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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Hoving to. Has anyone tried in a C25?

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/27/2007 : 16:14:05

My Pearson 30 used to crawl at a quarter of a knot with the main reefed to the second set of reef points, and a scrap of genny slightly back winded, and the tiller tied off. My '82 FK is obviously smaller with more windage and less ballast... Anyone tried to hove to?

sten

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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3285 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2007 : 16:51:52

Of course, I do it all the time. Under backed 155 and full main the boat lays about 90 degrees to the wind and slowly forereaches at about 2 knots.

I am sure under smaller sails and reefed or double reefed main you could get the boat closer to the wind and moving slower.

I usually use the autopilot to simply hold the tiller all the way over.

Heaving to really settles and calms the boat in almost any seas.

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Simonw
Deckhand

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8 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2007 : 16:52:20

Sten, Every boat should be able to heave to! As an instructor I always get my students to try it on the first sailing outing! Its great for a preliminary to Man-over-board drills or merely relaxing for a family meal break let alone storm procedure!
All Fin keel boats will behave worse when hove to than a long keel boat. You just have to go out and try it! If the boat has a center board make sure it is down or you will just go sideways.
You are only balancing hydrodynamic and aerodynamic forces so practise with your own boat and find what the particular procedure is for you.
Its a good technique for single handing too! Heave to when you want to reef the main and its much simpler!

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kevinmac
Admiral

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USA
732 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2007 : 22:05:45

I was taught to heave to in a Catalina 25 in my first keelboat sailing class. Worked fine.

Your language reminds of something I have been wondering about. All of my teacher have taught me that you "heave to", and when you are done, the boat is "hove to". The skipper starts with "prepare to heave to".

Very rarely I hear folks use it as you have, with skipper saying "I want to hove to the boat. Prepare to hove to."

Is this a regional dialect difference, maybe east coast vs west coast? I read old sailing novels, like Patrick O'Brian, and they always say "heave to", so I don't think it is "older" language.

Not that it matters a hill of beans, just something I have been curious about.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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6855 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2007 : 22:14:15

I think grammatically you are correct Kevin, however if you check with any of the guys who have been on this sight as long as I have you will find grammatically I suck, so take it for what it is worth.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/27/2007 : 22:20:02

I think you're right this time, Duane...

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britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2007 : 08:22:22

Google found this
http://www.sailonline.com/seamanship/Heaving_to_man.html

Paul

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bbriner
Captain

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349 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2007 : 10:02:11

I don't have a tiller-pilot so when I'm by myself heaving to is a great way to take a break; also, if it's really blowing and I need to reef I often will heave-to and reef from there. To do so, I start on a port tack and go close-hauled and crank down the jib (usually a working jib) as much as possible then I tack slowly but leave the jib alone. After tacking I release the main and push the tiller over (like I'm trying to tack back) and lash it to the port stern rail (via the stern cleat). Then I kick back, have lunch, visit the potty, watch the air races or whatever. Don't fall asleep though because you will drift slowly downwind and forward - but if you start from a port tack then when hove-to you are on a starboard tack. At least then you have *some* protection with the ROW rules in your favor.

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redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2007 : 16:59:32

Hmmm... many thanks for the responses. Perhaps I should have worded my post differently. Of course it is possible to put nearly any sailboat in the hove to position. The question really should have been - have you ever sat out a squall while hove to? The other reason to hove to in a bluewater boat is to create a slick that calms the approaching seas. This is largely a function of the keel creating a disturbance in the water that softens the blow of advancing seas.

One of the fine features of the C25 is that she handles more like a daysailor than a bluewater vessel. This is great for bays and short offshore runs. But at anchor or at sea under bad conditions, these same attributes can render her vulnerable. Even with a long shaft, the c25 will not be able to simply motor out of a rolling seas situation as the motor will cavitate. Under those situations, heaving to - is that correct? - becomes the only real option and you are not going to do it with a backwinded 155 and a full main up... You can't move at 2 knots - you are moving out of your slick.

At anchor, she hunts. I can only assume she does some funny wobbles in the hove to position. So I was curious as to how she behaves in conditions where you really do need to hove to other than to get a fresh beer and use the potty. I resolve to try this summer under some realistic conditions just to fill the black box. I do tend to forget she is a C25 sometimes and I have run with bare poles with the engine in forward at a low throttle setting, praying every time she cavitated. Exciting, but not exactly fun.

sten

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Jmurfy
Navigator

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USA
176 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2007 : 23:31:26

I do it all the time in my C25.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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3285 Posts

Response Posted - 04/29/2007 : 08:47:21

The C25 is not really designed to be at sea in storm conditions with breaking seas such that you would like to see a slick to windward calming the breaking graybeards headed towards you. I have sailed my C25 in some pretty rough conditions, but never felt I wanted to heave to and wait out a storm. I heave to all the time in lesser conditions for one reason or another.

When winds are 30 knots and up and I'm in a C25 offshore Pacific ocean I generally want my storm jib or 110 up, my main double reefed, and be running off downwind. I've found that with double reefed main and no jib the boat won't point for anything in a big blow - thus the 60% jib I carry.

The worst storm conditions I've been in - major thunderstorms, night, well offshore in the Crew of 2 Around Catalina race, I chose to get headsail down, main double reefed, and motor to safety (double extra long shaft motor).

I think if you couldn't run off, heaving to under storm jib and double reefed main would work, you would probably find yourself beam on to the seas and slowly forereaching.

The C25 has pretty high freeboard and lots of windage. If you had to, running off downwind under bare poles could be an option, I think you would have to hand steer the whole time.

Slightly off topic, but no way is the C25 bow cleats or rudder beefy enough for a sea anchor so I wouldn't even consider it.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/29/2007 : 09:24:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JimB517
 Slightly off topic, but no way is the C25 bow cleats or rudder beefy enough for a sea anchor so I wouldn't even consider it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Actually, that's probably on-topic... What about a small drogue bridled to both stern cleats for running in big seas to help control your direction and prevent a broach?

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Ben - FL
Admiral

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880 Posts

Response Posted - 04/29/2007 : 12:19:57

I have my drogue in the cockpit lazarette ready to deploy in a moments notice. And after twelve years of having it aboard Chick-a-pea and previously Desiderata, I did finally decide it would be prudent to actually practice it once. I think a drogue goes hand in hand with heaving-to and MOB drills.

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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 04/29/2007 : 12:40:50

I keep my boat on a mooring in front of my house with the pendant attached to the bow cleats. Its been exposed to east wind gusts up to 50 knots with 4 foot waves and the bow cleats have not budged. I was obviously very nervous the first time this happened but am now very confident they will hold. I am considering a drogue or sea anchor and would have no problem deploying it from the bow cleats.

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