heaving to catamaran

How to Heave To On A Sailboat

If you’re wondering how to heave to on your sailboat, and why you might want to, then you’re reading the right article!

Heaving to is an important safety technique that every sailor should know, and practice regularly. But do you know how to heave to, and under what conditions might need to use this manoeuvre?

In this article we take a deep dive into the practice of heaving to – exploring how to enter a hove-to state on different kinds of sailing vessels, when and why to use this technique, and taking a look at some historical examples of instances where heaving to has saved lives.

You can trust us to tell you everything you need to know about the heave-to manoeuvre, because we are seasoned sailors with RYA-accredited qualifications and thousands and thousands of miles under the keel, hard-won in every sea state imaginable. We have also heaved to quite a few times ourselves!

Before we get into the mechanics of how to heave to, let’s take a quick look at what this technique is and aims to achieve.

What is heaving to, why heave to in sailing, how does heaving to work, how to heave to in a sailboat, how to heave to in a sloop.

How to heave to in a cutter
How to heave to in a ketch

How to heave to on a catamaran

Heaving to as a storm tactic.

Heaving to is a manoeuvre that sailors can use to slow their vessel down to a near-crawl, while fixing the helm and sail positions so that the crew no longer need to actively steer the boat or manage the sails.

When performed correctly it will also place the bow of the boat at angle up into the waves, allowing her to ride them smoothly and producing maximum comfort for all aboard. It should also minimise leeway.

As we’ll see in a moment, the exact technique to achieve these outcomes varies by the kind of sailing boat you have – principally, by her sail plan.

You may occasionally hear power-boaters use the term “heave to” to simply mean throttle back and come to rest. In this article, we’ll mostly be talking about the technique of heaving to under sail instead.

Heaving to is an important safety manoeuvre commonly used to sit out heavy weather, allowing the crew to go below, take a rest and get warm and dry. A correctly hove-to boat can sit out most kinds of weather, just bobbing along on the top of it.

Heaving to can also be used as a low-effort way to simply wait in position for a time, such as when waiting for tides to turn, a squall to blow past ahead, or for a bridge to open.

Some sailors have been known to heave to just to have a cup of tea and a biscuit!

Another application is stopping the boat in a hurry while under sail. For this reason, it’s used in some man-overboard recovery techniques. Naturally, you can dump the sheets to achieve a similar outcome, but that doesn’t apply reverse thrust in the way that backing a sail does.

When it comes to MOB scenarios you could heave to in order to stop the boat rapidly, then engage the engine, throw the sails down and proceed to recover the MOB under power.

Or, if you intend to recover the MOB under sail, you can approach them while hove-to in order to drift up to them slowly.

Not everyone agrees that heaving to is the correct way to initiate an MOB; a lot of sailors advocate for letting the sheets fly instead, forgetting about the flapping canvas and getting the motor on as soon as possible.

You’ll see a lot of complicated explanations online for how heaving to actually works. We think most of them overcomplicate things, and generally prefer to explain it like this:

Heaving to works by backing the headsail so that it fights the mainsail. If you get it right the two sails cancel each other out and the boat stays more or less static, despite being powered up.

That’s not quite the whole story, but it’s by far the easiest way to visualise what’s happening on a hove-to boat.

To initiate a heave-to, you proceed as though you are going to tack the boat, but do not tack the headsail sheets or adjust the headsail in any way. The main, of course, will self-tack, but the headsail (or storm sail ) needs to be blown backwards through the triangle formed by the mast and the forestay, and end up backed – with the belly facing inboard – rather than outboard as it usually would.

Still with us? If you’re lost, think about it like this: you are literally just performing a normal tack without tacking the headsail sheets. At the end of the manoeuvre, you will have a normal, correctly tacked main, but a headsail that is backed and still sheeted as though you were still on the opposite tack.

The result of this is that the mainsail powers the boat forwards normally, but the headsail is backed and resisting it, pushing it backwards; so the boat achieves a state of near-equilibrium and simply drifts.

You should only be travelling at around a knot, but the boat is still powered-up and stiff rather than at the mercy of the waves, and therefore orders of magnitude more comfortable than if you had put the sails away.

That’s the flavour of it: now let’s look at exactly how to heave to on a sailboat, step-by-step.

When heaving to, we’re always trying to achieve the same thing: to get the headsail and the mainsail balancing each other out, so that the boat is still powered-up and comfortable, but no longer making any headway.

Generally speaking, we achieve that either by tacking a sail, but not the boat; or the other way around – by tacking the boat, but not one of the sails. Either way, we end up with one sail fighting the other, and the boat comes to a stop.

The exact procedure to enter a hove-to state is different for different kinds of sailing vessel and rig, so let’s start with the simplest scenario: you are a sloop, with one mast, a mainsail and a jib.

There are two ways for a single-masted sailing vessel such as a sloop to begin a heave to. For both of them, you want to be travelling upwind.

The first way is to literally heave the jib over to the “wrong” side of the boat, i.e. the windward side. This means releasing the leeward sheet and manually hauling the sail through the gap between the forestay and mast using the windward sheet.

It sounds complicated when you spell it out like that, but it’s literally the same set of steps you would follow to tack the headsail, just like normal- except you don’t tack the boat.

The jib moves, the wind doesn’t, so the jib ends the manoeuvre backed and pushing backward against the main; which is still on the correct tack, powered up and propelling the boat forwards.

The alternative is to tack the boat but not the jib.

In other words, the helmsman swings the wheel to wind; the bow of the boat tacks as you would expect, but at the point the crew would normally scramble to release one jib sheet and tension the other to tack the headsail (the moment your helmsman booms “lee ho!” , if you’re that sort of boat) – you instead do nothing.

The jib ends up backed again, because nobody tacked it. The main self-tacks and re-powers on the new tack, and the two still end up counteracting each other. Personally, we feel this is much easier, as you don’t have to manually heave the jib back through the gap between the forestay and mast – you just turn the helm.

Tacking the boat also slows you down a lot right away, which is one of the goals of heaving to in the first place.

Whichever of these two methods you use, the next step is to turn the wheel to windward – as though you are trying to tack back again. Of course, you will not have the speed or drive to do this with a backed headsail.

The purpose of turning the helm to wind like this is threefold:

One, we need to stay head-to-wind to keep the headsail backed. If we bear away, the headsail will fill and we will exit our heave-to.

Two, heaving to doesn’t truly stop the boat. You will still be making a knot or two through the water. This is actually desirable, because you will also be making leeway. By pointing upwind, we aim to use that knot of speed to counteract the leeway and remain more or less stationary over ground.

Thirdly, we want the bow of the boat to be facing up into the waves, at an angle, because that’s a lot more comfortable for the crew than taking them on the beam.

Start by turning the wheel to wind by hand and finding the point at which the boat settles down and maintains a steady course to wind and wave. You can lash the wheel there if you desire, and then you’re free to go below.

If she doesn’t want to settle down, or you’re making too much headway over ground, you may need to ease the sheets or even take a reef in the main.

It’s important to try heaving to in different conditions so that you know how your particular vessel performs, before you need to perform the manoeuvre in anger. Old, heavy-displacement, full-keel boats are often much easier to heave to than modern fin-keelers.

How to heave to on a cutter or Solent rig

Cutters and Solent-rigged sailboats have a single mast, like a sloop, but they have two headsails. The addition of an extra headsail makes heaving to a little more difficult.

The primary headsail on a cutter is usually a large genoa that attaches at the masthead and runs to the bow, or often to a bowsprit enabling a larger sail. This is usually the sail we will be backing in order to heave to.

The second headsail on a cutter is usually called a staysail, and attaches about a quarter of the way down from the masthead. This second, smaller headsail is often set up to be self-tacking.

When you want to tack a sloop, you only need to pull the headsail through the very large gap between the forestay and mast. When you want to tack the genoa on a cutter, you have to fit that extremely large sail through the much smaller gap between the outer and inner stays.

The upshot of all this is that it’s harder to back the sail on a cutter. You can either drag it laboriously through the gap using the winch, or someone can go forward and manhandle it along – but that’s not always the safest in heavy weather.

When it comes to a Solent rig, it’s usually much easier. A Solent does have two headsails, but the outer one is usually a cruising chute and the inner one is the jib. As such, to heave to on a Solent-rigged boat, you perform the exact same steps as on a sloop.

How to heave to on a ketch or a yawl

Twin-masted sailboats, such as ketches, can also heave to.

These vessels have a main mast and a second, smaller mast called a mizzen, and can fly sails from both masts. The difference between a ketch and a yawl is the size and position of this aft mast.

Most ketches and yawls fly a headsail, a mainsail, and then a smaller mainsail from the mizzenmast called a mizzen sail. In other words, only the main mast has a headsail.

You do get mizzen staysails that sit between the main and mizzen masts but they’re rare. To all intents and purposes, we’re dealing with three sails here, and two of them – the main and mizzen – are self-tacking.

The principle to heave to on a ketch or yawl is similar to a sloop: we’re still looking to balance the sails, by backing the headsail and leading the main powered up.

Because the mizzen behaves like a small main, we treat it like one and let it self-tack along with the main. As a result, in our hove-to position, we have a backed jib, and a main and mizzen flying regularly.

We now turn the wheel to windward and use the tension on the mizzen sheet to adjust how high or low we point into the wind and waves. We can also use the tension on the main sheet to influence how much headway we make.

Most catamarans actually can’t heave to. When a monohull heaves to, part of what makes it work is the action of the sails pivoting around the keel – and the keel provides drag and dimension stability that reduce leeway.

Catamarans don’t have keels. At least, not deep keels with heavy ballast bulbs. They can have fixed, stubby little mini-keels, or long retractable daggerboards – but either way, their keels act like the fins on a surfboard rather than ballast. They also have two of them – they just don’t behave in the same way as monohulls.

Cats do have a few heave-to-adjacent manoeuvres that they can turn to in a storm, though. The first is to deeply reef the main, drop the traveller all the way to leeward, and then pull the mainsheet in hard. Lash the helm so that the cat is on a safe, close-hauled course. If you get it right, you should be drifting sideways calmly at about half a knot, with your bows into the waves at an angle.

This is sometimes called “parking” a cat. Performance cats with daggerboards, when performing this manoeuvre, should leave both boards about halfway down.

Performance cats also have the option to pull the boards right up and skate freely over the surface of the waves; either with or without sail power.

Performance cats are fast, so as long as there’s enough room to run, they also have the option to turn down wind and match the cadence of the wave train – creating a smooth ride with minimal wave impacts. They also ride higher on the waves as they accelerate, effectively creating more reserve buoyancy.

When sailing in heavy weather in a catamaran, however, it’s important to remember that cats don’t heel and it can be harder to tell when one is overpowered. They also don’t spill wind and self-compensate in the way that a heeling monohull does, so it’s wise to reef early and often.

Heaving to as a storm tactic exploded in popularity, particularly in the RYA syllabus, after the 1979 Fastnet disaster.

The 605-mile race is held once every two years off the coast of the UK. In 1979, it was struck by a terrible storm; more than a hundred boats capsized and 19 people died.

Hundreds more would certainly have been lost if not for the brave actions of an unbelievable, impromptu volunteer search and rescue operation – the largest ever in peacetime – consisting of more than 4,000 members of the public and pleasure boat owners.

It was later discovered that every single boat that had heaved to had emerged from the storm completely unscathed. Every boat that capsized or been knocked down had either attempted to carry on sailing, or had used a different technique called “laying ahull”.

In the aftermath of these events, the RYA took it upon itself to disseminate the information that heaving to saves lives, and they continue to recommend it as a storm tactic today.

As noted earlier in the article, not all boats actually can heave to, but if your boat is capable, it’s certainly a valuable trick to keep up your sleeve. It’s a good idea to read up on how sailing your sailboat in a storm just in case you need to employ other tactics.

In conclusion, heaving to is an important safety technique that every monohull sailor should be aware of. At a basic level, it provides you with a window of calm and safety to gather your thoughts and take some refreshments. At the extreme end of the scale, it could save your life in a storm one day.

It’s important to practise heaving to before you need to use the technique for real, because every boat performs a little differently. This goes double if you intend to incorporate heaving to into your man overboard protocol.

Heaving to isn’t a particularly difficult technique, but you do need to try it out a couple of times in order to get comfortable with the sail and trim your particular vessel requires to settle down into a nicely hove-to state.

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How to Heave To – Complete GUIDE

Sailboats are a little bit like airplanes in some ways. Their sails work like wings, sure. But they also cannot be stopped. If you want to come to a stop in a car, you can stomp on the brakes. If you are in a powerboat, you can kill power to the motor and drift to a stop. But what do you do in a sailboat, when the sails will continue producing power once they are set – just like a plane cannot stop in the sky.

The answer might surprise you. An airplane can’t stop, but a sailboat can – sort of. The answer lies in a maneuver called heaving to.

What does heave to mean, windward sheet handling, main sail trim, rudder position, getting out of the hove to position, heaving to on a catamaran, how to heave to with a self-tacking headsail, storm jib and storm trysail heaving to, practice makes perfect—even when trying to stop, heaving to faqs.

The heaving to sailing maneuver is one that every skipper should be familiar with. It’s much handier than it might sound.

It’s roughly akin to coming to a stop in a powerboat and drifting. But the sails are still up, so the boat is much more stable than a powerboat would be. A better comparison might be a powerboat with stabilizers and can automatically hold a position relative to the waves for a comfortable ride.

Once hoveto, a boat makes little progress to windward or leeward—its motion stops to the point that its ground speed will be less than two knots or so. But one of the best things about heaving-to is that you can do it in a flash—meaning it’s a way to slam on the brakes and stop your forward movement if someone goes over or you need to fix something on board immediately.

Why else might you want to try heave to sailing? Here’s a list of times when skippers have found it helpful to heave to.

To take a break from sailing for a while, maybe to get some sleep or make dinner when in heavy weather
To wait outside a dangerous cut or inlet until dawn or a move favorable tide for entry
To reduce pressures on the rig to make a repair
To ease the motion on deck so as to make going forward safer or more comfortable
To make it easier to put a reef in the mainsail
To come to an immediate stop in order to retrieve an object or even recover a man overboard
With reefed sails, to ride out a storm at sea

A Guide to Heaving To in Your Own Boat

Figuring out how to heave two in your boat isn’t very difficult, but it will take a little practice. Because each boat handles a little differently, has a different amount of windage and sail area, there can be no precise guide for the exact setup that will work best.

Instead of focusing on specifics, like speed or direction of drift, look to get the basics set up and then fine-tune the ride for your boat when heaving to .

Any kind of sailboat can be hove to. The technique works well for full-keel cruisers, fin-keel racers, catamarans, trimarans, cutters, or ketches–regardless of sail plan or sail size. But to figure out the best way to get your boat hove to, the best solution is to go out and practice!

It’s worth noting that you might want to plan which tack to take once you’re in the heave to position. If you take the starboard tack, you will have the right of way over other sailing vessels on the port tack. Even though you’ve stopped your forward movement, you are still technically considered to be sailing under way.

Basically, a heave to is begun by slowly tacking through the eye of the wind. But instead of allowing the windward sheet to run and letting the headsail swing across the bow, you keep the windward sheet made fast on the cleat.

The backwinded jib is the first step to getting the boat to stop. The headsail drives air over the main, so you are depriving the boat of all of that power by backwinding it.

Once the jib is backwinded, the boat’s bow will start falling off to downwind. Use the helm to keep the boat’s bow at about 45 to 60 degrees off the wind, sort of at a close haul angle.

The main sail may still be producing a little bit of lift at this point. The next step is to fine-tune that. It should be sheeted tightly for the tack, and now it’s a good time to let it out a little.

Keep in mind, though, that you don’t want the sail luffing. Luffing and flogging sails can be damaged easily, not to mention that the sound can really wear a sailor down. You want the sail to be right on the edge of producing what power it can with the jib backwinded. If the boat moves and the sail starts producing power, you want it to start to luff and fall off.

In the end, heaving to is a balance between the boat sailing and it not sailing. It may oscillate a bit, but any time it starts picking up speed or falling off to leeward, it should stop.

The final component in the equation is the rudder position. To keep the backed jib from making the boat fall off into a run, you will have had to turn the helm sharply to windward. In this setup, the sail pushed the boat one way, and the rudder counters it going the other.

Of course, the amount of rudder force will change as the boat slows down. So it’s most likely that you’ll leave the rudder locked at its stop. But you can tinker with it as necessary, especially if the boat is heading to irons or running the risk of tacking back on the original side.

When in doubt, tinker with the mainsail. Its trim and traveler position will have the most significant effects.

What to Expect when Hove To

So you’ve successfully hove to and figured out how to do it in your boat. You’ve tried several sail configurations, found the best hove to position, and just the right balance on the controls. Now what?

The benefits of heaving to might not be readily apparent until you’ve started cruising significant distances and embarking on multi-day passages. In coastal boating, the need to hove to seldom arises beyond getting some practice.

But on longer trips, crew fatigue becomes a much bigger problem. The sea state and strong winds often make a key part of that, as how the boat moving adds to the physically demanding nature of being out in heavy seas is hard to imagine without experiencing it a few times.

Heaving to is a great way to find the right balance of keeping the bow into oncoming waves in bad sea states while at the same time giving the crew a rest period.

Ready to move on? You can get out of the maneuver in one of two ways–either release the rudder and allow the boat to fall off on the new tack or sheet in the mainsail and go back on the original tack. The direction you pick will have to do with any other sailboats out there with you and how your boat handles in the conditions present.

Heaving To Modifications and Other Setups to Consider

Again, finding the correct setup to heave to successfully is all about trial and error. For it to work, you’re best off to go out in fairly calm conditions and see how it goes. Then practice every time you get a chance, progressively working up to understand how the boat handles in any condition.

One word of advice is not to take too much advice. Many people will tell you that such and such a boat won’t heave to, or that it won’t work. The more likely fact is that they just haven’t gone out and tried, or they tried once and didn’t know what to tinker with.

One of the most common complaints you’ll hear is that people have trouble getting catamarans to heave to. This is because catamarans have an incredible amount of windage on their topsides, which gives them more tendency to fall off to leeward sooner.

One technique is often described as parking a cat. This technique is like heaving to in a monohull , only the headsail is completely furled. Next, a heavily reefed mainsail is traveled all the way to leeward and sheeted hard in. Remember, the main is usually trimmed with the traveler and shaped with the sheet on cats. Finally, the rudders are turned hard to windward. The result should be a comfortable sideways drift at less than one knot.

Self-tacking headsails are great for short-handed sailing. Imagine tacking your boat without doing any winch work at all! If you short-tack up rivers or like to beat to windward often, a self-tacker is a miracle worker.

Self-tacking headsails have been around quite a while, although they are becoming more popular on recent models that feature fractional rigs with big mains. But if you look at the staysails on many cutters, you will notice that they are boom mounted on self-tending tracks. So if you can’t sheet the headsail in to backwind it, how can you heave to.

There are two methods you could employ, and which one you choose will depend on your boat and the conditions.

The first option is to rig a preventer to keep your headsail lashed on the windward side . This is an extra step, and it might be difficult if you want the ability to heave to at a moment’s notice. Rigging your preventer to the cockpit is one solution.

Another way is to forego the headsail altogether–furl it or drop it. Catamarans, fin-keel boats, and even some full-keel boats with cutaway forefoot can heave to just fine on a reefed mainsail alone.

Finally, sail selection will dramatically affect your heaving to success and technique. If you’re using heaving to as a storm tactic, don’t discount using it along with storm sails. A storm jib and storm trysail can be hove to like any other combination, although it is something you’d want to practice before trying it in stormy weather and rough conditions.

Every boat handles a little differently, and many skippers experience varying success with heaving to depending on the boat and the conditions. Start by practicing and getting a feel for how a hove to boat moves and remains stable. Then, expect to tinker with the setup a little to get it right.

Want to learn more about storm sailing, and practical boat handling in general? One of the best resources out there is the timeless classic by Lin and Larry Pardy, Storm Sailing Tactics.

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What does it mean to hove to?

A sailboat that is hove to has stopped its forward progress but still has its sails up. Heaving to is a way of positioning the sails to counteract each other. A vessel that heaves to is stopped in the water yet still in a stable position to take on rough seas or storm conditions. Heaving to is a handy maneuver for skippers to know, whether used as a storm sailing tactic, to rescue a person in the water, to make a rigging repair, or as a simple way to stop for a snack or to cook something.

Should you heave to in a storm?

It depends on the storm, but it also depends on the boat and crew. Heaving to is a well-known storm tactic that reduces the boat’s motion and helps reduce fatigue and stress on both the crew and the vessel. A correctly set up vessel can lie hove-to for as long as it takes for the weather to pass, so long as there are no hazards as the vessel drifts slowly to leeward. In many instances, heaving to is preferable to other storm tactics available to a skipper, such as laying ahull, bearing off, using a sea anchor, or fore reaching.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

Sailing Tips: How To Heave To

The ability to heave-to is a key part of seamanship that can keep you safe on the water in any breeze strength.

Throughout this article, we will discuss the basic requirements and steps necessary to heave-to and the advantages of doing so in various conditions. We will go through the basic physics of the position and help you to understand why it is such an effective way to slow down your boat.

While there are various positions that are roughly equivalent to heaving-to, including the safety position for smaller boats and fore-reaching in certain conditions, this is a highly useful skill that gives you a good balance of safety, position holding, and quick maneuverability while on the water. It may require some practice and a few erstwhile attempts before you get the complete hand of it, but in situations where you want to put the brakes on without anchoring your boat, heaving-to is a great solution!

As a certified small boat instructor, I have helped all levels of sailors learn how to perform this maneuver in dinghies and similar boats, but its utility is further extended for keelboats and other cruising classes, including catamarans and trimarans. From my conversations with cruisers and a bevy of research, I can assure you that, as long as you’ve got a mainsail and a headsail, this is a viable option for your needs. Maybe I’ll even be able to give you an insight or two into the physics of the whole setup, but first, let’s take a look at the basic premise and a few steps that will help you get there.

Table of contents

‍ The Basics of the Heave-To

While highly maneuverable and not always the easiest to execute, the fundamental premise of the heave-to is not terribly complicated.

Though the balance and the angle will be slightly different depending on the boat and the breeze, there are four basic characteristics of heaving-to.

Angle to the Wind

Though not explicitly included in the diagram, you should expect to be somewhere around 45-50° to the breeze while in this position. This should be far enough from the breeze that your main is not luffing too hard, but close enough that you aren’t powering up too much.

Jib to Windward

Now this is the most important characteristic of heaving-to. While normally frowned upon, and potentially dangerous when unanticipated, backing the jib like this is what gives you stability in this position. You trim the jib, genoa, or other similar headsail with the windward sheet and keep it locked down. If heaving-to in heavy breeze, it is good to employ a storm jib or to reef your headsail if possible to keep it from being too tensioned up in this position, as a big gust could pull your bow well off the breeze and cause trouble.

Main Trimmed

Trimming the main in this position serves two purposes. First, it balances out the jib's pull to turn downwards. This is why you would not take the main down when attempting to heave-to. Second, it preserves the main from the luffing that will age it very quickly. Moreover, if you want to exit this position, you already have your main set for the close-hauled course that you would take on right afterward. Similarly to the jib, you may find that reefing the sail helps in heavy winds, or is useful in balancing the sails overall.

Tiller to Leeward

Keeping the tiller to leeward helps you maintain this position in two ways. First, it continues to balance the jib’s attempts to draw you off the breeze. Second, by opening the rudder’s face to the water flowing under the boat, you are essentially using the rudder as a sea anchor, helping you to slow down even more and continue to hold your position.

These four steps are the baseline characteristics of heaving-to. How this will work on your boat depends on many factors that you cannot necessarily control or anticipate before you get on the water. That is why, rather than giving you a detailed boat by boat procedure, we are going to talk about some of the fundamental physics that you are working with when heaving-to, so that you know how to adjust for yourself when certain things are happening the first few times you try this out.

The Physics of Sail Control

In the type of boats with the headsail-mainsail sail plans where heaving-to is most effective, be it a catamaran, trimaran, keelboat, winged-keelboat, or simple dinghy, there are a few basic forces with which you have to contend while maneuvering of which heaving-to takes advantage. In order to talk about that, however, we first have to deal with

Centers of Effort and Resistance

In sailing in general, the goal of upwind sailing is to balance what we call the ‘center of effort’ with the ‘center of resistance.’

The center of effort is the theoretical point on your sails from which you generate all of the lifting force for forward motion. It is essentially the engine of your sails and the mathematical center of the sail plan.

The center of resistance is the point somewhere underwater on your hull -- on a keelboat it will be somewhere close to that keel -- which provides the lateral resistance that helps your boat move forward, rather than sliding with the wind.

Ideally, your boat is set up so that when you are trimmed to go upwind, the center of effort is directly above the center of resistance. Once you do this, all that lift generated by the center of effort is channeled forwards by the center of resistance. If they are misaligned, or your sails are overpowered for your boat, you will slide laterally. This is why over-heeling your boat to leeward tends to be slow and cause you to sleep sideways, as this effectively reduces the resistive force. Thus reefing, even though it lessens your sail area and reduces the lift generated, actually helps you go forward in heavy breeze as it keeps you from heeling as much and ensures that your centers of effort and resistance are still lined up.

But I digress. The real point of this is to talk about…

Sail Trim and the Center of Effort

Since controlling the balance of the center of effort is crucial to keeping your boat moving, it is useful to know how each sail affects the center of effort. On most boats, the center of effort is at the deepest part of your mainsail, called the draft, about ⅓ of the way back on that sail. This means that you can consider that as the central axis of your boat.

If you move to trim your jib -- or genoa or other headsail -- you are essentially adding more force forward of that central axis, which, in turn, pulls the bow of your boat down, away from the wind. If you overtrim your jib or, even worse, backwind it coming out of a tack, you will feel your boat pulling downwind towards a reach, or even dead downwind if unchecked.

On the other hand, if you move to trim your main in, you will be adding more pressure to the back half of your main, effectively turning your bow upwind (you can even think about it as pushing your stern downwind!).

It is this balance of jib trim and main trim that keeps your boat sailing forwards and your rudder light and helm-free. You can, in fact, use this phenomenon, along with some bodyweight steering in smaller boats, to effectively sail your boat without a rudder, either for fun or in case of a breakdown. Many double-handed race teams actually do this to practice perfecting their sail trim!

Using this to Heave-To

Ok, ok, that’s a lot of that talk, but how does this help you figure out how to find the perfect heave-to balance for your boat. Well, it actually gives you a pretty good sense!

Heaving-to takes advantage of this balance and flips it on its head. Instead of using these characteristics of the main and the jib to propel you forward, heaving-to uses them to stall out your boat entirely. By trimming the jib to weather, a move that would normally tear you down to a beam reach in a second, keeping the main working, and throwing the tiller over, you effectively have fixed your boat somewhere around 45° to the wind.

If you think about the relationships a little more, you see that each of the three main controls, jib, main, and tiller, are effectively keeping each other in check. The jib cannot pull you off the breeze because of the dual action of the main keeping the stern down and the rudder turning the boat back upwind if it gets any flow. The main will not propel the boat forward because the backwinding of the jib is choking off its airflow, and even if it did get moving it would push too close to the breeze and start luffing. Finally, the rudder, positioned as it is, both acts as a brake against the water underneath and helps keep the boat from turning down, which could end this game of dynamic tension.

Troubleshooting

Because this balance relies so much on the individual characteristics of your boat, it is difficult to say exactly what trim settings you will need to maintain this position for a long time. Therefore, it is up to you to experiment!

If you find that your jib is overpowering your mainsail, pulling you off the breeze, you may have to either reef the jib, push the tiller over farther, pull the jib farther to weather, or get more power in the main. With the opposite problem, you may find it necessary to reef the main quite a bit, or find a better way to haul your jib to weather. It is good to have a rough guess of how to set your boat to heave-to in various wind conditions, as it may be different across sea states and breeze strengths, so I would encourage you to try it out a few times on a few different days so that you know before you need it!

How to Heave-To

After all of that, I would be remiss not to give you the rundown of the easiest way to get your boat in the heave-to position. While it is occasionally possible to simply sail upwind, luff your sails for the moment, and heave your jib to weather, this is not necessarily the most efficient way to do it, and it can put excessive strain on your sails and sheets (and yes, that really is why they call it ‘heaving-to!’).

In general, you accomplish the heave-to by sailing upwind then turning your boat into a nice, slow tack. As you do this, keep your headsail trimmed to the sheet on the old tack, so that when you come out of it, you are trimmed on the weather side.

As you come out of the tack and the backwinded jib is trying to pull you off the breeze, keep your tiller pushed, or wheel turned, to leeward. If you don’t overdo it, the fight between the jib pulling you down and the rudder turning you up should stall your boat out so that you are more or less stopped in the water. Throughout this whole process, the main should be trimmed-in, approximately to where you have it when sailing close-hauled, a little looser if anything, but not luffing.

When you find the point where the main is not ragging, the jib is full but not pulling you down, and the tiller is set, you have effectively heaved-to! Again, finding the right balance may not be that easy, and may require various reefing, trimming, and steering adjustments. These are too many to count, which is why I hope the explainer on the various forces that you are trying to balance will help you diagnose any potential issues you have so that you can make these adjustments as you go!

You should find that this is a highly effective way to stop your boat without the need to drop anchor or your sails. In fact, the little forward progress that you will make from the fact that your sails are still filled should be just about enough to keep your position against the wind and the waves, which would drive you backward in any other unanchored arrangement.

Like anything else in sailing, however, it takes a few attempts, a couple of tweaks, and a good feel for your own boat to master the heave-to, so I hope you take this as a good excuse to get back on the water. Happy Sailing!

Gabriel Hannon

I have been sailing since I was 7 years old. Since then I've been a US sailing certified instructor for over 8 years, raced at every level of one-design and college sailing in fleet, team, and match racing, and love sharing my knowledge of sailing with others!

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Heave to – definition and how to do it

By Author Fiona McGlynn

Posted on Last updated: August 18, 2023

Sailboats, unlike cars, don’t have the luxury of pulling over to the side of the road, whenever the driver needs a break. Fortunately, they can heave to, a simple technique for stopping a sailboat that is far more comfortable and controlled than just dropping the sails and drifting.

Over three years and 13,000 miles of blue water sailing, we hove to on many occasions. By adjusting the mainsail, headsail, and rudder, we were able to comfortably stall our boat for hours, even days, at a time. It’s a simple maneuver that we’ve found useful in many different situations—stopping the sailboat to make repairs, take a swim, or wait for daylight to enter a harbor.

Notes: this post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase through these links we’ll earn a small commission

Heave to definition and meaning

The 67th edition of Chapman Piloting & Seamanship defines heaving-to as “setting the sails so that a boat makes little headway, usually in a storm or a waiting situation.”

I would add that it’s a very useful technique in everyday sailing (e.g., making repairs, breaking for lunch), especially for short-handed and solo sailors.

How does it work?

Heaving to is accomplished by backing the headsail (i.e., sheeting it to the windward side). This counteracts the force of the main sail. The headsail pulls the bow to leeward, while the mainsail pushes the bow back to windward. This push and pull between the sails results in halting the boat’s forward progress.

Benefits of heaving-to

Stops forward progress

Heaving too is a controlled and comfortable way of staying relatively stationary.

Makes the boat more stable and comfortable

By staying at 40-50 degrees to the wind, with the bow taking the brunt of the waves, the boat becomes more stable.

Some also say that as the boat drifts downwind, the keel creates a slick of disturbed water which further dampens the effect of any breaking waves to windward.

Offers a quick getaway

If you need to move in a hurry, say to get out of the way of oncoming traffic, your sails are already up and ready to propel you forward. You can be back underway within seconds.

When to heave to

Here are some situations where you might find heaving to useful:

Waiting for another boat . On a 26-day Pacific crossing, we hove to in order to wait for a disabled yacht so that we could accompany them for the rest of the passage.
Waiting for daylight . Rather than risk entering a harbor with unknown hazards, we would often heave to and wait for daybreak.
Freeing up hands from the helm . Heaving to is a helpful technique for short-handed or solo sailors who don’t have a self-steering wind vane or autopilot. While hove to, the person at the helm is freed up to do other tasks.
Making repairs en route . We hove to when we needed to make repairs to our auto-pilot while during a multi-day passage. It was also helpful when we needed to stop so we could dive and inspect our rudder for damage.
Having a coffee break or making lunch. Sometimes it’s just nice to take a break. The stability that comes with heaving to can make cooking a meal below decks a lot easier.
Going for a swim. On hot days near the equator, we’d heave to and indulge in a quick dip (while tied in of course).
Letting seasick crew rest. If your crew is struggling with seasickness, heaving to may offer them some respite.
Heavy weather. While we’ve fortunately never needed to heave to on account of bad weather, we know sailors who have. One friend spent three days hove-to off in heavy seas and strong winds off the coast of Australia.

While heaving to can be very effective in heavy sea states, it’s important to recognize that there is no single storm tactic that is always going to be the right choice, regardless of the boat and conditions. In truly extreme weather, say a survival storm, you may also need to consider the use of a sea anchor, drogue, and more advanced techniques. For more on storm tactics, Storm Tactics: Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions by Lin and Larry Pardey.

Can all sailboats heave to?

Some say that modern boats with fin keels don’t heave to as well as a full keel boat, but you should be able to heave to on most sailboats, including catamarans.

It is possible to inadvertently end up fore reaching while attempting to heave to, which may account for some confusion over whether your boat is properly hove to or not. We discuss forereaching in more detail at the end of this post.

How to heave to

The goal of heaving to is to balance the mainsail and a back-winded headsail so that they cancel each other out. When done properly, the boat stays at roughly a 40-50 degree angle to the wind and waves while making minimal headway.

Finding that balance is different on each boat. Your boat’s sail plan, displacement, keel type, and hull design will all affect how she heaves to. While most sources recommend aiming for 40-50 degree angle to the wind, there are boat types that might heave to anywhere from 30-60 degrees off the wind.

You’ll need to experiment with how you set your sails on your own boat to achieve the right combination.

As with any new skill, practice in good weather when the conditions are steady and well within your comfort zone.

1. Reef according to the conditions.

If you’re at full sail, your first step may be to reef both the headsail and mainsail appropriately for the conditions you’re sailing in. On our boat, this would have been full sail at 5 knots of wind and fully reefed at 25 knots.

Too much sail and you’ll risk being knocked down, too little sail and you won’t stay pointed in the right direction.

To reef the headsail this may mean furling your genoa, using a staysail, or even getting out your storm jib. In some cases, you may want to swap out your reefed mainsail for a trysail.

2. Sail close haul.

Sail close haul, ensuring your sails are tightly trimmed.

3. Slowly tack the boat without releasing the jib.

You should land on the new tack with a backed jib.

4. Steer the boat so it stays at a 40-50 degrees angle to the wind.

The backed headsail will cause the boat to head down past 60 degrees. Steer to compensate for this and keep the boat 40-50 degrees off the wind.

Feather the main as you work the boat back upwind. Take care if you approach 40 degrees – too much momentum will cause you to tack back again.

If the boat won’t round up, your headsail is overpowering your mainsail. You may need to reduce the head sail area to find the right balance.

If the boat wants to round up into wind and tack, your mainsail is overpowered. You could try easing the main slightly.

5. Turn the rudder to windward

Once you’re reached 40-50 degrees and you’ve bled off speed, turn the rudder all the way to windward (wheel to windward, tiller to leeward) and lock it off or lash it in place.

Watch to see what your boat does and if it stays in a relatively stable position, within 40 to 50 degrees. Don’t stress if the boat swings between 40 and 50 degrees. This is normal and is caused by the wind and waves. The boat should stay hove-to unless thrown off by a big wave or gust.

Getting out of heave to

When ready to get underway again, bring the rudder amidship and release the windward sheet, allowing the jib to flip to the other side. Trim your jib on the leeward side and once you’ve got some forward momentum you can head on your intended course.

Other tips for heaving to

Stay aware of your speed and course, and always maintain a good lookout . Though not underway, you can still drift into hazards or get into a collision. It’s a good idea to give yourself enough sea room (space) when heaving to.

If you’re in a busy area, heave to on a starboard tack (keep boom on the port side) to maintain the right of way over sailboats on a port tack.

Inspect your sails for chafe. When heaving to, your jib sheet or the clew of your genoa may sit and rub on the shrouds. If left unattended it will eventually wear through your sheet or sail.

You can prevent this by reefing the genoa , putting chaffing protection on the shrouds TK, or even re-running the sheet inside or between the shrouds.

Watch Skip Novak demonstrate how to heave to in this video

Fore reaching vs. heaving to

Fore reaching is an alternative to heaving-to in some situations. Unlike heaving-to which completely stalls the boat, leaving you drifting at 1-2 knots downwind, fore-reaching keeps a boat moving forward at 1-2 knots to windward.

It may involve sheeting the jib amidship (not backed) or lowering it entirely while keeping a reefed mainsail sheeted in tight and the helm kept slightly to leeward.

Fore reaching can be a useful technique when you want to continue to make headway but go much more slowly. Say, for instance, if you were heading into an outgoing tide of current but wanted to maintain your position.

Some think that fin-keeled boats are prone to unintentionally forereaching while attempting to heave-to. Unlike heaving-to, fore reaching does not provide the slick of calmed water on the windward side of the boat.

Heave to or hove to?

Heave to is a phrasal verb. In the present tense, you might say, “Let’s heave to and take a break for lunch.”

If the action is complete (past tense), you can use the past participle: hove to. For example, “The sailing ship hove-to for days off the coast of New Zealand.”

Fiona McGlynn is an award-winning boating writer who created Waterborne as a place to learn about living aboard and traveling the world by sailboat. She has written for boating magazines including BoatUS, SAIL, Cruising World, and Good Old Boat. She’s also a contributing editor at Good Old Boat and BoatUS Magazine. In 2017, Fiona and her husband completed a 3-year, 13,000-mile voyage from Vancouver to Mexico to Australia on their 35-foot sailboat.

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As we have shared in earlier chapters in this Online Book, we now believe that for extreme weather, where large breaking waves may be present, a Series Drogue, as designed by Don Jordan, is the best survival strategy.

That said, on Morgan’s Cloud , heaving-to was for years our first and favourite strategy when the weather got nasty. And it has the particular benefit of being surprisingly comfortable. In fact, we have even enjoyed a sit-down dinner at the salon table when heaved–to in a full gale.

Also, heaving-to is not just for gales. The effort and expense we put in to making our boats heave-to well will be repaid in many other ways, including being able to take a pleasant rest from arduous conditions and being able to comfortably wait for daylight or better conditions before attempting a tricky landfall. It can also be an invaluable technique in the event that we must make a repair at sea.

Given all that, we have left our chapters on heaving-to in this Online Book.

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Heaving-To: a Useful Maneuver Worth Practicing

Andrew Cross reminds us that the ability to heave-to is an absolutely essential skill to master. Published previously in BWS.

For centuries, heaving-to has been the most reliable trick in a sailor’s arsenal for “parking” a sailboat at sea. Throughout that time, sailing vessels have changed and sailors have changed with them, but one fact remains—heaving-to is an important and necessary skill every sailor should master.

On ships of yesteryear, heaving-to was somewhat complex due to sail size and vessel maneuverability. In contrast, heaving-to in a modern sloop is quite easily done with minimal effort. By using a headsail, mainsail and rudder, we have the ability to heave-to for hours or days if required.

WHAT, WHY, WHEN? Simply put, heaving-to is a maneuver used to slow a sailboat’s progress and calm its motion while at sea. When successfully “hove-to,” a sailboat will gently drift to leeward at a greatly reduced speed. The reasons for heaving-to are numerous and often situational. When teaching students the maneuver, I impart the three Rs of heaving-to: Rest, Repairs and Reefing.

When sailing in rough seas (especially shorthanded), there will come a time when you need rest. Resting could mean sleeping, eating, or simply completing tasks that might be difficult or dangerous while underway. Making coffee or a warm meal, using the head, waiting for daybreak outside a harbor and navigation fall into this category. So too does one of the main reasons sailors heave-to—waiting out rough weather. Heaving-to is a completely acceptable storm tactic during the passage of a moderate squall or large front, especially when compared to riding out a storm with bare poles in a heavy sea.

Your need for calm could also come in the form of repairs to your vessel. Working over a diesel engine is far easier when hove-to than when beating into a punishing sea. Also, if a shroud were to break, heaving-to opposite the broken rigging will allow you to assess the damage and possibly make a repair.

When reefing, it may be necessary to send a crewmember forward to use lines near the mast or to attach a luff cringle on the reefing hook. Heaving-to makes this considerably safer and much easier for crew to move forward and work on deck.

HOW TO HEAVE-TO? One of the best ways to heave-to in a modern sloop is to use the tacking method. Start off close-hauled or on a close reach. Turn the bow of the boat through the wind slower than you would during a normal tack and DO NOT release the jib. The goal here is to let the jib backwind and stall the boat’s momentum.

When the bow has passed through the eye of the wind, the jib will be backed to windward. As pressure on the backwinded jib forces the bow to leeward, ease the main and feather the boat into the wind. If you have too much momentum, the bow will want to tack back through the wind, so go slow. Eventually your speed will diminish to a point where the rudder will lose steerage and stall. At the same time the rudder stalls, the bow will blow down. When this happens, turn the helm hard to windward and lock it in place. If you are on a tiller steered boat, push the tiller to leeward and lash it down.

Another acceptable method for heaving-to is to sail close-hauled and tension the windward jibsheet while easing the leeward jibsheet. Once the jib is backed to weather, ease the main and start feathering into the wind to reduce speed and stall the rudder. When the bow blows down, turn the helm hard to windward and lock it. This option is more physically demanding in heavy weather and can be difficult when sailing short-handed.

When hove-to, the sails are essentially canceling themselves out. The rudder and main are trying to drive the bow into the wind, while pressure on the backed jib keeps the bow pinned down. The boat will settle in and drift slightly forward and to leeward. Look down at the water over the windward side of the boat and you will notice turbulence being created by the keel and rudder. This turbulent water is helping to break the oncoming sea as it gets to your boat, thus making your ride more comfortable.

The ideal way to lay hove-to, especially in heavy seas, is at a 45° angle to oncoming waves. Laying abeam can be dangerous and unpleasant. To ensure you are not laying broadside to the swell, trim in the mainsail. Tensioning the main will bring your bow into the swell at an angle and make the boat’s motion more comfortable and safe. It will also keep the main from flogging noisily and causing unnecessary wear to the sail.

When you are ready to get underway again, there are a few good options for getting out of being hove-to. If your intended course is the one you were on prior to heaving–to, unlock the helm and turn it hard to leeward. This will turn you downwind and eventually to a gybe. Once you have safely gybed, you can easily continue to any point of sail on your original tack.

If your desired tack is the one you hove-to on, bring the rudder amidships, release the windward jibsheet—allowing the jib to blow through—and tension the leeward jibsheet. From here, you can steer and trim for your intended course.

THINGS TO REMEMBER Just because you are successfully hove-to and comfortably making a sandwich down below does not mean you can jettison good seamanship. Always keep the following in mind when heaving-to. Every sailboat responds differently when hove-to. Try different sail configurations and reef the sails as necessary for a given wind strength. Also, vessels with a full keel will have a more comfortable motion and will drift slower when hove-to. Fin keel and bulb-keeled boats tend to skitter across the water faster due to the lack of lateral resistance below the waterline. If you plan to stay hove-to for a while, be sure to note how fast and in what direction you are moving.

Make sure you maintain a good watch and always consider how much sea room you have before heaving-to. In the middle of the Atlantic you could lay hove-to for days, but in Narragansett Bay you could be on a collision coarse with another vessel or on the rocks in minutes. In areas congested with other sailboats, try heaving-to on a starboard tack and you will maintain right of way over those on port tack.

If you plan on being hove-to for a while, inspect the rig for places where lines and sails may be chaffing. On boats with an overlapping genoa, the sail will lay against the shrouds and spreaders. To relieve this, reef the sail or ease it slightly to move the clew off the shrouds.

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Heaving to – What is it and why you should know how to do it?

By: American Sailing Cruising Tips , Learn To Sail

ASA created a quiz a while back with one of the questions having to do with heaving to. Surprisingly, many people got the answer wrong, which led us to believe not everyone is out there heaving to! In fact, maybe they’re out there not even knowing what it means to heave to. So let’s go over it..

To heave to is to park the boat while out at sea. It’s mainly a heavy weather defense strategy but some people use the tactic to delay a harbor entrance for morning light, fix something or possibly just to have a little lunch at sea. As an example of how effective heaving to can be to endure through heavy weather, 26 sailors hove to in the infamous Fastnet Race where 18 people died in a horrific storm – none of those boats suffered any serious damage, let alone rolled or capsized.

Steps For Heaving To

To lie on the tack opposite of the one you’re on, sheet the jib in tight, tack and leave the jibsheet cleated. As the boat passes through head to wind, the jib, held by the windward sheet, will set aback and push the bow downwind. Hold the mainsheet on the winch with its clutch open.
Now steer the boat back toward the wind and make adjustments with the helm and the mainsheet until the boat is lying at a steady attitude to the wind on a close reaching heading. Normally, the wheel would be turned to windward. The mainsail might or might not need to be luffing.

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Keep Calm and Heave to

Joe Bassani
January 15, 2020

Heave to some professional advice.

“Heaving to is not just a storm strategy, it’s also a vital seamanship skill.” – John Kretschmer, Sailing a Serious Ocean.

In my opinion, the best strategy for dealing with storms is to avoid them. If you are docked safely in your home port, stay there. If you are on a cruise, find a protected anchorage and button up to ride out the weather. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to avoid storms. If you find yourself in storm seas, consider heaving-to as an option to safely weather the storm.

What is Heaving To?

Heaving-to is one of the first skills a keelboat sailor learns during her basic sailing instruction. It is a time-honored storm strategy that, along with more active techniques like forereaching and running off, is an important part of a sailor’s heavy weather “tool kit”.

Heaving-to is a simple maneuver that places the vessel in a balance of forces, allowing it to “fend for itself” while sailing slowly and under control. This allows the crew to take a break and conserve energy while waiting for the storm to pass.

How is it Done?

Heave to drawing from American Sailing Association book

Photo taken from American Sailing Associations “Basic Coastal Cruising” textbook used for the ASA 103 course.

From a close haul, the helm should announce her intention to tack and heave-to. The crew signals readiness for the maneuver and the helmsman initiates turns through the wind to the new close-hauled heading. T he previously working jib sheet remains made off and the jib backs or fills with wind on the opposite side. In calm winds, the captain may wish to let the main sail out to stall; in heavy seas and high winds, it may be advisable to douse the mainsail.

Finally, turn the tiller to leeward or the wheel to windward so that the rudder is counteracting the force of the wind on the jib. Adjust the rudder as necessary to achieve the proper balance that will ensure the vessel travels slowly (1-2 knots) along the new close-hauled course with very little heel and noticeable leeward drift.

Several factors affect the ability of a vessel to heave-to, including amount of freeboard, keel type, sail size and wind speed. It is a good idea to practice heaving-to on your boat, in fair weather, to understand the design characteristics that are unique to your vessel and the optimal rudder and sail adjustments required for a stable heave-to. If at first you struggle to achieve a satisfying heave-to, don’t give up. Every boat is different, and practice is the key to success.

Why We Heave To

Heaving-to is a great storm strategy, but it is also a useful fair-weather technique for loitering or holding in a particular area without anchoring:

When arriving at a destination at night and waiting until daylight to enter unfamiliar waters
During repairs that require a steady ship
While waiting to link up with other yachts for a flotilla or start of a race
When the crew needs a break

Becoming proficient a heaving-to is an important skill that will make a keelboat sailor’s time on the water safer and definitely more enjoyable.

If you’d like to learn more about this or another sailing-related topic, visit us at Sail Monterey or call us at (831) 742-7245. The American Sailing Association has also written this great article about heaving to if you’d like to dive deeper into the manuever.

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Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know

Most sailors already know how to heave to so I’ll give the quick part of this tip up front.

The Quick Bit

When heaving to, and if you have the choice, do it so that your boat is on a starboard tack. This way you are the “Stand-on” vessel in an approaching situation with other sailboats. Oh durh that’s clever.

The Longer Bit – How to Heave To

What about the what-is and the why first? Ok

When your boat is hoove to, it will essentially be standing still, broad side to the wind and drifting slightly down wind under full sail. It’s a combination of the sails and rudder that creates this situation.

There are a few situations when you might do this.

The most common is when taking a break. When I ran my practical sailing school, I would often do this to stop and brief or debrief a learn to sail situation or concept. It’s also great for a lunch break.

A sailboat hoove to

During a severe storm it is sometimes prudent to heave to. While it seems counter intuitive to go broad side to the waves during a storm – as shown by the graphic, the slick (wake) created by the down wind drift will flatten any breaking waves right before they reach the boat. During a heave to in a storm the crew can go below and rest. The NauticEd Storm Tactics Course and our sailing for dummies courses also covers heaving to in a storm and more.

So now onto the how: When sailing on a close haul (on port if you – can see the quick tip above) simply tack the boat but do not release the working jib sheet. This leaves the jib sheet in a back winded position. Now let the main sheet out almost completely. Steer the boat on about a close reach heading until the boat comes to an almost complete stop. Then turn the wheel all the way to windward (tiller all the way to leeward).

The dynamics of the set up is that the back-winded headsail wants to push the front of the boat downwind while the rudder counteracts and steers the boat upwind.

There are a couple of ways to get out of the hoove to position. (1) Straighten the wheel, release the jib sheet and tighten up on the mainsheet – your boat will start moving in the direction it was pointing. (2) Leave the jib where it is, tighten up on the main, turn the wheel to leeward and gybe the boat around.

If you’re just learning to sail, practice heaving to – it’s fun, impressive to land lubbers easy and some day you really might need it.

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Heave To Maneuver

I don't care what anybody says, one day or another, on charter, you will need to take action to protect yourself and your vessel against an unexpected strong squall, higher seas, etc! And you better know what to do!

Or more commonly, after beating hard for 3 hours in the St Lucia passage, you will need to take a break to go to the loo, refresh your cold coffee or simply before your wife starts to threaten with divorce.

What to do then? Well... you heave to ! Blue-water confirmed sailors know this relatively simple technique well, but charterers do not use it often, because they just don't know what in the world I am talking about here. OK here it is.

What is "Heaving to"?

When a sailboat is set in a heave to position, she slows down considerably and keeps moving forward at about 1 to 2 kts, but with a significant amount of drift. The drift creates some turbulence on the water, and that disturbance decreases significantly the sea aggressiveness. The pounding felt when going upwind in strong seas almost miraculously disappears and the boat does not heel as much. This is MUCH more comfortable. It's a little bit like "parking" the boat on idle speed. The limitations of this technique are: a)you need enough sea room because of the important drift; and b) beyond a certain level of wind, other measures need to be taken (we won't get into this here since not too many charterers get caught in 50kts winds. Hopefully!)

How To Do It

Let's say you've been beating hard upwind for quite a while on a port tack in 4 to 6ft. seas, no reef on your sails, the wind is about 16kts. You're the only one on board to be able to steer and you want to take a break. Or you're hit by a squall with 30kts wind gusts, and you would be more comfortable waiting until it passes. Here is what to do:

Sheet in the main sail tight. You're already going upwind so you may just have to give the main sheet a few turns on the winch.

Tack the boat but do not touch anything on your head sail, jib or genoa (I know, this is the weird part.) It is a good idea (unless you know exactly what you are doing) to make the initial tack very slowly: head into the wind until the speed has really come down before finishing the tack.

When you finish the tack, you're now on a starboard tack, your main has switched side (normal) but your headsail is now in a position you have not seen before: the head sail is set against the wind with its clew is to windward instead of leeward as usual, meaning that even though you're now on a starboard tack, the clew is on the starboard side of the boat. Note : If you do not know what a clew or a starboard tack are, do yourself a favor, take on roller skating and forget sailing :-)

Lastly, turn your steering wheel all the way to windward and lock it. To make things clear, since you are now on a starboard tack, turn your wheel all the way to starboard. If your boat has a tiller, push the tiller all the way toward your main sail and lash it.

You now notice an uncanny change in the boat attitude (obviously!): the pounding against the waves has stopped and the boat is slowly moving and drifting in a smooth and comfortable behavior, at about 45°off the wind. Isn't this the greatest thing since sliced bread?

Now, one bit of caution: not all boats react the same way to a heave to position. So if you intend to use this technique, we suggest you try it in smooth waters with moderate winds.

Some Other Ideas for Use of This Technique

Heaving to can be useful for reefing (or dropping) the main. In fact, if conditions are rough or you don't have an autopilot, heaving to whilst reefing comes in pretty handy.
When you want to have lunch in more peace & quiet, and you are not up against a particular schedule, heaving to can be very pleasant, and lets the helmsman enjoy the meal as well.
It can be also used it when rendezvous-ing with the dinghy (if you are single handed sailing whilst crew were ashore in dinghy) - it made getting the crew back on board a snap. For this you obviously have to have enough sea room clear of a lee shore and the conditions need to be settled or you may lose some of the crew!

How to Get Out of It

When you are ready to resume your normal course, do this.

Unlock your wheel or unlash your tiller.
Turn it all the way to the other side (it was locked to starboard, so turn it all the way to port.)
The boat will turn almost to a complete 360° and you will find yourself back on the port tack you were on before the beginning of the maneuver.

This is not rocket science. It is a very simple maneuver, which every self-respecting sailor should know for his/her safety and comfort.

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21-10-2011, 23:22
Boat: Multihulls - cats and Tris	- for a 1000/xl/xl2 To hove-to your completely furl the , it plays no part. Set the Main Traveler fully out with Main Sheet on. the Main Sail directly into the , stop the and lash the on full lock. to will be around 40 degrees off the bow. The vessel will drift backwards until the Main Sail drives the forward at around 60 degrees. The rudders will then turn the vessel into the wind and stall at around 20 degrees off the bow. You are now fully under control in an active hove-to position. To hove-to effectively, sufficient Main Sail needs to be set to drive the vessel forward. In Gale or Storm conditions this is definitely 3rd Reef but in Squall conditions the technique is effective with 2nd Reef also. Of course you need sufficient sea room to drift down wind at around 1 .

21-10-2011, 23:24
Boat: now skippering Syd Harbour charters

22-10-2011, 07:10
Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises	. There is a chance that while the boat is "backing up" and waiting for the rudders to pull the stern to windward, you could go through irons and rapidly jibe. The few times I have actually hove to, the boat never stopped making forward progress, rather crabbed from stall to making way at around 2 kts. What would be the reason to not backwind the jib? Tim, that was an excellent post and I really should practice the drill much more. It is really inconceivable that with two engines, I wouldn't be firing them up immediatly upon . From there, the skill level required gets cut in half. With the size of my cat and depending on sea conditions and the , I would probably be better taking 90 seconds to drop my main and then make the recovery. Thanks.

22-10-2011, 08:39

is meant to hold the boat still in the
a is meant to slow the boat

For a cat/multi they are so much slippier than a mono (mainly because they are lighter and built to slip easily through the for speed in fair weather) that they run too fast down big waves, particularly in strong winds.
The most comfortable ride for boat and crew is a little off the downwind course but as seas/wind builds the risk of sledging down the wave into the trough and burying a bow or more there becomes more likely. A will control the maximum speed, a tiny little storm stay/jib will help to maintain minimum speed (steerage way) in the troughs and to prevent backsliding on the next climb.
Coming off the true down wind by much just increases the risk of a bow tucking into the rising water ahead. If the storm worsens (predicted or not) then the reduces downwind speed considerably but really should be over the bows, strung from both bows , and adjusted to meet incoming breakers dead on the bows. Chafing and even heat burn and cleat failure need to be planned for, they may well happen.
Form my own experience in an old Prout running across the seas is the best way of getting rolled, and cats don't do 360's (40deg of heel is beyond half way to the neutral stability point).
Into wind is an option to maintain some headway or off a lee shore, as close hauled as your boat will go but that's unlikely to in a proper gale.
Downwind with the brakes on (unless you want to go that way of course) but and crews vary. Being at the helm and life belted and roped to something solid on the boat (with a knife taped to your thigh to cut the if she flips) is the only way to learn.
Most is to manage the speed, keeping it generally below , and between too slow to manouvre in the troughs, and too fast for on the down slopes.
lines required to secure the drogue, fatter the better, and some weight to stop it skipping over the surface behind you (that spare light in the aft locker for kedging off sandbanks would be ideal).
'Maxing Out' has some excellent videos and reports on this sort of stuff. Go check it out.
From what I've read Every One is nervous in a storm for the first day, then just fed up of waiting for Neptune to calm herself down a bit.
Note - All my sailing has been in sight of land, f7 gusting 8 in a shallow bay my worst sailing, and very little at night. I've read and listened a lot to be prepared. All I've learnt is a couple of tricks that might help, and the sure knowledge that it's far worse the first time it happens to you.
Respect to the Sea!

22-10-2011, 13:12

22-10-2011, 14:25
Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises

22-10-2011, 19:02
Boat: Leopard 45, 45 feet, Jet Stream	, forgetting the maneuver that I described, you will at least stop relatively close to the victim. You could then start your engines and maneuver to your desired position, still hoisted, and then let the boat heave to at that spot. Particularly if you are the only one (or the only competent one) left on the boat, the actual recovery is likely to go much more smoothly. Double that if someone has to go in the water. Remember, if that should be necessary, you will need to keep the boat passively stopped and in position. You have thought of how you will bring the MOB on board, right? The sugar scoops are inviting, if there is not too much sea running so they don't slam up and down, but they are mighty close to your props, which, if you are depending on your engines, may not be in neutral. The sides of the are pretty high. You probably have something like a LifeSling, but you may need a for that, and the main , which is what you would use in the relatively stable area just aft of amidships, is probably shackled to the headboard way high up and out of convenient reach. Of course, it will definitely be shackled to the headboard if you have just dropped the main. Have you ever tried the "elevator"method to get someone aboard? You run a line from bow to stern, hanging a couple of feet deep in the water, in such a way that you can in one end of it. The MOB steps on the line and when you it in, he or she is raised up to where it is possible to roll under a lifeline or otherwise be helped aboard. It is surprisingly effective. Of course, the upper body must be supported until the victim is high enough to reach the toerail or , but the LifeSling can easily do that, without a halyard. The LifeSling, or any other lifejacket, could have been thrown a few feet to the MOB when he or she came alongside. Getting back to approaching under , if you were already motoring, you wouldn't have the option of using your . Here in the , we pick up lots of moorings, and I have always thought that there is much merit, if you still have one other crewmember aboard, to simply upwind to the MOB just like a (for which you have had lots of practice). When the MOB is dead ahead between the bows, your crewperson could almost hand the LifeSling down, and then lead the MOB around to the side while the engines were shifted into neutral. The MOB could not slip away, as the LifeSling would have him or her. Then, if the wave action permitted, the MOB could come aboard astern. On a rough day, the MOB could be brought aboard using the elevator method, engines in neutral in either case. Lots of the fun of having a boat comes from experimenting to see just what you and your vessel can easily do....there is always some tactic or another, although it varies from boat to boat. I will close with a very sad story concerning taking the time to drop your sails. Back in the 1980's, when I was based, I spent an agonizing night listening to the as a Canadian man just outside the Golden Gate (and the Coast Guard helo and that came to help) reference to the position of his wife. It was almost a flat calm when she went over, but he took a minute or so to drop the jib. In that time, he sight of her. About an hour later, they did find the he had thrown over, but she was never seen again. That is when I got to thinking seriously about, and practicing, how to get close to someone while keeping the boat under control, maybe singlehanded, with the sails up. I was also having my own little adventure at the same time, which yielded a parallel lesson. I had dropped a overboard as I was approaching the marina around midnight. I was motoring - remember, it was fairly calm - so I thought nothing of turning around and going back for it. Just before I was about to shift into neutral, when the was abeam of the forward bulkhead, I was shocked to see the fender get sucked right under the boat and back to the prop, fouling its line in both the prop and the rudder! Ever since, I have had tremendous respect for a prop's suction. And that was with a small 15 Hp engine! With the water too cold to safely jump in, and with the prop thoroughly fouled and the just marginally useful, I had to change my plans and sail for the marina in Berkeley, about five miles away. It was the only marina I could think of that I was confident of sailing into with a badly impaired . But, remember, there was very little to no wind. I did finally make it in, drifting and ghosting along with my fender in tow, just before dawn, and just as the Coast Guard had escorted the Canadian into a marina. My own problems were insignificant compared to the hours of tragedy I had listened to as they looked for the Canadian's wife. It was a very sad night, but one that was also loaded with lessons. So, next week when you get to go play with the boat, enjoy your experimenting; we will be eager to hear what you find she, and you, plan to do when put to the test. Cheers, Tim Cheers, Tim

22-10-2011, 19:37
Boat: now skippering Syd Harbour charters

22-10-2011, 21:07

Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises

this stuff there will be no reason to attend or buy "Sailing for Dummies"

with your engines either shut down or in neutral . Heaving to gives you that steady, balanced position from which to effect the recovery. Even if you simply heave to the moment the person goes overboard, forgetting the maneuver that I described, you will at least stop relatively close to the victim. You could then start your engines and maneuver to your desired position, sails still hoisted, and then let the boat heave to at that spot. Particularly if you are the only one (or the only competent one) left on the boat, the actual recovery is likely to go much more smoothly. Double that if someone has to go in the water. Remember, if that should be necessary, you will need to keep the boat passively stopped and in position. . With two motors, that reason is removed.

You have thought of how you will bring the MOB on board, right? The sugar scoops are inviting, if there is not too much sea running so they don't slam up and down, but they are mighty close to your props, which, if you are depending on your engines, may not be in neutral. The sides of the are pretty high. You probably have something like a LifeSling, but you may need a halyard for that, and the main halyard, which is what you would use in the relatively stable area just aft of amidships, is probably shackled to the headboard way high up and out of convenient reach. Of course, it will definitely be shackled to the headboard if you have just dropped the main.

Have you ever tried the "elevator"method to get someone aboard? You run a line from bow to stern, hanging a couple of feet deep in the water, in such a way that you can winch in one end of it. The MOB steps on the line and when you winch it in, he or she is raised up to where it is possible to roll under a lifeline or otherwise be helped aboard. It is surprisingly effective. Of course, the upper body must be supported until the victim is high enough to reach the toerail or , but the LifeSling can easily do that, without a halyard. The LifeSling, or any other lifejacket, could have been thrown a few feet to the MOB when he or she came alongside.

Getting back to approaching under power, if you were already motoring, you wouldn't have the option of using your sails. Here in the , we pick up lots of moorings, and I have always thought that there is much merit, if you still have one other crewmember aboard, to simply upwind to the MOB just like a mooring (for which you have had lots of practice). When the MOB is dead ahead between the bows, your crewperson could almost hand the LifeSling down, and then lead the MOB around to the side while the engines were shifted into neutral. The MOB could not slip away, as the LifeSling would have him or her. Then, if the wave action permitted, the MOB could come aboard astern. On a rough day, the MOB could be brought aboard using the elevator method, engines in neutral in either case. and circle the MOB. They grab the line, get in the sling or pull themselves to the back.

Lots of the fun of having a boat comes from experimenting to see just what you and your vessel can easily do....there is always some tactic or another, although it varies from boat to boat.

I will close with a very sad story concerning taking the time to drop your sails. Back in the 1980's, when I was based, I spent an agonizing night listening to the as a Canadian man just outside the Golden Gate (and the Coast Guard helo and boats that came to help) lost reference to the position of his overboard wife. It was almost a flat calm when she went over, but he took a minute or so to drop the jib. In that time, he lost sight of her. About an hour later, they did find the he had thrown over, but she was never seen again. That is when I got to thinking seriously about, and practicing, how to get close to someone while keeping the boat under control, maybe singlehanded, with the sails up.

I was also having my own little adventure at the same time, which yielded a parallel lesson. I had dropped a fender overboard as I was approaching the marina around midnight. I was motoring - remember, it was fairly calm - so I thought nothing of turning around and going back for it. Just before I was about to shift into neutral, when the fender was abeam of the forward bulkhead, I was shocked to see the fender get sucked right under the boat and back to the prop, fouling its line in both the prop and the rudder! Ever since, I have had tremendous respect for a prop's suction. And that was with a small 15 Hp engine! With the water too cold to safely jump in, and with the prop thoroughly fouled and the rudder just marginally useful, I had to change my plans and sail for the marina in Berkeley, about five miles away. It was the only marina I could think of that I was confident of sailing into with a badly impaired rudder. But, remember, there was very little to no wind. I did finally make it in, drifting and ghosting along with my fender in tow, just before dawn, and just as the Coast Guard had escorted the Canadian into a marina. My own problems were insignificant compared to the hours of tragedy I had listened to as they looked for the Canadian's wife. It was a very sad night, but one that was also loaded with lessons.

So, next week when you get to go play with the boat, enjoy your experimenting; we will be eager to hear what you find she, and you, plan to do when put to the test.

Cheers,
Tim

Cheers,
Tim

22-10-2011, 22:04
Boat: Leopard 45, 45 feet, Jet Stream	zoomed over toward Marsha to save her! They must have thought we had had a major argument and Marsha was committing suicide....they were relieved to discover what we were up to. It is not unusual for some of the guests to get into the flow and jump over themselves. And, I have some of them steer. Of course, we also ALWAYS do this when we are doing an Cruising (114) course. Particularly when the Trades are honking and we are really zooming along, I am told that it is quite a rush to see, from sea level, Jet Stream come at you and then suddenly glide to a stop quite close. Wives, in particular, seem quite encouraged by taking part in either end of this exercise, gaining the knowledge and confidence that they will, in fact, be rescued if they go over, and that they can do a , themselves. All in all, it is quite fun, and can be something of a show-stopper. I highly recommend it, but do practice it a few times before you take it on Broadway. Cheers, Tim

23-10-2011, 11:10
Boat: Still have the 33yo Jon boat. But now a CATAMARAN. Nice little 18' Bay Cat.	was to sail away and throw a line of "breadcrumbs". That never seemed very good to to me but there was always a bunch on board and so someone who was "free" could just stand and point. Fine except in real life like you describe. Thank you.

25-10-2011, 13:51
Boat: FP Tobago 35 (and a H-21 SE)	, I would suggest that you take a close look at your entry and determine what would happen if you turned it towards a dangerous wave. My cat would certainly more likely survive rough seas from the bow rather than from the stern.

29-10-2011, 19:00
Boat: Lagoon 380, 38', I Dream of Jeanne	that puts the sea anchor in sink with the boat, so that they are both in the troff or top of the waves at the same time. Another trick I saw relative to the sea anchor, is to run the from one side of the boat back to a winch, THEN run a line from a winch on the OTHER side of the boat with a large block on the end to the bow. Put the rode through the block off the bow, now you can adjust the angle that the boat faces. Regarding heavy on a cat. I would elect to deploy a Jordan Series Drogue off the stern and run with the seas. I don't like the idea of sitting in a mess, I would rather be moving. The Jordan Series Drogue was developed in concert with the Coast Guard and I don't think that a boat has EVER broached using one. A couple of problems with the drogue. First you have to have a strong point to attach it to the transom. Most boats don't come with an adequate strong point to attach a drogue. I installed mooring bitts on the outsides of my decks, just forward of the transom steps to attach the drogue . Taking care to leave a clear rope path up to the winches on either side of the top, to winch the drogue back in. Mounting the mooring bitts to the is another long and involved process, at least to do it right.

30-10-2011, 15:07
Boat: Islander Freeport 41' Ketch

30-10-2011, 16:25
Boat: Vandestadt ketch 42

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Heaving-to in a Catamaran
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now. Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41. Posts: 18,967. Images: 56. Re: Hoving to in a Catamaran. try heaving to. hove is a past tense form of the verb. y0u heave your boat to the seas. the condition of heaving to. 20-10-2011, 15:06. # 3. thinwater.
How to stop the boat
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How and Why to Heave To
Safety and Rest: Heaving-to can provide a more comfortable and stable platform for the crew in rough conditions. It allows the crew to rest, tend to injuries, or address equipment problems without the constant motion and stress of sailing in heavy seas. Reducing Speed: Sometimes, you might want to slow down or delay your arrival at a destination.
How to Heave To On A Sailboat
Most catamarans actually can't heave to. When a monohull heaves to, part of what makes it work is the action of the sails pivoting around the keel - and the keel provides drag and dimension stability that reduce leeway. Catamarans don't have keels. At least, not deep keels with heavy ballast bulbs.
How to Heave To
Heaving To On a Catamaran. One of the most common complaints you'll hear is that people have trouble getting catamarans to heave to. This is because catamarans have an incredible amount of windage on their topsides, which gives them more tendency to fall off to leeward sooner. One technique is often described as parking a cat.
How to Heave To
So, the basics of heaving to are: The headsail is backed to windward. The mainsail is set to leeward. The helm is turned to windward. In the simplest of measures the combination of these three settings will make the sailboat heave to or at least come to a stop.
Sailing Tips: How To Heave To
In the type of boats with the headsail-mainsail sail plans where heaving-to is most effective, be it a catamaran, trimaran, keelboat, winged-keelboat, or simple dinghy, there are a few basic forces with which you have to contend while maneuvering of which heaving-to takes advantage. In order to talk about that, however, we first have to deal with
Heave to
How to heave to. The goal of heaving to is to balance the mainsail and a back-winded headsail so that they cancel each other out. When done properly, the boat stays at roughly a 40-50 degree angle to the wind and waves while making minimal headway. Finding that balance is different on each boat.
Heaving-To
The reason people don't talk about heaving to with catamarans is that it just isn't necessary. Cruising catamarans sail relatively flat and while they jerk back and forth and can have very hard wave strikes under the bridge deck it is nothing like the deep heel and large scale violent movements of a monohull. There is no need to heave to to ...
How to Heave-to in Your Sailboat
Learn how to sail better than ever before when you understand the basic skill of heaving-to. Need to stop your boat without an anchor to rest, relax, cook a ...
Cruising Tips: Heaving-To
A catamaran will indeed heave-to, though in my experience they make considerable leeway with their shallow keels. Most cruising cats have enormous full-roach mainsails, small fractional jibs and little rudders, so much tweaking is required to get them to play nicely with the waves. ... Fore-reaching is akin to heaving-to and also depends on the ...
Heaving-To: a Useful Maneuver Worth Practicing
Simply put, heaving-to is a maneuver used to slow a sailboat's progress and calm its motion while at sea. When successfully "hove-to," a sailboat will gently drift to leeward at a greatly reduced speed. The reasons for heaving-to are numerous and often situational. When teaching students the maneuver, I impart the three Rs of heaving-to ...
Heaving to
Heaving to - What is it and why should know how to do it?
Heaving to with a sailboat
In this video I explain how to heave to with a sailboat. You find links to my book and to all videos of my free video sailing course below.00:00 Intro00:08 M...
Keep Calm and Heave to
Heaving-to is a simple maneuver that places the vessel in a balance of forces, allowing it to "fend for itself" while sailing slowly and under control. ... Even the catamaran can heave to. Heaving-to is a great storm strategy, but it is also a useful fair-weather technique for loitering or holding in a particular area without anchoring:
Heaving to for power catamaran
This corresponded to a 52' wave for a catamaran of 40' beam. Scaling this down to a typical 24' beam cruising cat means she should be O.K. in a 31' breaking beam sea. An equivalent size mono-hull power boat was easily capsized by a 25' breaking sea, and in tests with conventional yachts after the Fastnet disaster, it was found that a 40' mono ...
Heaving-to in a Catamaran
Heaving to - no jib - for a seawind 1000/xl/xl2 To hove-to your Seawind completely furl the Jib, it plays no part. Set the Main Traveler fully out with Main Sheet on. Head the Main Sail directly into the wind, stop the boat and lash the Helm on full lock. Head to wind will be around 40 degrees off the bow. The vessel will drift backwards until the Main Sail drives the boat forward at around 60 ...
Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know
There are a couple of ways to get out of the hoove to position. (1) Straighten the wheel, release the jib sheet and tighten up on the mainsheet - your boat will start moving in the direction it was pointing. (2) Leave the jib where it is, tighten up on the main, turn the wheel to leeward and gybe the boat around.
Heaving-to in a Catamaran
The heaving to can be done without touching the sails, with little practice or training and singlehanded. You can do this in a cat, or at least in a Leopard 45/47. When teaching ASA 114 (cruising catamaran), I always throw this maneuver in, as well as the normal MOB drills, which students have to demonstrate in order to pass. Guess which one ...
Heavy Weather Strategies When Sailing a Catamaran
Specifically, most cats are happy and safe sailing at 6-7 degrees of heel as measured in flat water, or on the trough of a wave. As the boat approaches 10 degrees of heel, the windward hull will be close to lifting. It is safe to say that a cat should not lift its weather hull while on a cruising passage!
Boat Confinement Two Afloat Style: HEAVING TO ON A CATAMARAN
It's day 54 of confinement or day 14 of easing of our confinement on Kiapa Nui! In our sixteenth episode in this series we review heaving to on a catamaran....
Heave To Maneuver
Heaving to can be useful for reefing (or dropping) the main. In fact, if conditions are rough or you don't have an autopilot, heaving to whilst reefing comes in pretty handy. When you want to have lunch in more peace & quiet, and you are not up against a particular schedule, heaving to can be very pleasant, and lets the helmsman enjoy the meal ...
Heaving-to in a Catamaran
Heaving to - no jib - for a seawind 1000/xl/xl2 To hove-to your Seawind completely furl the Jib, it plays no part.Set the Main Traveler fully out with Main Sheet on. Head the Main Sail directly into the wind, stop the boat and lash the Helm on full lock. Head to wind will be around 40 degrees off the bow. The vessel will drift backwards until the Main Sail drives the boat forward at around 60 ...

How to Heave To On A Sailboat

Table of Contents

How to heave to on a catamaran

How to heave to on a cutter or Solent rig

How to heave to on a ketch or a yawl

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How to Heave To – Complete GUIDE

Table of Contents

A Guide to Heaving To in Your Own Boat

What to Expect when Hove To

Heaving To Modifications and Other Setups to Consider

What does it mean to hove to?

Should you heave to in a storm?

‍ The Basics of the Heave-To

Angle to the Wind

Jib to Windward

Main Trimmed

Tiller to Leeward

The Physics of Sail Control

Centers of Effort and Resistance

Sail Trim and the Center of Effort

Using this to Heave-To

Troubleshooting

How to Heave-To

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Heave to – definition and how to do it

Heave to definition and meaning

How does it work?

Benefits of heaving-to

When to heave to

Can all sailboats heave to?

How to heave to

1. Reef according to the conditions.

2. Sail close haul.

3. Slowly tack the boat without releasing the jib.

4. Steer the boat so it stays at a 40-50 degrees angle to the wind.

5. Turn the rudder to windward

Getting out of heave to

Other tips for heaving to

Fore reaching vs. heaving to

Heave to or hove to?

More Articles From Online Book: Heavy Weather Tactics:

Heaving-To: a Useful Maneuver Worth Practicing

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Heaving to – What is it and why you should know how to do it?

Steps For Heaving To

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Keep Calm and Heave to

Table of Contents

What is Heaving To?

How is it Done?

Why We Heave To

Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know

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