I heave to pointing backwards
It is worthwhile experimenting
Regards Briani

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[Talbot]

really depends on the cat, cause masts are in different places on diffferent cats, but a hard sheeted main at stopped or slow speeds in a strong wind, will cause the boat to either accelerate very quickly, or tip over, depending on where the mast is in relation to the boat, and the characteristics of the particular boat. It is not something I intend to try! /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif You are far better off in these conditions to stick out a series drogue or a parachute from a multi (choice depends how much sea room and what direction you want to travel)

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[steve_cronin]

I'm not clear what you are doing with your helm?
It needs to be downwind - that is the end of the tiller on the opposite side to the back-winded genny so that she's trying to round into the wind as she fore-reaches but the backed foresail is pushing her back.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[jimbouy]

that's what i did but the force of the genny was far greater than the affect of the helm and she just carried on round away from the wind.

<hr width=100% size=1> "It is a pleasure to give advice, humiliating to need it, normal to ignore it"