Heaving-to myths.

[roqdocs]

I've only hove-to once. I read about the process in "Heavy Weather Sailing" book. We were returning from Bermuda to Beaufort, NC. We experienced gale force winds for 36 hours in 15 foot seas and 8' swells Bermuda side of the Gulf Stream. (Saw 8 dolphins jumping SIDEWAYS through the waves. The spume was amazing.) We were motor sailing with a 1/3 of 110% jib out . (Roller furling, quartering the seas.) About 20 hours into this mess our fan belt broke. Had crew topside and told them we were going to hove-to: Backwind the jib. Turn rudder in opposite direction. id est: / sail \ rudder. They believed me as i went back down below. . Boat immediately settled down. Absolutely amazing. Changed fan belt from start to finish in 20 minutes and we were on our way. No main used. 1999 Hunter 410, deep draft keel. Amazing what one can remember from a book! Just keep in mind... when you need to do it, there's no time to think about it. All is good! (BTW.. we have 32,000 miles under the keel of this great boat. and still have her. She is still in pristine condition. Only owners! That Bermuda gale was an astounding experience and have never been in weather like that since. Arrived in Beaufort and there were boats that had their dodgers blown out at dock. God takes care of fools and sailors! )

[charliehows]

my boat forereaches under bare spars in really bad weather, wouldnt dream of having enough sail up to heave-to. I mostly use heaving to when lowering sail to enter an anchorage, to make necessary radio calls or to calm the deck if anything a bit complicated needs doing. There may be a very few people who have experimented with heaving to in storms, probably the survivors were just lucky rather than having discovered a viable technique for improving their chances.

[belizesailor]

Depends on the boat and how its rigged of course...not all boats will have a loaded sheet across a stay. Certainly most multihulls wont.

Thats all you got for an objection to heaving to?

[roqdocs]

CharlieHows: There may be a very few people who have experimented with heaving to in storms, probably the survivors were just lucky rather than having discovered a viable technique for improving their chances.

On a long offshore trip your WX reports are good for 2-3 days. You are on your own after that. Not an experiment: Real life! Not "Lucky" was prepared! Like a good Boy Scout! Like a "sailor." Strange comment, jaded? but oh well.?? Get off the dock!

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Journeyman

All the advice on heaving-to tends to read:

"All you have to do is tack the boat without releasing the jib sheet and voila with a few adjustments to the mainsail and rudder you are hove to for heavy weather".

That is patently NOT true.

Doing that puts a huge point load on the upper shroud where the sheet has to stretch across it to the clew of the now back-winded jib.

That point load would be very dangerous in heavy weather to the rig. And not desirable in moderate conditions.

I can only conclude this heaving-to advice comes from those that don't actually do it. Or purposely leave out a bunch of other complicated steps that are necessary to accomplish it.

When we tried it recently on our Valiant Esprit 37 with a partially reefed 110% jib, I felt like the entire mast could come down with the jib sheet stretched bar tight high against the upper shroud. And even if you ignored that eventuality, the shroud would most likely saw through the sheet due to chafe riding out weather.

The only means to heave to must involve carefully running a second sheet (on a bucking, rolling, awash deck) inside the shrouds adjusting the jib sheet car accordingly, while at the same time trying to keep what is now two sheets on a flogging clew from whipping themselves furiously into macrame knot.

And to get going again you would have to laboriously undo this ad hoc solution of multiple sheets.

Comments? Better advice?

Thanks,
Journeyman

I can't tell you how it works with your Valiant Esprit 37 and a 110% jib. In my opinion that is quite a large sail to be using in conditions where heaving to is necessary.

However, on my sloop, with an 85% jib (our working jib) and a reefed main (usually double or triple reefed, but that is not required) the technique you described

Originally Posted by Journeyman

"All [we] have to do is tack the boat without releasing the jib sheet and voila with a few adjustments to the mainsail and rudder you are hove to for heavy weather"

works quite well.

We have done it in heavy conditions, however we prefer to continue to sail.

As for wear on the jib sheet (against the shrouds), the jib is quite over sheeted and basically stalled. There is no pressure on the jib sheet against the shrouds. If the boat falls off slightly and the main tries to drive the boat up against the jib, then there is some pressure. Not much, and not for long).

Edit: I will add that our working jib sheets inboard of the shrouds, so it does not even go across the shrouds when backwinded for being "Hove to".

The competent skipper will survey the boat for chafe and wear frequently.

When the boat is settled down (it will be) then rigging a sheet inboard of the shrouds, if that is your fear, is not such a problem.

Going forward when hove to is not terrifying. (in fact, I do not feel worried about going forward in any conditions, we have a clear foredeck and good jack lines). Do not cower in the cockpit. Put on your foulies, a good harness, and go to work (forward) when needed.

We also "heave to" with no jib. The mainsail is sheeted hard and slightly to windward and the rudder lashed to leeward. The boat comes up slowly to weather then stalls. It falls off and begins to pick up speed, then rudder points it up again. This is not preferable to using a jib when "Hove To" but it works.

Our boat, a powerful masthead sloop, performs these maneuvers without issue, that is the advantage of a modern, performance, boat. But I think that almost any well designed boat, sloop, cutter, ketch, full keel or fin, will do much the same with a little experimentation.

[bensolomon]

I heave to frequently in my hunter legend 37.5 with bsckwinded jib, main sheeted tight mid ship, and rudder to windward. Also did it many times in a jeanneau 42, both times in coastal atlantic from Chesapeake to Montauk. Worked great for meals, sleep, repairs.

[Journeyman]

don’t really want to use the cap shroud as a loaded up jib sheet “turning block”, and since the forward end of my genoa/jib track has the car aft of the shrouds, it sounds like the only option is the carefully placed snatch block-to-the-toerail forward of the shrouds, and then run a 3rd sheet thru it clear of the shrouds, as suggested above.

that will be some exciting foredeck work in gnarly conditions!

sigh.

hence my complaint about the ease of heaving myth as discussed in zillions of articles by experts over the years.

thanks for the help amigos,
Journeyman

[Heathenly Twins]

I like the idea of moving the sheet inboard of the shroud, I will try that. Thus far I only have hove to for bathroom breaks and reefing/sail changes and haven't had issues. Come to think of it, the boat hove-to nicely with just the main up. Marconi rigged twin keel 7000lb disp. FWIW

Thanks for bringing this subject up, by the way, you may have saved me some grief on my next cruise

[Cheechako]

Heaving to in normal windy conditions is entirely different than in a gale or storm. I dont feel it's a viable tactic when seas are too big. Water is stronger than wind. You head up, green water overcomes the boat, it heads down and then wallows in a trough dangerously. repeat until rolled.

Stand facing a 50 mph wind.
Now stand facing a ton of water that hits you full frontal.
Let me know which has more force! .

[MrChris]

I guess that with an increasing wind most people would have all or most of that sail considerably reduced before the need to heave to arose.

Originally Posted by Journeyman

All the advice on heaving-to tends to read:

"All you have to do is tack the boat without releasing the jib sheet and voila with a few adjustments to the mainsail and rudder you are hove to for heavy weather".

That is patently NOT true.

Doing that puts a huge point load on the upper shroud where the sheet has to stretch across it to the clew of the now back-winded jib.

That point load would be very dangerous in heavy weather to the rig. And not desirable in moderate conditions.

I can only conclude this heaving-to advice comes from those that don't actually do it. Or purposely leave out a bunch of other complicated steps that are necessary to accomplish it.

When we tried it recently on our Valiant Esprit 37 with a partially reefed 110% jib, I felt like the entire mast could come down with the jib sheet stretched bar tight high against the upper shroud. And even if you ignored that eventuality, the shroud would most likely saw through the sheet due to chafe riding out weather.

The only means to heave to must involve carefully running a second sheet (on a bucking, rolling, awash deck) inside the shrouds adjusting the jib sheet car accordingly, while at the same time trying to keep what is now two sheets on a flogging clew from whipping themselves furiously into macrame knot.

And to get going again you would have to laboriously undo this ad hoc solution of multiple sheets.

Comments? Better advice?

Thanks,
Journeyman

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Journeyman

...Doing that puts a huge point load on the upper shroud where the sheet has to stretch across it to the clew of the now back-winded jib...

Mr Journeyman. I do have to agree with you about the danger of putting a big load, especially a shock load, on the shrouds, especially high up.

I once broke a mast on one of my previous boats when sailing with the spinnaker in strong winds (for fun, some fun!)

The spinnaker pole fitting on the mast broke and the spinner swung wildly, the boat rounded up, the spinnaker guy was right across the cap shroud, and when the spinnaker filled with a bang, it twisted the swept-back spreader right off the mast and down came the rig. It happened about as fast as it takes to read the sentence.

So it's something to be aware of.

But your jib is smaller than a spinnaker, and probably the sheet will hit lower on the shrouds, and unless you have swept-back spreaders, it should not have much leverage that can easily damage the rig.

Then there is the option to rig a temporary sheet inboard. Once you are hove to you will amazed at how calm everything gets. Going forward to rig a temporary sheet won't be too daunting.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Heaving to in normal windy conditions is entirely different than in a gale or storm. I don't feel it's a viable tactic when seas are too big. Water is stronger than wind. You head up, green water overcomes the boat, it heads down and then wallows in a trough dangerously. repeat until rolled.

Stand facing a 50 mph wind.
Now stand facing a ton of water that hits you full frontal.
Let me know which has more force! .

Cheechako, That is not my experience.

Even in 50kts the waves are rarely dumping green water on your deck. More often its the top of a breaking wave, mostly white water, that hits your boat. Yes it's plenty powerful and it will knock your boat back (and you too, if it hits you).

The technique which works for me is to be sailing on a tack, upwind, when going into a heave-to maneuver and having enough speed on so that you can complete the tack. Put the helm down and let the boat come around, past head to wind before getting in irons, and don't release the jib. Immediately put the helm down the other way as if to tack back, but control the boat with the helm so that it stops before coming back to "head to wind" position. Then fiddle with the main sheet and the helm until it all stabilizes.

I think this can be done in very severe conditions however I admit I have not done it in much over 50 (although Judy says it was, she always sees higher numbers on the wind speed gauges than I do).

If you read Allard Coles or Bill Tillman they both vouched for that technique in very serious weather.

[MicHughV]

I have to chime in here...
The one and only time I had to heave too.....On a ketch rig......I sheeted the reefed main in tight to the centerline of the boat, and lo and behold, the boat settled in to a sideways movement, with slight forward motion and was as calm as rocking a baby to sleep...

[JPA Cate]

Do not cower in the cockpit. Put on your foulies, a good harness, and go to work (forward) when needed.

Them's pretty strong words, Fred. However, I did find that if I were putting off going forward to change sails, or whatever, that that was the moment to go get the harness on and go do it! Eventually, I realized that i was a little scared, procrastinating, and the harness made me feel safe *enough* to go whatever needed doing. I must admit I was a lot younger and more fit then. Still, doing those things has taught me a lot that there is no other way to learn, than by doing.

Ann

[Mr B]

Im on a 34 foot Cat, I only sail off shore with plenty of open ocean to sail in,
In bad weather with very high winds and waves, I run before it,
No matter what direction it is, Storms only last a day or two,
Im in no hurry to be any where, When the storms blown itself out, I change direction back to were Im going,
I never heave too or stop, I keep going, Its not fun to stop in big waves on my boat,
I run about 30 degrees off the wave line,
I drop my drive leg as a drogue, and lock it down,

I use about a foot or so of my Genoa, Depending on the wind strength,
The main is strapped down and the cover is on it,
I have stopped using my main as the effort is not worth the extra one knot that it gives me,

I usually maintain sailing between 5 and 10 knots, No matter how strong the wind is, or how high the waves are,
Its comfortable, Flat and level, And I enjoy the ride,

I dont even attempt to go upwind, It batters my boat chronically and is very uncomfortable, It slams chronically also,

I dont have weather reports on my boat, So I take it as it comes, Im in it,

The picture is in Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia,

It was a seven day trip and I had wind on one day only, But I did manage 9 knots on 3/4 of the Genoa in 3 metre waves, That was a good days sailing,

Cheers, Brian,