heave to in a 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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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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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.

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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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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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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 – 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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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.

My vision for NauticEd is to provide the highest quality sailing and boating education available - and deliver competence wherever sailors live and go.

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Can You Heave To In A Catamaran?

Table of Contents:

Heaving-to is a crucial skill in sailing, especially for boats with headsail-mainsail sail plans. It is an acceptable storm tactic during moderate squalls or large fronts, especially when compared to riding out a storm with bare poles. Most sailboats can heave-to, but it depends on the boat and conditions. A catamaran will indeed heave-to, though 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.

A performance cruising catamaran can typically outsail even the best keelboats to windward. Given their light weight and ample sail plans, heaving is very simple. Douse the heaving to when the wind is from behind. It is good to practice reefing nose-to-wind and heaving to, as it tests boathandling skills and helps prepare you for long-distance blue water cruising.

Heaving-to is mainly a heavy weather defense strategy, but some people use the tactic to delay a harbor. If a cat cannot be made to heave-to, it is a solid reason for choosing a mono vs. cat for long-distance blue water cruising.

In summary, heaving-to is a crucial skill for sailors, especially those who want to navigate long distances in heavy weather. It is essential to practice reefing nose-to-wind and heaving-to to ensure safety, rest, and preparation for long-distance blue water cruising.

📹 Can Performance Cruising Catamarans Heave To?

We attempt to heave to in a 48′ performance sailing catamaran. Plus some kitesurfing, and some diesel engine repair.

What happens if a catamaran capsizes?

Sea Action And High Winds Cause Capsizing. We do know of a couple of instances where large waves off Richards Bay on the East coast of South Africa and one off the Wildcoast of South Africa capsized catamarans. However, a monohull in similar conditions would also have capsized but it would have self righted because of its lead keel. A catamaran will not self right, however there is some comfort in the fact that modern catamarans have positive buoyancy, so if you capsize or fracture a hull, you will not sink like a mono hull can. You could stay with the vessel for shelter and protection until you are rescued. Survival of the crew in that case is much elevated. The risk of capsizing is something we are prepared to live with (it could happen on any boat) and if you sail your catamaran conservatively, this should not even be an issue. Racing Catamarans often capsize because they are little more than Hobie Cats driven to the edge under extreme conditions, so it really should not be in this discussion.

Catamarans Have Redundancy. Another positive safety issue is of course redundancy. Cruising catamarans have two diesel engines and an engine failure on a catamaran is not a catastrophe like it could be on a monohull. I remember being in this very predicament on my monohull when cruising in the Mediterranean off the coast of France. It was a real bugger navigating past the obstacles (naturally we were close to the coast when disaster struck) and sailing into a crowded anchorage. If I had been on my catamaran, I simply would have motored in on one engine. The second engine can still move the boat, create electricity and charge batteries, so no problem.

Crew Fatigue Is A Safety Issue. The last issue concerning safety is tired, over worked crew. Crew “fatigue” is negligible on a catamaran. You generally get a good sleep even in rough seas. Sail changes and reefing is much easier and safer as you operate on a more stable and flat platform and the risk of serious injuries and falling overboard is diminished considerably. Fresh and alert crew contributes to a much safer vessel.

Are catamarans safe in rough seas?

Safety Features. From advanced navigation systems to reinforced hulls and automatic reefing systems, contemporary catamarans are equipped with numerous safety features that make them better suited for challenging conditions.

In the next section, we’ll delve deeper into how catamarans handle rough waters, including insights from seasoned sailors, safety protocols, and key features that contribute to a catamaran’s performance in unpredictable seas. We’ll also explore the allure of catamaran charters in Greece and how to ensure a safe and memorable sailing experience amidst the stunning Grecian landscapes.

Navigating Rough Seas: Catamarans at the Helm. The Dynamics of Catamaran Sailing in Turbulent Waters. Understanding how a catamaran reacts to high waves and strong winds is crucial for safe navigation. Its wide stance on the water can make for a smoother ride over waves, reducing the risk of capsizing compared to traditional monohulls.

Is a catamaran safer than a yacht?

As catamarans don’t have heavy, lead-loaded keels, they will remain afloat, even when (heaven forbid) they are holed. This is because most modern catamarans have such a large amount of buoyancy built into them that they are almost unsinkable, making them much safer than monohull sailboats in this regard.

Sure, catamarans can capsize, but being rescued from an upside-down, still-floating multihull is definitely preferable to sinking to the bottom in a monohull!

The verdict? Contemporary catamarans are incredibly buoyant and virtually unsinkable, making them safer than monohull sailboats.

How to heave to a catamaran?

And then as long as we’re coming up slowly the boat isn’t going to go all the way up into the. Wind okay and there we are we could park here for some time.

Can catamarans hove to?

I have heard of a few ways to do it. I have practiced two, maybe three of them.

I have “hove to” (accomplished by “heaving to”) by filling the main and the jib on opposite tacks from one another. The result is a boat that firmly remains at a certain angle to the wind and drifts downwind, about 45º off of the wind.

I have actually stood up on my boom, rested my shoulders against my main sail, and spectated some racing while my catamaran was in this “hove to” situation.

I must be able to stop my boat in any number of conditions, so I must use a method that works with no jib present, when cat rigged. The method I use is something that I call “planted in irons.” I can’t honestly remember where I got this idea and it seems to me that I discovered it on my own.

What are the downsides of catamarans?

Catamaran Cons Because a wide bridge deck is strapped between two hulls, there can be slapping or pounding while underway in heavier seas. The slapping can become annoying, but is easily resolved by reducing sail. Unfortunately, that means reducing speed as well.

Pros & Cons of hiring a Catamaran or Monohull for your Whitsunday Yacht Charter. Some dyed-in-the-wool purists have been known to demonstrate a little “sailing snobbery” from time to time.Putting sailing snobbery aside … if planning a sailing vacation and you aren’t sure whether you want acatamaranor amonohull, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each to see what makes more sense for your purposes. Personally, I quite like both … for different reasons!

One of the major advantages of a catamaran versus a monohull is their inherent stability. A monohull simply can’t be compared to a cat in this regard.
Stability is a big plus for families with young children or seniors who are not particularly steady on their feet. Because the boat is notassusceptible to the effects of wave action and does not heal the way a monohull does, it is much easier to walk around on deck and within the interior of the yacht while underway.
Anyone who may be prone to seasickness will feel the effects of motion much less aboard a cat than they might on a mono.The added stability on a cat makes the cook’s job a lot less challenging both while underway and at anchor. Catamarans don’t rock and roll the way monohulls do.

More Bonus Points for Cats…. Catamarans generally provide far more living space in the main salon, galley and cockpit, than the space found aboard similarly priced monohulls. Their cabins are often more spacious too and even the smallest cat in the fleet has stand up headroom in each cabin.; Because of the layout, there is usually more privacy on a cat than on a mono and if you have children aboard, there is greater separation from the main living space and the cabins, making it easier for the kids to fall asleep at a reasonable hour.; The shallow draft of a cat allows you to anchor in shallower water which means you can be closer to the beach than almost all monohulls.; Many of the newer catamarans have raised or flybridge helms. No monohull can beat the visibility from the helm provided on most modern catamarans.; The galley, main salon and cockpit are all on one level,above the water line… making life aboard as well as your view much more enjoyable.; Because the majority of living space is above the waterline, you get much better flow through ventilation on a cat making the need for air conditioning somewhat less important during the daylight hours.; In almost all cases, you do not have to race around stowing things or using bungee cords to keep things in place, the moment you decide to set sail. Most things stay put even in moderately rough seas.; Because catamarans don’t have a big heavy keel loaded with lead, even if you hole the boat, it will float. Production cats have so much buoyancy built in that they are next to impossible to sink.; Cats are usually pretty easy to dock because you have two motors and two rudders. No need for a bow thruster.; Most catamarans can turn 360 degrees within their own length. No monohull I know of can do that.; Catamarans are usually faster than monohulls, particularly on downwind runs, reaches and broad reaches.It’s less tiring to sail a catamaran than it is to sail a monohull. Sailing flat has definite advantages.; If you are into SCUBA diving, carrying tanks and all the assorted equipment is much easier on a cat. It’s also a lot easier in many cases to board a cat on the sugar scoops than it is on many monohulls. Although many modern monohulls do have huge swim platforms that raise and lower electronically … so in that case, it’s a wash.; I have yet to see a monohull with a trampoline for sunbathing or lounging in the moonlight, while stargazing … with your sweetheart by your side! How much more romantic does it get than that? 🙂;

How safe is a catamaran boat?

Are catamarans safer than monohull sailboats?. Great question! Catamarans are much more stable than monohulls, and so people are less likely to fall overboard, which does make them safer in this aspect. They are larger, more stable boats, and so in most situations, this will make them a “safer” sailboat than a comparably sized monohull.

Catamarans also have the advantage of having 2 engines, which makes them “safer” when it comes to engine problems. On a monohull sailboat, if you have major engine problems you only have the option of sailing. On a catamaran, you always have a second motor ready to help out in an emergency!

Are catamarans easier to sail?. What makes monohulls harder to sail is heeling and more confined spaces. In stronger winds monohulls heel, making most tasks a little more difficult to manage. Whether you are going forward to reef, trying to winch in a sail or moving about the boat, sailing on a heeling boat is more challenging. Catamarans, however, because of their extra stability and room, allow for much easier movement around the boat as they do not heel. For this reason, catamarans are often considered “easier” to sail.

What are the downsides to a catamaran?

Can a catamaran flip over?

It happens very rarely, but it does happen: Cruising catamarans can capsize. But how likely is it to actually happen? And what does the crew need to do to get safely into harbour in a storm?

When monohull yachts reach their stability limits, their crews can clearly feel it. The heeling increases sharply, often accompanied by a brilliant sun shot and loudly rattling sails. If there is too much cloth, the boat can overtake so far that it is difficult to hold on to the cockpit, let alone furl the genoa and tie in a reef. In other words: orange alert!

If you have already reduced the sail area with foresight, you will only be noticeably laid on your side in a gust. This reduces the wind pressure in the rig, and as soon as it eases, the ship rights itself again. This self-regulation and the ability to communicate at the limit makes keel yachts comparatively easy to handle. This is another reason why they are considered by many to be more seaworthy and safer.

A heavy, seven or even eight metre wide twin hull hardly heels. Thanks to its dimensional stability, its rig can withstand the force of the gust for much longer. This characteristic is particularly appreciated by beginners and occasional sailors, who often feel uneasy when sailing monohulls.

Are catamarans easy to capsize?

Just how much safety modern mass-produced manufacturers build into their catamarans can be seen from the fact that their rigs collapse at 40 to 50 per cent of the maximum righting moment. This means that even in rough seas, modern designs can hardly tip over.

They have also become quite heavy due to the stricter strength requirements of the CE standard and the growing comfort demands of customers. “For this reason alone,” says Belmont, “they can hardly be levered out of the water.”

In order not to exhaust the stability and avoid unnecessary risks, it is nevertheless important to “meticulously adhere to the reefing tables, which can be found in every owner’s manual.”

How easy is it to capsize a catamaran?

Is it easy to get seasick on a catamaran?

Catamarans. Catamarans have two hulls, they rock laterally (side to side) significantly less than a monohull. We highly recommend first-time charters of sailing yachts to charter a catamaran for lots of reasons, and reduced seasickness is one of them. Read more about the benefits of chartering a catamaran.

Additionally, motorized catamarans(also called power cats) are becoming more and more popular, for many of the same reasons that sailing catamarans are moving dramatically to catamarans. Besides the benefit of more space and less rocking, they save significant fuel, which is both good for the environment and less expensive for you! See more about power cats as well as hundreds of charter power cats available.

Motor yachts. Motor yachts are generally good for cruising due to their large size; some motor yachts have stabilizers which are additions to a boat that does exactly as advertised: stabilizing the boat and reduce rocking. They are usually found on larger motor yachts and superyachts. Without going into technical detail, they act as underwater wings that reduce the propensity of the boat to rock laterally.

📹 Learning to Sail: How to Heave to

Heaving to is an important skill that is often overlooked. It is an excellent storm tactic and it can be used to “park” the boat in open …

What Does Heave To Mean In Sailing?
What Does Heave Ho Meaning Sailing?
A Catamaran That Can Be Dis Assembled?
Can You Capsize A Catamaran?
Can You Get Seasick On A Catamaran?
Can You Sail A Catamaran By Yourself?

Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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21-10-2011, 06:01
Boat: Multihulls - cats and Tris	is off the bow on a , on a very long line. Aim is to stay nose to sea and . Drouges are used off the stern as small devices aimed to slow the rather than stop it. Try getting a copy of Victor Shanes "Drag Device Data Base" excellent real world experiences of using para anchors.

21-10-2011, 07:05

Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises

. My previous tri would do it well as well, but needed some headsail windward sheeted to make it work

21-10-2011, 07:07

Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises

on board. as well as a small , I do not ever plan on being in conditions to use either but you never know, and I would rather be prepared.
I understand how to attatch and deploy- retrieve, my question is on a cat would you want to attatch these to the stern or bow? I thought I had seen an article that an cat would deploy them from the stern as to avoid constant pounding, the only of this is swamping the with a breaking wave,
Could someone let the inexperienced in on this?
Please do not confuse my inexperience for ignorance... ignorance would be not asking.

21-10-2011, 07:14
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41

21-10-2011, 07:34
Boat: Jaguar 22 mono called Arfur.	is meant to hold the 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 drogue 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 by much just increases the risk of a bow tucking into the rising water ahead. If the storm worsens (predicted or not) then the sea 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 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 anchor 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!

21-10-2011, 09:15
Boat: Still have the 33yo Jon boat. But now a CATAMARAN. Nice little 18' Bay Cat.	and rest. 12-15 knots Half furled . Full main. Worked fine except that instead of fore reaching at about a half (like I have seen in monos) we were going up to two knots. Need for experiments a bit more huh? edit - I was told by a person that sells these boats that it is not a good idea because a fluke can put you about and then off you go at 6-7 knots.

21-10-2011, 11:10

Boat: Gemini 105MC 34 ft hull#753

and rest.

12-15 knots

Half furled jib. Full main.

Worked fine except that instead of fore reaching at about a half (like I have seen in monos) we were going up to two knots.

Need for experiments a bit more huh?

edit - I was told by a person that sells these boats that it is not a good idea because a fluke can put you about and then off you go at 6-7 knots.

21-10-2011, 13:33
	control. Excellent for picking up too. Try it.

21-10-2011, 15:42

Boat: Still have the 33yo Jon boat. But now a CATAMARAN. Nice little 18' Bay Cat.

control. Excellent for picking up too. Try it.

21-10-2011, 16:53

21-10-2011, 17:22
Boat: now skippering Syd Harbour charters

21-10-2011, 19:22
Boat: Leopard 45, 45 feet, Jet Stream	heaves to just fine. I, too, use it as part of my MOB routine. As a matter of fact, having sailed about forty different types of boats, only one did not like to heave to. But, sometimes it took a fair bit of to find out how an individual boat likes to do it. Cheers, Tim

21-10-2011, 21:27
Boat: 56' Fountaine Pajot Marquises

21-10-2011, 21:42

Boat: now skippering Syd Harbour charters

21-10-2011, 23:17
Boat: Leopard 45, 45 feet, Jet Stream	, you immediately off, more towards a reach, for a few seconds. The actual time depends upon the boat. The faster it is, and the more momentum it has, the longer and lower you off. After the time that is appropriate for the boat (you can find this out easily by doing this, once) you do a quick tack without tacking the jib. Point the bow(s) to leeward of the victim. This is very important. When you get near the victim, head up into a hove-to position. The boat will come to a gradual halt, ideally just to windward of the victim. If you need a bit more oomph, just head down for a second or two. I have taught this for almost twenty years, and most students are able to get right back to the victim in under a minute, without ever getting that far away. On a big cat you WILL get farther away, as there is more momentum to kill, but moving more quickly still means you will get back in short order. If this is too complicated, just heave to the instant the person goes , and you will most likely still stop within about fifty yards of the victim. Here is the philosophy behind this. When we teach MOB drills in sailing schools, it is not truly a real world situation. In almost every case, the goal is to pick up the lifejacket or cushion or whatever is thrown overboard. These are really good sail handling drills, but the boat often gets too close to the target (sometimes running it down), almost never comes to a stop, and if it does so (and even if it doesn't) depends on either rolling up the headsail or letting it luff, which causes all sorts of violent flogging of and . Very unsafe, in reality. By using the method I described, the never need to be touched, the boat can be stopped, or very nearly stopped, and the do not luff. Everything is in relatively calm shape, which is good. It can also be done singlehanded, or with an untrained crew. Why is this important? Most cruising is done by couples, so either person had better be able to do the whole maneuver unaided. And, ask yourself, when you go sailing with a group of people, do you drill them until they can do one of the established maneuvers? No? Join the crowd. So, in reality, if something happens, there will be lots of chaos, the sails will be flogging all over the place, and there is a good chance that the maneuver will fail or take too long.....just look at the statistics. Finally, when someone goes overboard, in reality they are either in shape to help themselves get back on board or they are not. If they are, not only do you not need to stop right on top of them, but it is dangerous to do so. Much better to come to a stop a half boat length or so away, and they can swim over. They will have only been in the water for a minute, two at the absolute most. But, for this to work, you have to be able to STOP, which you can't do using the regular maneuvers. Sooner or later, the bow falls off and the boat gets going again. And it is safest to have the sails under control, not luffing, and not having required to be rolled up. If the person can NOT help themselves (let's say he or she is unconscious), then the only alternative is for someone to tie themselves to the boat, and go in. Yes, I know that the book tells you never to do this, but what would you do if a loved one was floating unconscious in the water? Right, you would go in. And, again, the crucial thing is for the boat to be STOPPED and under control. This you cannot do using the other techniques. To sum it up, most MOB maneuvers never really stop the boat, run the risk of the bow falling off resulting in the boat getting moving again, involve flogging sails and sheets, and need lots of practice, which is why they are great sail aids in sailing . But the most likely number of crew is two, one on the boat, and one in the water. Not a happy situation. If, on the other hand, you simply heave to, you will not be more than fifty yards away, much closer in the average . It is a simple maneuver, the boat stops, and there is no chaos. Not much need for , either. If you do the maneuver I described above, you can come right to the MOB. I used to practice picking up coke cans out of the water off the stern of my ...that is how close you can get. But, it is better to stop a short distance away, and either wait for the MOB to paddle a few yards to the boat, or be in position to do go in the water. The boat is STOPPED, otherwise you could not reasonably get in. It will not start again, either, until you either steer to leward and gybe around, or let the jib go over to the leeward side and complete the tack. Neither will happen unless you do it. 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 45/47. When teaching 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 the students always prefer? Since there are many ways for a person to go overboard, and many situations in which it can happen, and since they are such good sail training drills, you should learn all the ways to pick up an MOB. This would included the figure eight and quick stop methods, for starters, as well as some way to come back to the target if you are going down wind with the jib poled out or a up, which are the worst situations, by far. And, don't forget that you have an (or two). But try making heaving to the method of choice. It is so easy and so safe. Your other question involved heaving to without a jib. You can often stall a big cat by sheeting the main all the way in, and then heading slightly off head to wind. The boat never gets much way on, and keeps trying to head up and stop. Sometimes a cat will back up, briefly and then move forward briefly. On some boats (including some monohulls), you can get the boat at right angles to the wind, with the main sheeted right in, stalled, and the boat has no drive forward at all, and just slide slips. This is very much a heave to, since you are in your own "slick", but if the wave action is significant, you are beam on and "in the trough", which may be uncomfortable and, particularly in a cat, potentially unsafe. I am sure there will be other methods described. Try them...you will have fun a few things about your boat. Hope this helps. But, do your best to keep everyone onboard! Cheers, Tim

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Can You “Heave To” in a Catamaran?

“Heave to” is a worthwhile skill for sailors. This technique stops the boat and holds it almost completely still in the water. The long keel on monohull sailboats makes this easier to manage. Catamarans, like sailboats, can “heave to”.

A catamaran can indeed “heave to”, though a cat may not hold still completely. This is due to the role that the keel plays in this technique. In “heaving to” the jib and the mainsail are counter balanced by each other and both depend upon pushing against the boat’s keel. The longer the keel, the easier it will be to heave to.

“Heave to” is a tool for stopping the boat almost completely in the water with the sails still up. The boat maintains a relatively steady position. This is in complete contrast to “lying ahull,” in which all the sails are dropped and the boat is permitted to drift. This motion, which can be uncomfortable and even dangerous. A boat “lying ahull” is pointed into the waves and puts you at risk of capsizing.

Catamarans Can “Heave To”

Boats that “heave to” like this normally drift slightly with the wind. Just like a monohull, a cat could drift around 40 to 50 degrees off the wind. This dramatically eases the boat’s motion. This motion, which is normal, may seem skittish or uncomfortable at first. So, of course your catamaran can “heave to”. It is a less solid location than a monohull with a deep keel but it works just the same.

A Worthwhile Sailing Skill

“Heaving to” is a worthwhile sailing skill that every sailor should learn. This simple technique will stop your boat in a controlled manner without the captain having to stay at the helm. This can be used for mundane purposes, such as lunch. It can also be used to ride out a storm. Any catamaran can “heave to” like any other sailboat.

It can be used for waiting out bad weather because it allows you to “freeze” the boat at a safe angle to wind and waves and go below to ride it out. Sailors who are sailing their boat without an autopilot will find this technique a valuable skill if they need to leave the helm for any reason.

“Heaving to” is a useful skill for “freezing” your catamaran in it’s tracks, and it can be used even with the sails up. The jib and mainsail are carefully balanced against each other. This works best with monohulls with longer keels but can be applied by any boat, including catamarans. There are excellent “heave to” instructions here .

If you have more information, please send me feedback and I will be glad to respond.

https://www.liveabout.com/heave-a-sailboat-2915472

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Yachting Monthly

Digital edition

Excess 11 review: A very rare sub-40ft cruising catamaran

Theo Stocker
September 10, 2024

A cruising cat much under 40ft is a rare beast, especially one that’s meant to be fun to sail. Theo Stocker went to see if the Excess 11 really delivers.

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

Catamarans don’t belong in the UK, I hear you cry. If you’ve been put off by towering topsides, the vast beam and ideas about how much it might cost to keep one in a marina, or their supposed lack of upwind performance, then stay with me. The Excess 11 is a boat that has certainly made me think again.

High-volume production catamarans certainly make fantastic boats for chartering with your family in hot climates and introducing nervous crew to life afloat, but I was eager to find out if a new brand of catamaran could also make a genuinely practical and enjoyable cruising boat for private owners to sail in the UK’s more temperate waters.

If you’re looking for a cruising catamaran you have, until fairly recently, faced a choice between a high-volume, stubby-keeled cruising catamaran, or a dagger-boarded speed machine. Alongside Nautitech , however, Excess has jumped into a niche for high- volume but modest displacement cruising cats that seek to offer the best of both worlds.

Theo at the helm in a red coat and life jacket

Theo found the Excess 11 is resilient with an impressive finish. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The Excess brand emerged from the Beneteau Group just six years ago to fill this perceived void. Employing top racing catamaran and foiling IMOCA designers VPLP means this boat has at least a modicum of performance in her DNA. Could this be a catamaran that’s comfy to live on, reassuringly solid at sea, and still genuinely engaging to sail?

At first glance, the Excess 11 has much in common with other modern cruising cats – high topsides, a generously glazed deck saloon, staggering amounts of space in the hulls, and shallow, long chord keels. But it was her differences that piqued my interest. To start with she’s just 37ft in length – a good 3ft shorter than any of her competitors, and only the Broadblue 345 is smaller than this.

Rather than a single, raised helm station, she has twin helms on the main deck level, aft and outboard of the superstructure. To bring the helm to life, steering uses Dyneema cables rather than hydraulics, and with the wheels where they are, this is a surprisingly short cable run to minimise play and maximise feeling.

Sheeting angles are controlled by in-and-out haulers for the overlapping genoa. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Winches are at deck level, too, so there’s more for crew to do if they want to get involved, and she comes at a surprisingly competitive price when you compare her to monohulls – the Excess 11 may cost more than boats of a similar length, but for the same space aboard you’d need to be looking at a boat at least five or 10ft longer.

So it was that I found myself motoring down the Hamble river at the bright orange wheel of an Excess 11. With both wheels set right aft and outboard you have a pretty unobstructed view directly forwards and outboard. Look through the glazing, and you then get a surprisingly clear view through the arcs obstructed by the saloon.

Step inboard slightly, still within reach of the wheel, and you can see round the support posts and straight out of the front of the boat. It takes a little getting used to as the tops of the windows were slightly below eye level (I’m 6ft 1in tall), but it’s similar to helming a deck-saloon monohull or even just ducking to leeward to look round a headsail.

The boom is low enough to make stowing the sail easy from atop the coach roof. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Command and control with the Excess 11

As we motored along, I was reassured that I could control the boat from either side, thanks to the electronic throttles controlling the twin 29hp Yanmar inboards; this means command can be taken from either wheel.

While cats are directionally stable, you might notice that, as with many other cats, there’s no prop wash over the rudders. That’s because her rudders are ahead of the propellers – an arrangement that allows the engines to be pushed right aft, saving space for the aft cabins. Not an issue in a cat as you can drive it on the throttles like a tank – not that I’ve ever driven one of those, but I imagine it’s similar.

We didn’t get the sunniest of days – the clouds stubbornly obscured the sun all day and the temperature was remarkably low for mid summer – but at least we had a decent breeze. As you’d expect from a multihull, the main is large and powerful to help propel drive the extra hull, but a two-to-one halyard taken to the powered winch ahead of the starboard helm help us set sail.

The dramatic hull flares are obvious seen from the bows. Photo: Paul Wyeth

On our test Excess 11, Sea Ventures’ stock boat, all lines other than a couple of halyards were led aft to clutches and a winch ahead of the starboard wheel, including both sheets for the overlapping jib. Most owners opt for the self-tacking jib, which simplifies things further.

With all lines taken to one side there’s a lot of rope in one place, which needs keeping tidy, though I can see that splitting controls to both sides would make some of them frustratingly hard to reach for the helm.

Underway, we faced a beat out of Southampton Water and around Bramble Bank into open water. Before I had a chance to remember that multihulls aren’t meant to tack well, I’d put her into a tack just as I would a monohull; she popped through easily and was off again almost instantly.

When it comes to a cruiser that the whole family can enjoy, a catamaran is a sensible option. Photo: Paul Wyeth

A slight bear away helped rebuild any lost momentum and we were back pointing up to 40º-43º off the apparent wind, giving us a compass tacking angle of 115º-120º – not bad for a cruising cat. When you take into account that we were doing over 7 knots upwind, upwind in a Force 4, in a 37-footer, on a completely even keel, that’s actually pretty impressive and probably almost a knot faster than you’d get from the same size monohull. Clearly, in a big seaway, the extra hull and potential slamming from the nacelle might see this drop off, but the Solent chop wasn’t anywhere near big enough to test this.

Article continues below…

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Enjoyable helming

Steering from the windward helm, I loved being outboard and able to see forwards and to feel the wind in my face. The helm was light and responsive, and while you don’t get the feedback of the boat heeling and loading up, it was sensitive enough for me to feel the fore-and-aft balance of the sailplan – not something you’d get in your average heavy cruising cat. Seeing the genoa telltales wasn’t the easiest, so helming from leeward helped with this.

The starboard wheel was home to most of the controls, but throttles can be used on either side. Photo: Paul Wyeth

In terms of visibility, it was, if anything, better than when sailing to windward in a monohull, as the sail is above the line of sight from the hull, and the saloon windows remain conducive to looking through.

Bearing away and in a freshening breeze, we accelerated slightly to 7.5 knots on a close reach, but the real speed came from setting the 54m2 Code Zero, which was set and furled on the foldable bowsprit (this hinges away to reduce length when in harbour). We comfortably maintained speeds over 8 knots, with the occasional foray into the high nines and a max speed of 10.1 knots with the wake fizzing off the transoms as the wind gusted to the top end of the recommended windspeed for the Code Zero. The huge asymmetric is an option for lighter airs and deeper angles.

A modest galley and chart table are plenty for cruising as a couple or with a couple of friends. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The sailplan crossover table for recommended wind ranges for each sail option by the helms was a useful addition; without heel angle you need to sail a cat more by numbers. Experienced owners might be willing to bend the rules, but even so, this looks and feels like a boat that can stand up to her canvas well. She’s not going to be planing, but surfs in double digits are well within her reach.

Handling the Code Zero was straight-forward – the headsail halyards are the only lines taken to port, plus the furling line for the Zero, and sheets are led to the winches either side, so you do need a couple of people to release and sheet in after a gybe. Furling the sail is probably the easier way to gybe in reality, though handling the winches is easy enough from the helm. If you did want two winches, you’d have to move up to the larger Excess 14.

The cat in action on slightly choppy water

Good cruising speeds can be reached with minimum fuss. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The big plus of having the wheels and lines all on deck level with the cockpit is that it is easy for crew to lend a hand, helping them feel involved and making communication easier. It would also feel more secure in a seaway, while the proximity to the water makes the sailing experience more engaging.

Seats fold down behind the helm across the transom access giving two people somewhere comfy to sit and improving the sense of security at the wheel, also helped by the high bulwark outboard. Steps inboard of the wheels take you up onto the wide side decks.

On deck, much of the foredeck is trampoline to keep weight and potential sources of slamming well aft. The anchor mounts to a bow roller next to the forestay with the chain led aft to the vast nacelle lockers ahead of the saloon windows via a moulded channel, which keeps the chain flush underfoot. Most owners will opt for the second 300-litre water tank in this locker, as there’s easily space for it and crew will be happier with less strict water rationing.

The saloon nav station adds practical work space, though too small to hold a chart. Photo: Paul Wyeth

All accommodation hatches are flush in the deck, and in each bow is a cavernous fo’c’sle locker for extra kit and sails. There’s an option for these lockers to be made into extra berths if you want capacity for 12 on board.

The Excess 11’s sociable cockpit

Living arrangements on board the Excess 11 are very practical, especially for a crew of six in the three-cabin layout most owners opt for. We found crew congregate at the back of the cockpit, where there are six seats across the stern, as well as the bench seat to port and an L-shaped seat around the cockpit table, giving plenty of space to relax.

A hard-top canopy keeps weather and sun at bay over the well-sheltered cockpit. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The low boom means packing the sail can be done at waist height from the canopy without any additional climbing, so many owners opt for the hard-top cockpit canopy so that it can be walked on, as well as a place to mount solar panels. A folding canvas ‘targa’ top is also an option, however, if you want to let more light in.

Walk forwards through the sliding doors and you find yourself in a large open space around the saloon table, surrounded by an L-shaped settee against the forward bulkhead, with a couple of stools for extra seating. At the starboard end there is a nav station, though in reality navigation will be done on deck.

Against the aft and outboard sides to starboard is the L-shaped galley, with a fixed oven and two-burner gas hob, front-opening fridge, and a few lockers. To port of the entrance are another set of large lockers, ideal for stowing lifejackets and other sailing kit, or more food, and there’s also stowage under the saloon seats. It isn’t the world’s largest galley, but I had to keep on reminding myself this boat is just 37ft. It’s more than enough for a cruise of a week or two, or longer for a couple.

Space and light make the saloon a pleasant place to be in harbour and underway. Photo: Paul Wyeth

It’s down in the hulls that you really see the merit of the hulls’ volume. A marked flare above the waterline maximises space without adding drag, and the resulting chines keep spray down. Clever contours in the topsides also reduce the visual impact of big slab sides, while adding strength and volume.

To port, there are double cabins fore and aft, both with more-or-less square berths and a good-sized heads with separate shower compartment between them. Each enjoys a large hull window with opening port and a deckhead opening hatch, plus a couple of lockers and under-bed stowage spaces.

The starboard hull is the real selling point, however. How many 37-footers can offer almost the whole length for a single cabin? The owner’s ‘suite’ can be shut off from the rest of the boat with a sliding door across the stairs. There’s a locker and desk/dressing table at the bottom of the three steps, and a huge double berth aft, while the forward end is occupied by a big bathroom – nothing like the cramped heads you and I know – with a separate shower compartment, and more lockers.

Palatial space for the owner’s cabin, thanks to having a whole hull to yourselves. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The Excess 11 is built for resilience

In terms of maintenance, there’s very little you’ll need access to, other than the heads seacocks in the main hulls. Most of the systems are congregated in the large engine bays just aft of the wheels, accessed via deck panels that helpfully hinge aft, so you can access them without having to perch on the bathing platform.

On the whole, access is good, though the engines are mounted the ‘right way’ round with the sail drives aft, but this means that the alternator, impeller and water strainer are all tucked right forwards with no way of tackling them head on. The yard explained that if the engines were mounted the other way round, with the saildrives closer to the rudders, it would have made both rudder and propeller less efficient, though they acknowledged that it was something of a trade-off.

Aft-hinged engine bay hatches allow good access to the aft end of the engine and most systems from on board. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The other possible issue was that the Dyneema steering cables I so liked at the helm run immediately above the engine. While HMPE rope has a melting point of 150ºC, its maximum operating temperature, according to Southern Ropes, is 70ºC, where some engines will run at over 80ºC in normal operation.

In the event of an engine fire, you could well lose the steering cable, though the opposite wheel should continue to give you steerage with both rudders via the tie bar, or failing that, the emergency tiller. Other than this, I was impressed with the finish of the boat, which seemed to be of a good standard and with no obvious rough edges.

Structurally, the Excess 11 has been designed to be pretty bombproof. A cat doesn’t need ballast, so all of the weight can go into structural integrity. The keels are designed with extra GRP reinforced ‘shoes’ and for vertical load bearing so the boat can sit comfortably on the keels. These are moulded as part of the hull, filled with foam and capped with laminate, before the whole structure is vacuum-infused with resin.

Most owners will opt for the larger Pulse Line sailplan and the simpler self-tacking jib. Photo: Paul Wyeth

There are no keel bolts to worry about, but they are designed so that if the keels suffered a large side impact, the keel would fail without damage to the watertight integrity of the hull, acting as a fuse, allowing the boat to sail on and seek repair, which seems eminently sensible to me.

Guests aren’t short-changed either, with huge berths and views out of the hull windows. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Excess 11 specifications:

LOA: 11.42m / 37ft 6in Hull length: 11.33m / 27ft 2in Beam: 6.59m / 21ft 7in Draught: 1.15m / 21ft 7in Displacement: 9,000kg /19, 845 lb Sail area: 77m2 / 829 sq ft (Pulse line 82m2 / 882 sq ft) Disp/length: 173 SA/D Ratio: 18 Engine: 2 x 29hp Yanmar Transmission: Saildrive Water: 300L / 79gal (+300L optional) Fuel: 400L / 103gal Berths: 6-12 RCD Category: A8 Designer: VPLP Builder: Beneteau UK Agent: sea-ventures.co.uk

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I may sail monohull predominantly, but I’ve chartered a few cats and sailed some small multihulls, so I stepped aboard the Excess 11 with an open mind, and found myself quickly warming to the boat. It took much less than you might think for this boat to come alive as a sailing boat, delivering a genuinely engaging and enjoyable experience on the helm, whilst giving your crew a thoroughly civilised time on board too. The layout of the helms, deck and accommodation were all well thought through and user-friendly for a short-handed crew, and I was sold by the one-level sailing and living approach. For what I’d see as a ‘low-maintenance’ boat to sail, the Excess offers performance and fun for eating up miles with ease, at the same time as being staggeringly spacious and comfortable for her length.

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The ocean is your parking lot (published July 2012)

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.

Andrew Cross, a USCG licensed captain and US Sailing certified sailing and navigation instructor, is also the editor of www.cruisingcompass.com. After putting thousands of miles under his keel on the East Coast and in the Caribbean, he and his wife Jill now reside in Seattle and are looking forward to cruising the Great Northwest and beyond.

Author: Andy Cross

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Discover the Top Power Catamarans for 2024

By Yachting Staff
Updated: September 10, 2024

Power catamarans have seen a surge in popularity, growing both in size and appeal. These cruise-focused yachts offer homelike comfort, fuel efficiency and user-friendly operation, making them a favorite among avid travelers. Their popularity extends to the bareboat charter market for the same reasons.

In this article, we explore the world’s top power catamarans, ranging from a 36-footer ideal for a cruising couple to a 78-footer perfect for entertaining friends and family. The propulsion options are diverse, including outboards, diesel inboards, hybrids, and even all-solar setups.

Top Luxury Power Catamarans

The following power catamarans are all vessels we’ve reviewed. They are listed in no particular order.

Fountaine Pajot MY44 : A family-oriented cat suitable for long-range cruising and aimed at owner-operators.
Silent Yachts 60 : This is a catamaran that can cruise comfortably for long distances using emissions-free solar-electric propulsion.
Horizon PC74 : With interior and deck space like a much larger vessel, the PC74 is perfect for cruising the Bahamas and Caribbean.
Aquila 36 : This beefy 36-footer is an outboard-powered, express-cruiser-style catamaran.
Lagoon Seventy 8 Powercat : A spacious design, this vessel fits the volume of a 130-foot-long monohull into just 78 feet of length overall.
Horizon PC68 : This cat has a stable ride, long range, volume to spare and intriguing layout options.
Two Oceans 555 : An elegantly simple yet luxurious 55-foot custom with the space and amenities of a much larger vessel.
Lagoon 630 : From its open salon to its spacious decks, the Lagoon is a comfortable and luxurious platform.
Fountaine Pajot MY5 : A midsize cruiser with serious big-boat space for family and friends.
Prestige Yachts M8 : The voluminous 65-footer lets owners customize onboard spaces.
Aquila 47 Molokai : Calling all anglers: This cat has 60-plus-knot speed and is set up for serious bluewater adventure.

Fountaine Pajot MY44

The Fountaine Pajot MY44 , a creation of Italian architect Pierangelo Andreani and French designer Daniel Andrieu, has a main deck that’s open from the aft-deck seating all the way forward to the starboard helm station. The sense of spaciousness is significant, for several reasons. First, four glass panels aft can all slide to port, creating an indoor-outdoor space with the aft deck and salon. In the salon, 32-inch-high windows extend for 12 feet down the sides of the yacht, with three sections per side, bringing in natural light along with the three forward panes that comprise the windshield. Finally, 6-foot-6-inch headroom provides vertical clearance, with a 21-foot-7-inch beam that adds interior roominess while keeping the yacht stable.

Quick Specifications

	44’
	21’5”
	530 gal.
	184 gal.
	6’6”
	32,850 lb.

Silent Yachts 60

Solar panels, ocean-crossing range and self-sufficiency define the electric Silent-Yachts 60 power catamaran. If there was any question that the “Tesla moment” has arrived in yachting, the Silent 60 clearly provides a positive response. Consider, for a moment, crossing oceans in silence at 5 to 6 knots without consuming a drop of fuel and never needing to plan your course between fuel stops. Imagine sitting at anchor and running the air conditioning all night, not to mention all the galley appliances plus the washer-dryer, without the hum or fumes from a genset.

	62’
	29’6”
	4’5”
	68,000 lb.

Horizon PC74

As founder and director of The Powercat Company, a Horizon Power Catamarans distributor, Stuart Hegerstrom had long believed that catamaran builders needed to design their yachts to more stylish standards.

“The boats were very boxy,” he says, based on his years of experience with cats in the charter market. He and his partner, Richard Ford, asked Horizon to produce models that had high-end finishes and looked good inside and out.

The Horizon team brought in mega-yacht designer JC Espinosa to work with its own craftsmen. The result aboard the Horizon PC74 is a catamaran with exterior styling, layout and functionality that should appeal to private and charter owners alike.

	73’9”
	28’3”
	2,000 gal.
	400 gal.
	6’
	163,140 lb.

The Aquila 36 is a departure from her sisterships in that she is an outboard-powered, express-cruiser-style catamaran, but she also adheres to MarineMax’s philosophies.

With a single main living level from bow to stern and a beam of 14 feet 7 inches, the Aquila 36 is like a bowrider on steroids. She has seating that can handle 20 adults for outings and barbecues, and there are two staterooms below, one in each hull, for family weekending. The staterooms have nearly queen-size berths, en suite heads, stowage and 6-foot-6-inch headroom.

	36’
	14’7”
	356 gal.
	200 gal.
	2’ (engines trimmed up)
	21,572 lb.

Lagoon Seventy 8 Powercat

Lagoon is a division of Groupe Beneteau, the world’s largest builder of sailing yachts, and the Lagoon Seventy 8 Powercat is a developmental sistership of its Seventy 7 super sailing cat. The Seventy series yachts are built at Construction Navale Bordeaux in France, which had to add a new yard to construct these catamarans because they require separate stern molds for the power and sail versions.

	78’1”
	36’1”
	2,246 gal.
	422 gal.
	4’2”
	131,153 lb.

Horizon PC68

Multihull yachts ride differently than monohulls, often counteracting the sea’s motion for a smoother, more stable ride. On the Horizon PC68 , sharp hull entries make head seas seem gentle, and a Humphree stabilization system with blades reduces roll. Horizon uses SCRIMP construction for resin saturation that maximizes strength with an 111,112-pound displacement. And with a 5-foot-4-inch draft, the PC68 invites island cruising.

	60’9”
	24’6”
	1,000 gal.
	250 gal.
	4’9”
	83,467 lb.

Two Oceans 555

With 27-knot speed, house-like volume, an on-deck master and top-tier tech, the Two Oceans 555 is a formidable power catamaran. Dave Jirikovic of HMY Yachts was on a quest. The sales broker was looking for the meanest, nastiest patch of Gulf Stream he could find to show a potential client what the Two Oceans 555 power cat could handle. And just as he had intended to show us, the broad-shouldered power cat didn’t even notice. He even dropped the single-lever throttles back to idle and left the 25-foot-wide Two Oceans 555 beam-on to another set of square-edged seas. The 55-footer brushed that off too. Jirikovic tried quartering into the seas—never a happy angle for catamarans—and the yacht drowsed through them.

	55’6”
	25’
	750 gal.
	200 gal.
	49,600 lb.

Fitted with the optional twin 300-horsepower Volvo Penta D4 diesels, the Lagoon 630 MY burns only 1.64 gph total at 6 knots, giving a theoretical range of 2,952 nautical miles with standard tankage of 793 gallons. Hull No. 1 had an optional 502-gallon tank, giving it transatlantic range.

Luxury, stability and economy are all hallmarks of Lagoon’s return to luxury motor yachts. If you can take a ride, it will be worth your time.

	64’
	32’10”
	793 gal.
	254 gal.
	3’11”
	70,097 lb.

Fountaine Pajot MY5

The flybridge deck on the Fountaine Pajot MY5 is a standout feature, offering virtually unobstructed 360-degree ocean views and an elevated beach club vibe. Aft of the off-center starboard helm is a spacious area perfect for entertaining, complete with a wet bar, refrigeration center, and ample seating. It’s the most popular space aboard according to the builder. And if the weather turns for the worse, a second helm station in the saloon allows the skipper to pilot the MY5 in climate-controlled comfort.

	42’4”
	19’9”
	372 gal.
	112 gal.
	3’7”
	46,000 lb.

Prestige Yachts M8

How fitting it was that Prestige Yachts introduced its new M-Line flagship, the M8 , at Portopiccolo, a picturesque yachting village outside Trieste, Italy. Formerly a quarry, the cliff-side area had been chiseled into a clean site rife with eye-catching vistas, much like the French builder’s 65-foot power catamaran and its nearly 3,000 square feet of usable real estate.

	65’
	29’
	978 gal.
	224 gal.
	5’5”
	98,379 lb.

Aquila 47 Molokai

With every boat, there’s an origin story. In the case of the Aquila 47 Molokai power catamaran, it starts with MarineMax, which saw people renting boats for bareboat charters. MarineMax Vacations was born. After experimenting with several production yachts, the company decided to build its own: the Aquila line, designed for charter as well as for sale to owner-operators.

	49’4”
	14’7”
	1,048 gal.
	2’2” (engines trimmed up)
	22,818 lb.

More: Aquila Boats , Fountaine Pajot , Horizon Power Catamarans , Lagoon , Lagoon Catamarans , Power Catamarans , Prestige Yachts , Silent-Yachts , Two Oceans , Yachts
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IMAGES

Can You “Heave To” in a Catamaran?
Build a boat dock: Catalogue How to heave to on a catamaran
Heave-to Man Overboard recovery on Lagoon catamaran
How to Heave-to in Your Sailboat
Heave To: A Comprehensive Guide
How to heave to in a yacht

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Atlantic 47 catamaran sailboat review
🌊💪🚤 Catamaran 🛥️ Takes on the Rollers 🌊 at Haulover Inlet 🌊
The Top 10 Performance Catamarans by their sailing ratios
Ep 46: Heaving to
Top tips : single handed harbor maneuvers on a cruising catamaran
A Day in the Life Living On A Sailing Catamaran

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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 to Heave To On A Sailboat
How to heave to on a catamaran. 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.
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. ... 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 ...
How and Why to Heave To
How and Why to Heave To. "Heaving-to" is a classic technique employed to endure severe weather conditions while at sea. Heaving-to is an essential skill for all mariners, as it proves valuable in various situations. This maneuver allows you to delay your arrival at a port until more favorable light or tide conditions prevail or simply ...
How to Heave To
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.
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. Reef the main straight away and back the jib, then tweak the ...
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 ...
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...
Heaving-To
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. ... Cruising catamarans sail relatively flat and while they jerk back ...
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.
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 ...
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.
Keep Calm and Heave to
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: When arriving at a destination at night and waiting until daylight to enter unfamiliar waters;
What is it and why you should know how to do 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 ...
Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know
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.
How to Heave to in a Catamaran for Safe Sailing?
Most sailboats can heave-to, but it depends on the boat and conditions. A catamaran will indeed heave-to, though 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. ...
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 in a Catamaran
I haven't had to heave to with our cat, the prior owners have cruised all over in her and had a fairly large paratech sea anchor on board. as well as a small drogue, I do not ever plan on being in conditions to use either but you never know, and I would rather be prepared. I understand how to attatch and deploy- retrieve, my question is on a cat would you want to attatch these to the stern or bow?
Can You "Heave To" in a Catamaran?
A catamaran can indeed "heave to", though a cat may not hold still completely. This is due to the role that the keel plays in this technique. In "heaving to" the jib and the mainsail are counter balanced by each other and both depend upon pushing against the boat's keel. The longer the keel, the easier it will be to heave to.
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....
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!
Excess 11 review: A very rare sub-40ft cruising catamaran
High-volume production catamarans certainly make fantastic boats for chartering with your family in hot climates and introducing nervous crew to life afloat, but I was eager to find out if a new brand of catamaran could also make a genuinely practical and enjoyable cruising boat for private owners to sail in the UK's more temperate waters.
Heaving-To
Having the ability to heave-to in your boat or on a charter is an absolutely essential skill to master. Heaving-to is not hard, and just like many sailing maneuvers, it gets easier with practice. ... spacious catamarans and swift, fine sailing trimarans. And, every week, we publish the e-journal Cruising Compass, which is your weekly fix of ...
Discover the Top Power Catamarans for 2024
The following power catamarans are all vessels we've reviewed. They are listed in no particular order. Fountaine Pajot MY44: A family-oriented cat suitable for long-range cruising and aimed at owner-operators. Silent Yachts 60: This is a catamaran that can cruise comfortably for long distances using emissions-free solar-electric propulsion.

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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‍ 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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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?

More Articles From Online Book: Heavy Weather Tactics:

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?

78 Old Fishermans Wharf

Keep Calm and Heave to

Table of Contents

What is Heaving To?

How is it Done?

Why We Heave To

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

Steps For Heaving To

Related Posts:

Heaving To And Something About It That You Might Not Know

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