Heaving-to is a time-honored seamanship skill that sailors use to stop their boats when the need arises by backwinding the headsail. Yes, having-to is not something most skippers practice and when they do need to stop, they find that it is not as easy they thought.
Modern fin-keel, spade ruder vessels are much more dynamic in the water than old-fashion full keel designs. And because many boats have overlapping headsails and side stays, getting a backed genoa to lie safely backwinded, is not always immediately possible.
So, the actual set-up for heaving-to, the right combination of sail area, the right leads for jib sheets, the right position of the main sheet and the right angle for the rudder will be specific for every boat. And, this formula will vary by wind strength and sea state. So, you need to practice heaving-to in your own boat to figure out how to do it right. ASA has a useful article on heaving-to here.
