Heaving to

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I'd also recommend befriending a good delivery skipper and crew for him or her, getting more practice that way... it's a good way to learn a lot in a short time...

That's VERY true! Good advice. I've never done it, personally, yet know people who have. That aside, "doing it" (sailing) is much better than reading about it (books, Internet). Want to learn to sail? Go sailing. (haha)

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by misfits

I remember reading somewhere that the majority of men recovered after a overboard incident were found with their zippers down. Can't make this **** up..

Do you have any evidence to back this up? I've never heard of a documented case, so I would like to see it. This is repeated a lot. Perhaps it is all about duck hunters or something unrelated to sailing. Even then I doubt it.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Do you have any evidence to back this up? I've never heard of a documented case, so I would like to see it. This is repeated a lot. Perhaps it is all about duck hunters or something unrelated to sailing. Even then I doubt it.

We have all heard or repeated often, and I believe there may be some truth to it. Your likely off balance a little and only have use of one hand, it could happen
However I doubt position of the pants zipper is something that would be written into an accident report

[thomm225]

Get an autopilot.

For what you are talking about, relieving yourself, going below, etc, it will work great. You'll need it anyway if you plan to sail any type of distance sailing.

Learn to heave to also, but you will use the autopilot much more than you will heave to

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We have all heard or repeated often, and I believe there may be some truth to it. Your likely off balance a little and only have use of one hand, it could happen
However I doubt position of the pants zipper is something that would be written into an accident report

I find the undone zipper is more an age related thing rather than a pee over the side thing.
Also.. Anyone peeing over the stern deserves to fall in..
One should always pee at the leeward shrouds or keep a decent plastic screw top in the cock pit..

[thomm225]

The large Simply Orange containers work great! I keep one above and one below decks.

Or if it's really rough, just pee in the cockpit (or in your coffee cup) which is much better than in your wetsuit like we used to have to do when racing beach cats while trapped out during distance races

https://www.target.com/p/simply-oran...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[danielamartindm]

Every vessel is different when it comes to heaving to. To find your boat's "sweet spot" think of it as a battle between fore and aft sails, and what you have to do to make them negate each other. Your SOG provides valuable feedback in approaching a hove-to state.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

We have all heard or repeated often, and I believe there may be some truth to it. Your likely off balance a little and only have use of one hand, it could happen
However I doubt position of the pants zipper is something that would be written into an accident report

a few years I actually saw a USCG annual report concerning drownings that listed a lot of factors from gender , life jacket / no lifejacket, vessel involved in accident vs falling overboard , blood alcohol content and likely contribution to drowning, and it even listed the statistic of state of undress. ( yes zipper down)
they found a direct correlation to the state of inebriation and the state of undress. And yes there were females that drowned with their pants down.

I posted it over on sailnet at the time.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by newhaul

a few years I actually saw a USCG annual report concerning drownings... And yes there were females that drowned with their pants down.

I posted it over on sailnet at the time.

I blame the Mermen..

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Many boats heave to with mainsail only.

Yep, I recently read about a guy doing this on a Bristol 27 under double reefed main and I plan to test it soon with a single reef or no reefing depending on wind speed

It makes perfect sense as the boat will swing toward the wind as the main is centered. If you bring the main in slowly, the boat should move close in to the wind but not tack thru.

This should work great on a long or full keel boat.

[TrentePieds]

Wedivebc:

Your boat should be a piecacake to heave to and be very stable once she is trimmed in that condition. I take it you have the sloop version? If you have the ketch version, it'd be even easier :-)

Are you sure you understand how the forces of wind and water need to be balanced between one and the other so the boat essentially oscillates twixt one limiting condition that reverses the direction in which she is being driven, and another limiting condition that also reverses her direction and drives her back again?

As someone said, the genny is NOT the sail to use for this job. What you want to achieve is that the boat goes chunking forward slowly because of the drive of the mainsl and, under the influence of the helm laid to weather, turns to weather. With a headsl of APPROPRIATE area back-winded, the boat will stop before she comes through the eye of the wind, and she will then fall off because she has no way on 'er to cause the rudder deflexion to turn her head up. As the head falls off with no way on 'er, the main begins to drive again, and the whole see-saw routine starts over again.

The are TWO essentials to this maneuver: Firstly, the main has to provide the correct amount of drive. That depends on TWO things: a) area set being correct for the given wind-strength and b) the trim of the main-sheet permitting the main to luff just before the boat loses her way. Secondly, the headsl has to be the right area for the given wind-strength so the falling off doesn't become overwhelming. You only need just enuff and no more! Sheet trim is immaterial since the headsl is backwinded.

I would think that rudder deflexion would be just about right at 15º. If you don't have an actual rudder indicator, then next time you are on the hard, make note of what actual deflexion you get for a certain turn of the wheel.

In TrentePieds 15º of deflexion is two hand-breadths from the king-spoke where the rim is marked with a tasteful little turkshead.

TP is on the Island too. If you'd like to meet up sometime, drop me a PM

TrentePieds

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Yep, I recently read about a guy doing this on a Bristol 27 under double reefed main and I plan to test it soon with a single reef or no reefing depending on wind speed

It makes perfect sense as the boat will swing toward the wind as the main is centered. If you bring the main in slowly, the boat should move close in to the wind but not tack thru.

This should work great on a long or full keel boat.

Yeah, I believe that is usually referred to as fore reaching. Works pretty well for me and heaving-to with what we used to affectionately used to refer to as a working jib. But with a genoa you have to let out so much on the sheet so that she doesn't fall off to a gybe that the genoa just flaps a lot.. at least with mine.. but then again how many folks need to heave to in conditions where you still have a genoa up, or out?

[boatman61]

Reef your main and sheet it in hard and centered, furl in the genoa to third reef mark then tack and leave the genny so she's back winded.. set your helm 2/3rds over turning to windward then play with the genny in or out more till you get her balanced..
Sometimes you have to manage with what you've got.
Usually its very little genoa needed unless you want to fore reach.

[thomm225]

No, this guy was talking main only. No jib involved.

I'll be testing this soon, but I think it will work fine on my boat with it's full keel

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Reef your main and sheet it in hard and centered, furl in the genoa to third reef mark then tack and leave the genny so she's back winded.. set your helm 2/3rds over turning to windward then play with the genny in or out more till you get her balanced..
Sometimes you have to manage with what you've got.
Usually its very little genoa needed unless you want to fore reach.

I'm a hank-on guy