I absolutely have to learn how to heave to. Working with a
ranger 23 with a 90,130,150 jibs. I usually sail with the 130. It is slightly bigger than the mai. The
wind here is very light which I think is making hard for me to practice.
First off I should tell you that unlike my previous
Catalina 22 this
boat doesn't really round up into the
wind. I sailed the cat in
Hawaii and always had good wind, I'm adding that in case that's the culprit but I personally don't think that it. If I let go of the tiller in would round up into the wind and the
sails would luff. I took it as a matter of course that's what boats did. If I'm sailing the
ranger and let go o the tiller it starts doing what we it wants. Maybe just spinning in circles. 360. I've got to say I don't like it. But I don't know what to do about it. Also did I mention tere never any wind I practice in?
I understand the
concept of heaving to in theory although not having done it I don't see how it would
work. So I start a tack and right when the
jib starts to flatten instead of releasing the line like I would to follow through the tack I keep it locked down tight and keep it flattened on the windward side and move the tiller to the leeward side. As if I were trying to change my mind about te tack and continue on my previous course but since the
jib is flattened it tries to push me on a new tack and with old balance the
rudder and jib fight each other and the
boat points into the wind.
On my boat the second that jib becomes backwinded that boat is spinning. Now I have maybe four seconds before it continues its spin and I've got an accidental jibe happening.