Heaving To
Distilled wisdom from members
By way of explanation for the uninitiated, Heaving To is a manoeuvre designed to limit the forward progress of a yacht, especially if the crew need a rest. You need sea-room. The jib is sheeted to windward to try to club-haul the yacht around, as if tacking. Against this, the helm is lashed over to leeward to drive the yacht's head into the wind. The mainsail can be left up and trimmed or taken in. If the yacht is trying to tack back, the windward jib sheet is tightened. If she tries to fall away the windward jib sheet is slackened. What we are trying to achieve is a see-saw, where the jib tries to push the yacht into a reach but as she gains way, the rudder pushes her head up into the wind. The yacht should fore-reach at about a ½ to 1 knot.
In March 2010, Shane - C29 Encore of Botany Bay posed this question
"Hi guys...
I have a query about heaving too. Last time I tried this was in a gust 20-25kts wind and I tacked over, backwinded the genoa (furled to 100%), pushed the tiller back over hard and the bow continued to turn downwind completely out of control, scared the crap out of my daughter and her boyfriend (and gave my confidence a little downward nudge).
So we had a perfect day out today, wind constant 10-12 knots, not much traffic and lots of sea room, so thought I'd have a play around with heaving to.
With the full 140% genoa out, we had a complete re-enactment of the above (I was expecting it, so there was no screaming this time...) I continued to reduce the genoa and try this over and again, I had to furl to approx 50% of the fore-triangle which is about 2/3rds of the genoa furled before I could get a reasonable out come, that is bring the boat to a stop and gently start drifting backwards (sidewards) downwind.
I also tried a gybing stop and this was a little more successful, but in this case I kept the main on to push the bow to windward and balanced the now backed (still heavily furled) genoa by adjusting the main until we nosed up about 30deg off the wind and stopped, of course as soon as I let off the main the bow got pushed away and we turned back down wind.
So what do you guys do??? Having to reduce the genoa to make a quick stop, is not a quick stop!!!!"
Graeme's reply
"Sounds pretty hairy Shane - good way to frighten the crew.
My C28 stops turning once I push the tiller hard over to the lee side after the jib backs. I have a different problem though: instead of pointing a bit up wind, she lays beam-on and lurches around like a real bugger. No matter what I do - less jib/more jib, play with the tiller, play with the mainsheet, same uncomfortable result. So far the best way I've found is to furl the jib and have the main sheet and tiller midships."
Ian's contribution
"Shane Not sure that I have much to add, my furling jib is about 120% on a C28. When heaving to, I find I have to play with the main and tiller to keep the bow at 30deg until the boat loses headway. Once it has settled down it sits ok, though the main generally needs tweaking when the tiller is hard over."
Dave's view
"I haven't ever really needed to heave to but I have read about it, tried it (briefly) and think I understand it.
Firstly, heaving to with a Genoa isn't recommended because if you are already overpowered whilst sailing, you will most likely still be overpowered when hove to. Also, even a 100% Genoa will be aback the spreaders and mast etc and if there is any sort of sea running will
start to chafe the sail etc. Heaving to is more often done with a working jib.
act as a large windvane keeping the boat steady.
then I get that cuppa going or have a lie-down if I needed a rest. This really WAS my secret for doing longer trips (e.g. 22 hours straight). Now I tend to turn it over to the wind vane and just keep going.
and Linda Dashew
Secondly, any time you have lee helm whilst sailing it means either you have too much headsail for the conditions or it is pulled in too tight or you have too little mainsail area or it is not pulled in enough. I suspect it may be the same with heaving to.
Being hove to, is a balancing act but once set up correctly, the boat should be relatively stable unless the wind/sea conditions change significantly. From what I have read (Eric Hiscock amongst others) the boat should have its nose well upwind and be fore-reaching slowly and making a lot of leeway i.e. moving through the water somewhat downwind of the direction she is pointing (crabbing). I do not believe the boat should be stopped or going backwards and that could put a lot of strain on the rudder.
Heaving to, should work well with our older kind of boats. Modern yachts still try to forge ahead too fast. All I can suggest is ease the heady a bit more and play with mainsail trim and rudder until you get balance. If you have a headsail furler, furl it some more. Some boats are happiest without a headsail.
Lastly, don't expect too much, compared with sailing upwind in such conditions, heaving to should be quieter with less violent movement, but don't expect it to "flatten" an angry sea.
Just my two cents worth."
Colin's view
"Heaving to, is a brilliant thing to do and maybe I just "lucked in". Moonlight Lady does this VERY well. We can be out in quite bad conditions and Hendrika will say "how about a picnic" and that is what we do! Heave to, bring out the food and drinks and enjoy. When we're ready we simply sail away again.
I have used it on an exhausting trip in high seas down the coast when I hove to, took a 30 minute nap to recover and sailed away again.
I find that the trick for us is to sheet the genoa in quite tight, adjust the tiller until we're JUST moving, tie the tiller down and she simply sits there! It is indeed a balancing act - and a simple one to master too.
On re-reading your description, I think you turned the tiller the wrong way...
Go out and experiment. You'll like this manoeuvre!"
Ken M's view
"Usually, when the decision is made to "heave to" it is as a last resort.
I say usually, because traditionally it means that the weather has deteriorated to such a degree that sailing is no longer safe, this means that the boat is triple reefed and a storm jib is hanked on. With this combination the boat "should" not be overpowered. As previously mentioned in this thread it is a balancing act.
When "hove to" the boat should be forereaching at about half a knot. It is recommended when heaving to, to place the boat on a tack that will lead it away from any shore or danger.
The easiest way to perform the manoeuvre is to tack the boat across the wind, leave all the sheets as they are and when the boat has completed the tack (Backwinded jib) pull the helm back to tack back again. You are now "hove to". Adjust helm and mainsail as required, but in most cases if the sail balance was right to start with, no adjustment will be necessary.
The larger the sail area, the more difficult it becomes and could lead to a knockdown.
Long keel boats usually perform this better than fin keels"
Doug's view
"Don't recall ever trying to heave to, but we do have another tool. What if you can't get her to hold her head to windward, maybe as a last resort the donk in gear just idling with the tiller hard to leeward with the sails set up as Ken suggests".
Roger's view
"Ahha Fundamental problem is to think all boats are the same.
Every hull and rig has different configuration so now sail them appropriately.
My C28 has a 140% genny and I find the easy way as follows:
Tack and dump the main, leaving the genoa aback.
Ease the genoa sheet some 600mm to 900mm
Play the tiller to kill forward speed and settle on a close reach with the helm lashed to leeward.
For the anoraks out there, no maths, but a more techie discussion: It is not the sail area that matters, that is related to the wind speed and should be "appropriate". It is the balance of the fore and aft forces that counts. Simplistically, look at the mast as a pivot and then consider the fore and aft forces from the sails. The main is easy and even when flogging the sail will encourage the bow to windward.The genoa is harder to understand, because whilst the sail is attached to the forestay, the leech is attached closer to the stern. Less sail area moves the centre of effort forward and thus minimises the turning force, but the same occurs when we move the fairlead forward.Sailing with the genoa aback will put a force on the shrouds and thus distribute the forces differently, so the sheet lead position is less significant. We can still adjust the sheet tension and thus move the centre of effort to achieve a balance that points the boat where we want to head, albeit slowly and a tad sideways.
Be safe, practice under a range of sea and wind conditions."
Ken M's reply
"I don't want to start a long debate on this Roger and I am always interested and willing to learn. I am going to differ a little on this with Roger in the interests of keeping some of the less experienced members sailing (or hove to) in an upright condition.
The difference in opinion is in the comment we both made about sail area.
As I pointed out the act of heaving to traditionally was used in situations where it had become the only remaining choice to weather a storm. Not as some members are now using it to stop and have a cuppa.
The amount of sail area remaining aloft will determine the how upright the boat will remain. Sure, you are correct in stating that it is all about balancing the effort fore and aft, but I certainly would not be heaving to in 30-40 knots of wind with a 140percent genoa backwinded. Nor as was originally stated a genoa furled to 100 percent at 20-25knots.
A large reduction in sail area does make the whole process easier to manage and more pleasant, IMHO.
Incidentally, I'll add a little addition to this discussion. When at anchor in an area subject to bullets of wind coming from different directions with the boat shearing around at anchor, try hanking on a storm jib backwards on the backstay, sheet it directly amidships and it should
The best boat we have had for heaving to was a South Coast 36 ketch. With a small jib and double reefed mizzen it was like it was parked in a parking lot. Ketches with their mast further forward than a cutter rig can be very easy to sail."
Ian's view
"I used to stall the rudder on tacks by pulling in the jib too soon and trying to steer back upwind with the rudder pushed more and more over to leeward, stalling the rudder. The effect was as you describe "turn downwind completely out of control". I found I can get out of that situation by letting the boat run a bit to avoid a stall, and then turn up when I have some forward speed.
It really sounds like you are stalling the rudder "pushed the tiller back over hard" and then "turn downwind completely out of control".
Hove to, a boat still needs to maintain headway. A stalled rudder will kill that.
Notwithstanding what has already been said about appropriate sail area, balance etc., I would suggest going easy on the rudder back to wind after your jib-backing tack so you always maintain headway; as Colin has said "adjust the tiller until we're JUST moving". It may mean you need to run a little (sort of broad reach) then ease back up. Colin, what do you do?
In Graeme's situation of lying beam on; A rudder is stalled if a boat is heading beam-on down wind. I would try to get some headway to get the rudder out of stall, then fine tune so you have 0.5 knot upwind.
Also try heaving to on a run (not a gybe). Run down until the main covers the jib (which are both on the lee side of the boat). Once the main covers the jib and takes the pressure off, sheet it to windward then slowly round up into the wind. If, as you say it heads back down as soon as you let off the main, sounds like you need some main to keep it balanced hove to.
Shane's View
Learning is all part of the fun; don't be shy of getting it wrong. Go out there on a nice day and have a go, chances are you won't get it right first or second go, that's why we should practice these things, and like what has been said already, all boats act differently. They can also play up on different days and types of conditions, so take down notes of what you are trying and the results, read your how to sail book(s) and get out there and enjoy. Or you could head out with some one that knows how, and get them to take you through the steps, then practice, practice, practice"
Another view from Colin
"Ian - glad you asked!
I confess that I really don't view heaving to very scientifically. Reading these posts I'm starting to think that I must have some exceptional setup or something - not intended I assure you! Although I used to heave to on my C28, Spindrift too with no effort.
I simply whack her over to the other tack leaving the foresail "as is" so it back-winds (great idea to check that one is not heading for a beach!). Then I adjust the tiller until I'm JUST moving and tie it down. I watch it for a few minutes adjusting the tiller as I need to
Because I heave to pretty casually now even just to have a picnic at sea, I don't usually need to attend to sails etc much, as the conditions are benign. But I have used it in 35 knots and a rough sea at night but even then I didn't do much with the sails as I was already reefed down.
Ken's comment about using heaving to as a last resort when sailing becomes dangerous has never been my issue - I've never got to that position. He has as he's a really hairy-chested sailor that has sailed FAR further than I have and had to face any weather that he encountered. I can usually choose - as most of us can. That would be a great time to know the finer details.
The "out-of-control" issue is surely short-lived in normal circumstances...? A yacht can be controlled as fast as one can get to the main halyard to stand her up and then to the sheets to release the backwinded sail and unleash the tiller. But passengers might get a fright! Poor things!
I really don't seek to trivialise this subject - I just don't find it hard to do and nor have I especially examined it. I just DO it, mostly for convenience but have not done so in really bad conditions as yet."
Another view from Ian
"As you may notice, in Shane's and Graeme's circumstances I am stuck on the stall theory. More so since you say you 'play with the tiller' to get the boat to sit right. As Geoff would attest, a stalled wing ain't a wing anymore. (A foil i.e. keel and rudder will stall at about 16°angle of attack to the water flow – G). I discovered the effects of a stalled rudder (exactly the same as Shane's experience) when I had an employee at the wheel (on a team building exercise). We tacked to windward and the boat did not head up (I sheeted the jib back in too soon!). The employee was confused and kept turning the wheel to windward. Then there was no control at the helm and the bow swung downwind despite a tight main. When I took the wheel, the rudder was hard over. Having experimented with that situation since, I notice you have to get some flow back over the rudder or the boat will stay that way. Usually that is straighten up the tiller, broad reach to get some speed before easing back up. Any quick and large tiller movements from ahead will stall it again. I think the key is to maintain headway all the way through the heave...hove...or whatever the noun is."
Mark's fin keel experience
"Hi All I've tried this a few times on my little Compass Westerly 26 and it seemed easy enough although I couldn't get it to stop completely. It's got a cruising fin keel and skeg, which probably explains it. I'm hoping the new boat with a long keel will work better.Anyway I've got a DVD from Lin and Larry that goes in to it in great detail. For total security in extreme conditions they suggest a big parachute on a bridle to hold you at an angle to the seas and keep you stationary and behind your "slick of disturbed water". I'll be kitting the new boat out with the required gear before we take off over the horizon... Love those guys!"
A last view from Ian
"Yes I had a small (21') trailer sailer and heaving to was easy because it would tack over quite quickly. I have noticed the C28 bow is prone to fall off in a tack unless I take some pressure off the jib until I have some headway. So I guess there needs to be a bit more 'take it slow' when heaving to from a tack. It is obviously possible given Colin's experience. I had not come across the luff up and stall. The one I mentioned was to run downwind with sails on the same side until the main blankets the jib, so the windward sheet can be hauled in. I like your non-sailor emergency procedure. I have the same situation with my wife. In addition to throwing anything that floats overboard, I had advised she just drop the main and jib which is somewhat more complicated than Colin's method."
From Greg B
"I have been reading this discussion with interest. I have hove-to a few times in ocean conditions with 30 to 35 kt wind and about a 3 m swell but not in a Compass. It's basically a balancing act."
A final note from Geoff Raebel
This has been a great post; lots of views, Ken and Roger have far more experience than I. I don't think any of the views are contradictory.
You just need to be aware of why you are heaving to and what the conditions are. While I might practice heaving to in light conditions with an overlapping genoa, if I was putting my head down for a rest or buying time so I can make a landfall after daylight. I can't imagine having anything bigger than a #3 jib up offshore, doing it for real. For a cuppa, I put on the tillerpilot Again, I would normally heave to by tacking and have the jib sheet, now to windward, ready to ease. Normally I lash the helm hard over and change the pressures with sail settings.
Lastly, something I am reading is, that for many of us, we are making automatic, learned movements, not entirely aware of the unconscious thought processes behind them.
HEAVING TO an extract from "Surving the the Storm" by Steve
When the time comes to take a rest or just hold station, you’ll want to consider heaving to. If you do so properly, your vessel will lie quietly with her head 40 to 50 degrees off the wind, rising and falling rhythmically as seas sweep under the hull. Drift, both forward and to leeward, will be minimal. If the seas are on the steep side, the slick that develops to windward of the hull can, under some circumstances, reduce the chances of waves breaking on board - although the presence of slick and its affect are much debated. Heaving to is a useful technique when an approaching Low and its associated Cold Front turn your passage into a beat. If you heave to and wait until the front has passed, you will have a substantial wind shift that may change your beat to a reach.
If you need to delay your arrival at a new port because of poor visibility or low tide, it will probably be more comfortable to heave to than to slow down so much that you haven’t enough speed to keep motion reasonable. Over the years, we have hove to frequently for dinner, a hot shower, or a good night’s sleep when conditions were a bit bouncy. We have also hove to while undertaking difficult maintenance chores.
In heavy weather, heaving to can be a useful means of holding station while giving up a minimum amount of room to leeward. If you are beating or reaching and the wind and sea are making life difficult, you’ll notice an amazing difference in motion when you stop forward progress. Heaving to is also useful in advance of a storm you know you can’t avoid.
It will give you a chance to check your gear, to rig storm canvas, and most importantly, get a good rest.
Balancing Hull and Rig
There are an infinite variety of ways to heave to. As sea and wind change, you’ll have to modify the particular combination that is working now. This will take some experimentation, Best carried out first in moderate conditions.
Reduced to the simplest components, heaving to is, maintaining a balance among the forces generated by the sail plan, rudder, and wind. By moving the balance or center of effort in the rig aft, reducing speed, and putting the helm over so the bow wants to head up, you effectively stop the boat. The rudder is fighting the sail plan between the two and a form of equilibrium is reached.
Getting the balance right means the boat will not go through the eye of the wind, nor lie too far off the wind. Hull shape, displacement, keel and rudder configuration, as well as the sail plan all have an impact on finding the right sail and rudder combination. You may hear that modern fin-keel yachts will not heave to. This is not the case at all, as we know from much personal experience. But they do require different tactics and in heavy weather may give up more ground to leeward than heavier, longer keeled designs.
Proper Angle
If the seas are not breaking, the angle at which you end up lying to the waves is not critical. The main issues will be comfort and not giving up ground to leeward. In breaking seas, you’ll want to have the bow as close to the seas as possible. Keep in mind that one tack usually keeps you closer to the wave angle than the other. With a frontal passage, there will also be one tack favored over the other. When the boat is properly situated, you will find it tends to oscillate back and forth within a certain range of angles. This oscillation is a function of the balance of sails and helm, wind strength, and seas knocking the hull one way and then another. As wind and sea conditions change, you may have to adjust the amount of sail deployed and the rudder angle. Leaving aside for the moment the concept of a slick to windward, the best angle in heavier weather is the closest angle to the seas. Some boats, especially those with sail area aft, will lie as close as 30 degrees to the wind, with oscillations down to 50 degrees.Others may find a groove between 40 and 60 degrees.
Being Caught Aback
If your bow is too close to the wave angle and there is an oscillation in wind direction, or the sails and fins get out of balance, you may suddenly find yourself on he other tack. This is not a problem in moderate conditions, but in breaking seas could quickly put you beam-on, a most dangerous situation. A wave slap on one end of the boat or another (typically the stern) from a crossing sea can cause the same problem. When these risks exist, heaving to must be set at a wider angle to the winds and waves, to have some margin for error.
If You’ve Been Running Off
If you’ve been running off, the conditions are getting marginal, and you want to heave to, carefully pick the moment to turn into the wind. This is best accomplished by studying the wave and wind patterns. Look for a calm spot between seas to make your turn. If you watch carefully, you can usually find a relatively smooth spot coinciding with a lull in the wind.
Practicing
The easiest way to try heaving to initially is a simple tack, leaving the jib sheet cleated. As you come about with full main and jib backed, the bow will swing off the wind. On many yachts you will find the bow down at 60 or more degrees. Next try bringing the helm to windward and see if that brings you closer to the wind. If it doesn’t do the job properly, this is a sign you need to reduce forward sail area.
Reduce the size of the headsail until the boat is lying at a closer angle to the wind - at a maximum of 40 to 60 degrees.
If the boat will not lie this close with a headsail, try heaving to bare headed, with just some mainsail or mizzen set. On the other hand, if the boat heads too close to the wind and wants to tack, you will need to reduce sail area in the main or mizzen, or increase the sail area forward.
If your boat wants to round up, and won’t stay quietly to leeward, try easing out the main boom. Sometimes a backed headsail, working against a well eased main boom is all that is required for otherwise recalcitrant sloops.
Once you have a system established for this in light to moderate conditions, you can interpolate what refinements are required as the wind and seas increase. With a little practice you will quickly find the right combination of sails and helm to use as a starting point. It helps to make a log entry with this data, to which you can refer in the future.
When Do You Heave To?
If you use heaving to as a storm tactic, rather than to slow down or increase comfort level, you will have been sailing for some time prior in building winds. If you are making good progress towards your destination, you might be reluctant to stop. This is especially true if you are broad reaching or running where wind and wave forces seem reduced by the drop in apparent speed.
Of course, the moment you head up into the wind, apparent wind and wave speeds escalate - and what was a boisterous sail downhill suddenly can look a lot more intimidating.
If the boat and crew are up to the steering requirements and the boat can be positioned properly in relation to waves, the best thing is probably to continue on course. But if the boat is becoming hard to control, and shows a tendency to broach and/or round up, it may be time to pick that calm spot we discussed earlier, and heave to. The less experience you have in heaving to, the earlier this should be done, before wind and sea state increase too much.
Getting turned around and stopped earlier, rather than later, allows you to sort out the proper balance of sails, helm, wind, and wave. Once the boat has settled down, you can study her reaction to the conditions and make a baseline in your mind against which any changes in the future can be measured