Heaving-to

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (BestRevenge) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:22:35 GMT

Thanks for the input. I'll keep practicing with different configurations.

The previous post quoted sailonline: "the drift creates some turbulance on the water, and that disturbance decreases significantly the sea agressiveness". So, the goal is stay leeward of that turbulance to the extent possible, and not out-run it. I bought a parachute-anchor, if necessary. I've practiced with it on deck, but haven't gotten it wet yet.

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (SteveInMD) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:10:29 GMT

In violent seas I would consider 1 or 2 knots to be "stopped".

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (azure42) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:10:31 GMT

Except maybe on a lake, it's rarely possible to get any boat to "truely stop" for anything other than a short period of time. Current, wind, wakes, etc. will always work to keep some motion going. Unless Bahama-moored or fore-and-aft, even at anchor a boat will swing around or "sail". Heaving-to is about as good as it gets on open water.

From sailonline:

When a sailboat is set in a heave-to position, she slows down considerably and keeps moving...

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (BestRevenge) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:06:17 GMT
Has anyone been able to make a C42 truely stop? That is, the condition described by Larry Pardey et.al. in which the boat gradually slides to leeward creating a 'slick' that calms a violent sea.

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (svzephyr44) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:25:31 GMT
I agree. I just haul the lazy sheet until it is tight - brings the jib to the "wrong" side of the boat and she calms down very nicely. Since I have a big overlapping jib there is some desire to furl just so it isn't dragging against the mast as we sheet it down but it is really not necessary.

I agree, in a very strong wind I would be at the second reef point in the mail and have all but a little of the jib furled. But the real key it seems to me is to get the lazy...

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (azure42) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:30:36 GMT

BestRevenge wrote:
How much headsail (% of foretriangle) do you have out?

Usually, all of it. The mainsail too.

It's not clear from your posts if you are back-winding your foresail when you say you're sheeting it in. That's an important key to heaving-to. I've never had any trouble getting the boat to balance out and slowly fore-reach. Obviously in a...

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (SteveInMD) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:56:31 GMT
What conditions are you thinking of? I'm sure it will be be very different in 20 knots with standard sails vs 60 knots with a storm main and jib.

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (BestRevenge) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:14:16 GMT
How much headsail (% of foretriangle) do you have out?

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (do335) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:53:04 GMT
I've always had success back winding the jib, leave the main loose and turning the wheel into the wind. Slowing to 1 kt is what you want, you won't come to complete stop, just slow and steady fore reaching.

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (BestRevenge) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:36:19 GMT
You're right. That's the standard (textbook) way. However, probably based on traditional fat-underbelly boats. But it seems to be recognized in books/video by the experts that this may not work with modern racer-cruiser designs.

I've found with experimentation so far that with the windage in the bow of a C42; or probably any other boat of the racer-cruiser design; you must keep some mainsail up and sheet in the headsail to little or nothing, otherwise the bow goes...

Re: Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (SteveInMD) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:10:57 GMT
I've not tried it but wouldn't the standard method be sheeting in the jib on the windward side with the helm part way over trying to point the bow up wind? The jib and helm should be at odds with each other keeping the boat balanced.

Heaving-to

feeds@yuku.com (BestRevenge) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:54:29 GMT
What's the technique to make a C42 heave-to? The best I could do was leave the mainsail up on the 2nd reef and roll-up the headsail all the way with full opposite rudder, giving me a fairly docile boat, but still moving forward at around 1 knot.