Heaving To

H

hainesta

New Member
Hi all,
I recently took a trip out to Santa Barbara and spent a couple of days taking private lessons on a Capri 16.5... Great fun!! My instructor taught me about Heaving to and it seemed to work very well on that particular boat.
I have read several procedures online on how to do this but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this on a !4.2... Is it possible with a boat this small? I'm a novice and am just wondering if the size of the boat matters. Most of the procedures I've read online seem to be for larger yachts.

Thanks in advance
Tim
 
How to heave-to

Here's how: On a close reach, sheet the jib all the way in. Now tack the boat, leaving the jib alone while letting the mainsheet all the way out.

Now you'll find yourself on the opposite tack with the jib on the "wrong side" and pressed against the upwind shroud. The mainsail will be luffing freely on the downwind side. You can take your hand off the tiller if you wish, as the boat will sail slowly and peacefully along like a little duckling, but making a lot of leeway.

We sometimes do this when we have to kill time between races, but want a rest from sailing back and forth while staying near the starting area. It's safe to do in a strong breeze, but be sure to let the main sheet run free as you turn.

To start back up, let the jib go and sheet it in normally, then sheet in the main.
 
Hey Ed, tell us more. I heard a different variation of this: after you tack, leave the jib as you describe but sheet in the main. Then lash the tiller over the other side (as if you want to tack again) and hold it there. The boat is supposed to rock back and forth. The main propels it forward, then luffs and the jib pushes it back. The main fills again and propels it forward, etc. Although I always meant to try this, I never did. However people claim it works.

I like the sound of your method because it is truly hands free. Plus you have done it in our boat. I'll have to try it some day. Do you leave the centerboard down fully?

When you do it, how far off center out does the boom end up? Would it be possible to lower the main for reefing purposes this way?
 
Heaving to revisited

Paul - I like my method a lot better because it completely unloads the mainsail. One of the main reasons for heaving-to is to take a break in windy weather. With my method, only the jib is in play, representing about 40 percent of the total sail area.

With the alternate method that you described, if it's windy, the boat (and you) are not relaxed at all. You're still banging around.

Is my method hands-free? Not entirely. Because you are still making a little bit of headway, you might want to steer it some, but if you need to let go, like to reef the main, you can. And it's easy to reef (or to lower) the main, because it's completely unloaded.
 
P.S. to the above

Paul - I forgot to answer a couple of your questions:

Yes, the main is completely un-sheeted. And the centerboard remains down. Why would it be otherwise? In windy weather one should leave the board down, period. In mild weather, it's OK to raise the board halfway on a reach or run (while racing), but if there's the slightest chance of capsizing, leave it down.

By the way, in the early days of C-14.2 racing, many racers raised their boards all the way when going downwind. Once when I was following another C-14.2 downwind on a windy day, I watched in amusment as he did a sudden 180-degree barrel roll. Needless to say, his board was up...
 
Ed: Re/ps

Ed: Where do racers leave their centerboards when running downwind these days?

Also, re/heave-to, you can also relieve the main as you suggest then adjust it and the tiller till you get a minimum of sailing and only have to contend with drift. I usually hold the tiller way over with my foot after everything settles down and really take it easy. Dick K.
 
Ed's downwind rules of thumb

• If it's blowing more than 10 knots I leave the board all the way down
• If it's blowing between 5 and 10 knots I raise it halfway.
• If it's blowing less than 5 knots I raise it 3/4.
• If it's a drifter, I raise it all the way.

Remember, if you need to suddenly manuever with the board up, you might not get the response you hoped for. For example, don't get in a luffing match with the board up.

Lastly, remember to drop the board before you round the leeward mark. (Oops!)
 
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