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Heave-to balancing act

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/27/2009 : 10:39:58

Last night I went out on the Magothy River and with a light breeze of maybe 3-4 knots I tried to heave-to by backing the jib, slacking the main sheet a little, and tying the tiller to leeward so the main would drive the bow up into the wind. The 110 jib that I have seemed to overpower the main with the jib trimmed for a beam reach, and the boat kept turning downwind toward a jibe. So I let off more jib sheet until the power of the deeply-curved, backed jib was reduced to just keep the bow turned off the wind.

The boat then swung up into the wind by the force on the main and slowly swung down off the wind by the force of the jib, and it drifted on the angle of a broad reach at about 0.4 - 0.6 knots, turning slowly up and down. That was it!

Later I was sailing out on the Chesapeake Bay in about 10 knots of wind, and I tried again. I turned up into the wind, backed the jib, and slacked off the jib sheet to deeply curve the jib and reduce its power. I let the main out a little as before and tied the tiller to leeward. Now the bow quickly turned upwind and downwind over and over, slipping sideways at about 0.8 - 1.0 knots. It repeated this motion a few dozen times until I straightened the tiller and trimmed the sails to continue on my close reach at 4-5 knots.

Previously I had had no luck trying to heave-to, but it seems to be simply a matter of balancing the 2 sails' action. That makes sense. The next time I want a break from sailing I know I can heave-to and drift at about 1 knot or less in weak or strong winds without dropping the sails. I've got it now!

Thanks to others who also related their experience heaving-to.

Happy sailing!

JohnP
1978 C25 SR/FK "Gypsy"
Mill Creek off the Magothy River, Chesapeake Bay
Port Captain, northern Chesapeake Bay

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2009 : 17:20:56

Great post! Yeppers, it does work. The C25 does hunt a bit, but she still crawls as you described... Excellent exercise! Who's next?

sten

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Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 08/27/2009 : 18:06:10

Congrats, John.

I love the heave-to because it gives one an opportunity to rest, maybe use the head without having to perform a balancing act,

Good job,
Deric

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Don B
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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 05:37:05

Several months ago, out and about on a beautiful day, we became engulfed in a sea fog...probably couldn't see more than 20'- 30' in all directions. I decided to heave to as the wind was at the perfect direction to our next way point. A surreal moment to say the least...moving 1 - 1.5 kts toward our waypoint, dead silence all around, keeping an ear out for any wayward power boater or other vessel, and sounding off with the bell (air horn in other hand)every few minutes.

What a beautiful day!

Edited by - on

DaveR
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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 05:45:21

I still haven't gotten a chance to try this summer, it takes me 2 hours just to get out the inlet so much of my sailing is between the channel markers. I really am anxious to give it a try again though! And Congrads on your success John!

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windsong
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USA
318 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 07:54:13

I usually have a line out when I sail. When I get a bite, I heave-to, then I grab the pole and go to work getting the fish aboard the windward side. Depending on the wind, as you say, I sometimes have to play with the sail balance.

Edited by - windsong on 08/28/2009 07:55:01

jerlim
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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 08:32:37

Don - how long did you have to wait for the fog to lift? We never get more than a moderate haze out here, I'd be a little uncomfortable in that situation.

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dlucier
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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 08:41:55

Before heaving to, I set the sheets for a close hauled course, tack, then set the rudder hardover.

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Don B
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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2009 : 09:34:10

My heave to technique is exactly like Don's...my arse is closed hauled, tack, do not bring the head sail over, soon as head sail begins to backwind, the tiller goes hard over to windward. No playing with the balancing of any sails. I enjoy practicing the old heave to every time I go out..be it 2kts or 20kts.

Hey Jerlim, being enveloped by the fog was a little scary, but I had confidence in my gps and compass course, in addition to having a good idea where any hard object (like land) was located.

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Stu Jackson C34
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Response Posted - 09/01/2009 : 23:40:37

You HAVE TO BE close hauled to heave to. Congrats on your tries, it is the only way to learn, n'est pa? It is a balancing act. So balance it right.

Edited by - Stu Jackson C34 on 09/01/2009 23:47:38

pfduffy
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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 09/02/2009 : 06:42:30

This is my first season with my c-25 and I am still learning - so please forgive the blatant ignorance. This weekend, I was sailing on a very busy Barnegat Bay. Remembering this thread, I decided I wanted to try to heave to. Once I found a little bit of room, I came up to a close hauled course and then tacked without touching the jib sheet. When the jib was backwinded, I held the tiller on the new leeward side (aiming the bow back into the wind.) But instead of a nice gentle movement, it seemed like we started to heel over more than I expected. I also did not like the way the jib looked draped across the windward shrouds - it just did not look right to me. I think I did not have the jib sheeted in enough, or perhaps the cars were too far forward? What did I do wrong?

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jerlim
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USA
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Response Posted - 09/02/2009 : 07:24:43

Yes, the cars being too forward would allow the jib to gather too much wind, what size is the head sale?

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pfduffy
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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 09/02/2009 : 09:35:45

I believe it is a 135. The cars were located about even with the centerline of the aft windows. The jib did have quite a big "belly" in it.

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JohnP
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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2009 : 17:28:04

Pat,

You didn't tell us whether your boat stopped sailing and hove to, or kept sailing, or kept turning, or whatever. The backed jib does look odd, but that's what you need for heaving to.

It's clear that a mainsail with no rudder tends to turn the boat into the wind, and the backed jib with no rudder tends to turn the boat off the wind, so there should be a trim position using both sails that either holds the boat nearly motionless or else oscillates a little into the wind and a little off the wind.

Try again! You'll get it.

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Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 09/03/2009 : 18:55:38

In earlier heave to topics, we have said the boat needs to be balanced, hence this topic. As previously reported, my personal experience is that I have never sailed a Catalina with a jib larger than a 110. We've had a C22, C25 and C34. My guess is that the combination of the large 135 genoa with the wind conditions may have made you somewhat unbalanced. OTOH, as long as you hove to, as you reported, with sails set at close hauled, you did it right.

Pat, what were the wind conditions?

I would imagine that a 135 would like kinda weird backwinded, but if your fairlead cars were set right for closehauled, it should still work.

Edited by - Stu Jackson C34 on 09/03/2009 18:58:06

pfduffy
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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2009 : 06:17:27

The wind conditions were pretty light (about 5 knots.) The boat seemed to continue to turn off the wind and with my 8 year old aboard and a very busy bay, I did not give myself much time to experiment and fairly quickly continued the tack. Next time out, I am going to try it again, except this time with the cars further aft. I'll report back. Thanks for your support!

Edited by - on

JohnP
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Response Posted - 09/04/2009 : 06:26:01

With the jib tightly close-hauuled my boat also continued to turn off the wind, as I described, but then I released the backed 110 jib somewhat to give the jib a smaller profile with a curved pocket of sailcloth. For my boat that reduced the power of the backed jib, and the main could then bring the bow back up into the wind.

Edit: Sails and wind conditions described in the first posting above.

Edited by - JohnP on 09/09/2009 10:35:21

Stu Jackson C34
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844 Posts

Response Posted - 09/04/2009 : 14:04:33

It would be EXTREMELY helpful for all us when you report your results, please explain the wind conditions and the sails you have up. Like, 10-12 kts, 110 jib, full main; 15-18 kts. 110 jib one reef in the main, etc. Thanks, should save a lot of back and forth.

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GaryB
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Response Posted - 09/04/2009 : 19:52:51

I've hove-to in 12-15 with full main and I believe my 150 but it may have been my 110. I had to release the main just a little to get the boat balanced. The fore sail was set for close hauled. I was drifting sideways at 1.5-2 knots. It really seems to make the boat much calmer even in 1-3' waves.

The boat did not seem to "hunt" too much either once I released the main slightly. It just rode along sideways. Before I released the main slightly the boat was hunting or scalloping with the bow turning up and then dropping off the wind. I would imagine that getting the boat balanced will require slightly different settings each time because wind and wave action will be different.

I've only done this once so it may have just been pure luck that I got it balanced. I'm not that good of a sailor!

edit: (The more I think about it I must have had my 110 up that day.)

Edited by - GaryB on 09/04/2009 19:56:20

Stu Jackson C34
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Response Posted - 09/04/2009 : 23:23:28

Gary, great report, thanks. What you've noticed, and what is IMPORTANT for those learning to heave to, is that once you have the jib backwinded and the tiller is down to leeward, you MUST "play the main" with the mainsheet and sometimes the vang. You can avoid and almost completely eliminate the scalloping course by letting more mainsheet out and playing with it because the breeze is never completely constant. This is a NORMAL part of the maneuver. The amount of paying the main out with the mainsheet is based on the size of your jib and the wind speed. Remember, guys and gals, it is the BALANCING act. In fact, most first timers end up heaving to fine for the first two steps: close hauled and tiller down, but since the main was sheeted fully in when sailing close hauled, they FORGET to let the main out for the balancing act.

Keep trying and keep reporting, so more folks will learn.

Gary, it is NOT luck, you did your homework and research and tried it out. That's WHY it worked. And that's why you are now a GOOD sailor. I have a good friend who has had his C34 since new in 1986 and still has not learned how to do it! He only races, and rarely needs to do it, but years ago he used to cruise the coast. One day his engine quit. Instead of simply heaving to while they tried to find the source of the stoppage (turned out to be a pickup screen in the fuel tank that should have been removed long, long ago) while being bounced around in sloppy seas which were horribly uncomfortable. Those of you who have learned to heave to have ALL reported how CALM it really is. He shoulda learned......

I learned to heave to in classes my wife and I took when we first bought our 1981 C22 in 1983. Best classes I ever took!

Edited by - Stu Jackson C34 on 09/04/2009 23:32:33

windsong
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2009 : 06:18:19

One other component to heaving-to that I encountered this weekend. In higher winds, when the boat is overpowered, you must tack into the heave-to position VERY slowly. If you throw it over as though you are tacking, then the bow will swing too far downwind, and the main will not be able to bring it back up to 45 degrees.

I found this out Saturday, when I did a night sail from Myrtle Beach to Cape Fear, and arrived at the channel 30 minutes before dawn. I didn't want to enter till it got light, so I thought I'd heave-to at the edge of the channel and wait for daylight. Well, what I did was spend 30 minutes re-learning to heave-to. I'd never had trouble before, but I'd never tried it in high winds and seas, when I was overpowered. We had winds 15-20, gusting to 25 with 4-6' seas. It was raining, too, just to make the situation even more fun. I was not reefed, and I should have been. But it was dark and rainy, the storm had come on us quick, and I was dog tired from just 1-hour of fitful sleep on the wall of my boat and lack of help from two inexperienced crew. I know, excuses, excuses. Anyway, what I found was that I needed to turn across SLOWLY, almost locking in irons, then, just as the bow crossed dead-upwind, throw the wheel back so that when the main caught the wind on the other side, it would immediately drive against the substantial force on the jib. If I waited till the boat was across the wind to turn the boat back upwind, the bow would swing to a beam reach and lock there. I looked at the GPS at one point, and we were sailing at 4 kts with the jib backwinded, rudder hard over and heeling 30 degrees+. I could hear stuff crashing below decks. There was mutiny in the eyes of my crew.

By the time I figured all this out, it was light, and I was able to enter the channel. It was a hard-earned breakfast, but the omelet at PJ's sure tasted good. I voted to return on the ocean, but I gave my crew the option of motoring home on the ICW. They voted me down, perhaps fearful that I would subject them to more heave-to maneuvers.

Edited by - windsong on 09/07/2009 06:35:23

pfduffy
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USA
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Response Posted - 09/07/2009 : 18:28:52

Tried again today with much more success! Winds were 10 to 15 with gusts to about 20. Had a reef in the main and my very small jib (I think it is a storm jib - 75 maybe?) Around lunch time, we came up to a close hauled course and then tacked slowly. The boat basically stood straight up and after easing the main a bit ran a scalloped course at about 1 to 1.5 mph according to the GPS. What a comfortable way to eat lunch!!

If I've not said it before, this forum is GREAT!!!!

Edited by - on

Prospector
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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 09/09/2009 : 11:06:21

For a race pre-start (assuming start is to windward)...

At the 5 minute mark you can heave to (Stbd tack) above the line, and scallop your way down into the start box. Wait until you look lined up about right, gybe out of the hove-to position, and re-emerge on Stbd tack, close-hauled, and lined up for the start well rested without having spent the last half hour playing dodge-boat.

OTOH if you haven't played dodge-boat for the past 30 minutes, you will not have judged yourself against the competition, checked th eline, etc. so be sure you fit all that into the routine someplace.

Last weekend when we had 2 races back-to-back on the same day, heaving to was a great tactic for the second race start.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/09/2009 : 12:27:11

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 ...At the 5 minute mark you can heave to (Stbd tack) above the line, and scallop your way down into the start box. Wait until you look lined up about right, gybe out of the hove-to position, and re-emerge on Stbd tack, close-hauled, and lined up for the start well rested without having spent the last half hour playing dodge-boat...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I recall this guy just started racing last summer... Pretty impressive!

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Prospector
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Canada
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Response Posted - 09/09/2009 : 12:35:39

Dave... did you see the pic on the Iris blog of us 10 minutes after the start of our race on the weekend? The lead is impressive. A few guys in the fleet have started risking flying spinnakers in whitesail fleet to keep up with us. I just got a ruling of what our rules define a gennaker as, and will be watching 3 boats very closely next race ready to protest.

The biggest compliment is that all of the boats that I've caught have PHRF ratings about 40 points lower than mine, and I'm beating them all on straight time.

Back to heaving to. Its easy, try it. I have been hove to with every sail I own, except my storm jib.

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Dave Bristle
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 09/09/2009 : 17:23:48

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 Dave... did you see the pic on the Iris blog of us 10 minutes after the start of our race on the weekend? The lead is impressive. A few guys in the fleet have started risking flying spinnakers in whitesail fleet to keep up with us... The biggest compliment is that all of the boats that I've caught have PHRF ratings about 40 points lower than mine, and I'm beating them all on straight time.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Like I said!

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