hove to

kenthep · Post by **kenthep** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:23 am

hey guys, could someone pleas explain to me what being "hove to" or what "heaving to" is?

Divecoz · Post by **Divecoz** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:46 am

Safety On San Francisco Bay — Heaving To

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

By Capt. Steve Stevens
“Heaving to” is described in Dean King’s “A Sea of Words”: “To let a ship lie to the wind in heavy weather. To halt the ship by setting the sails to counteract each other.” In other words, a sailboat is properly “hove to” when the forces acting on the main sail are counteracting the forces acting on the head sail, and the boat is stalled, just moving along with the current.

Per Captain Audrey:
When shes caught in Irons from coming about too slowly

DLT · Post by **DLT** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:52 am

Imagine your boat setup and sailing on a tack, with both jib and main. Ok, just swing over to the other tack, tacking the mainsail, but leaving the jib alone.

Essentially, you are back winding the head sail...

Rich Smith · Post by **Rich Smith** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:56 am

What you do is this:

1. steer your boat through the wind as you normally would do when you tack. However, don't release your head sail...let it backwind
2. once the head sail is backwinded, turn your wheel all the way over the other way and let out your main a bit.
3. Experiment with letting out and bringing the main in a bit...you'll find that your boat will settle into a position where she sits very flat and stable.
4. At this point you have the wind in the backwinded jib trying to push the boat around in one direction and the rudder (and to some extent the main) trying to push the boat around in the other directions and it all balances out.

It's not only good for heavy weather...we often use this technique when we want to have lunch without having to pay attention to sailing (Although you still have to always keep a watch for other boats and land etc ;->

)

One last thing...if you have a genoa, I'd suggest you put a few wraps in your furling so the sail doesn't chafe as much against the rigging.

kenthep · Post by **kenthep** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:59 am

why would anyone want this set up? under what conditions could this possibly be of use?? would'nt bare poles be better than this?

argonaut · Post by **argonaut** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:25 am

why would anyone want this set up? under what conditions could this possibly be of use?? would'nt bare poles be better than this?

This is one of the most useful sailing techniques I've ever learned.
It quickly takes a boat from heeled over under sail to nose-to-weather comfort.

Bare poles takes time to accomplish and in heavy weather you still have to control your boat's attitude to the waves with a motor or sea anchor or you'll end up beam to the waves and you might end up testing your floatation.

Hove-to though, you can lash your steering and roam around, fix something, go below and grab something,and even in heavy seas your boat just keeps her nose to the wind without you doing anything and the jib blocks a good bit of the nasty stuff coming across the bow. You sit in realtive comfort till the stink blows over then you pick up sailing again and you're good.
In short, if you don't know how to do this, do yourself a favor and learn it.
It takes like ten minutes to figure out. If you become a MOB at least your mate can stop the boat easily...
I've used it to have a snack and when I decided to drop sail & motor in, the main flaps around a lot less hove-to.

kenthep · Post by **kenthep** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:12 am

aya16 · Post by **aya16** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 12:01 pm

Doing this is great for watching dolfins and sea life haveing lunch, like what was mentioned, or just taking a break to explain things to crew.
also its easy to do anyone on board can do it. so If you fell in and can swim well you know. But when you do this to your boat she sits up straight
takes the swell head on and its like being on an Island with white caps all around you.

and getting out of it is easy just pull the main over to the other side
and off you go.

maddmike · Post by **maddmike** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 12:49 pm

Kenthep,

OK so 2 guys in seperate boats are out on the water for a nice day of sailing and the weather guy says "looken good all day folks 5-15 from the West"; which is the only kind of conditions some feel comfortable in. But, somehow the weather guy lied; the wind shifts South and picks up to 25 kts., then 35 kts. so you turn on the engine send the wife below and point for shore, but with the big spray and high chop you're having trouble dropping the sails; then the engine quits. If this is Boater #1 who knows how to 'heave to' he casually slips up on deck (roped in) and reefs in his Main with the jib backwinded, checks out the engine with the boat behaving itself, then with or without power and reefed sails heads back in-for a beer at the dockside cafe, not a big deal. Boater #2 has no idea what or how 'heaving to' is all about; doesn't need too, never sails in strong winds and heavy seas (except, of course today he has to because the weather guy lied). So he does what he thinks he should and starts the engine and attempts to lower the sails. Except they jam when his engine stalls, now he is being pushed abeam the seas in a heeled boat and struggling with wind wipped sails and trying to work with an engine in rough conditions. Eventually maybe he gets what is left of his sails in, maybe even starts the engine, but maybe he does not. Boat ends up on the lee shore, insurance guy is a jerk-keeps asking why he didn't just heave to? Ends up sitting next to Guy #1 at the bar, but orders a double scotch and wants to know if anyone wants to buy a somewhat damaged MAC with shredded sails. Hummm, maybe practicing heaving to on nice sunny days in light windconditions would have been time well spent? MM

Lease · Post by **Lease** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:10 pm

All correct. I would just add the warning that you make a fantastic amount of leeway when hove to. It's important to know what's down there and how far.

maddmike · Post by **maddmike** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:33 pm

Lease, agreed.

That's why the advanced course is called how to set a sea anchor, what kind to carry and when, and when to heave to vs when to deploy the sea anchor (with my boat a 9 ft. paratech sea anchor on 600 ft. line in 40+ kts. = about .9 km leeway assuming zero current).

MM

aya16 · Post by **aya16** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:40 pm

heave to is easy its what most new sailors do when they try and tack......

Night Sailor · Post by **Night Sailor** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:44 pm

And it impresses the ladies. I sold my last boat because after a spirited morning on the water with the possible buyers, where the gent tested my rigging with an uncontrolled jibe in 15 knots wind, I "parked the boat" so we could have lunch with no hassle and a level cockpit. The lady was so impressed she admitted she was worried about how they could stop the heeling adn bouncing to eat or use the head. Her hidden objections solved, they bought the boat on return to the dock.

Moe · Post by **Moe** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:19 pm

Some resources. Click on handbook or DVD for info.

Heaving To On-Line Video

Chip Hindes · Post by **Chip Hindes** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 4:57 pm

Lease is right on. Just a few weeks ago I measured 2.5-3 knots of leeway by GPS, while hove to in about 10-12 knots of wind.

Beats the heck out of dropping the hook for lunch or to visit the head when singlehanding, but you need plenty of room; heaving to will not keep you off a lee shore.

Leeway is generally pretty close to dead downwind.

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

hove to

hove to

Cut and pasted from

thanks for your answers, but

o.k. thanks..got it,will pratice