Before reading on, please take a moment to fill out this week’s survey so we can share your knowledge and experiences with the Cruising Compass family. Thanks.
In the year ahead, are you planning on taking a bare-boat charter vacation?
Many thanks to all readers who took the time to reply to last week’s survey on heaving to. Of those who replied 71% have heaved to. 51% did so to await daylight for a landfall, 47% did so in heavy weather, 44% did so to avoid a patch of bad weather ahead and 22% had to stop sailing to make repairs.
Many readers commented on how they heave to. Here are representative answers:
Start on port tack, then with moving the head-sail sheets, tack to starboard tack. Loosen the head-sail sheet. Then crank the wheel to starboard.
Sloop: generally tack but don’t release sheet. (Backwind foresail. Adjust slightly for chafe on spreaders and to reduce driving.) Ketch: Mizzen sail with back winded inner staysail. Adjust to reduce eliminate driving to stay in slick in inclement seas.
Heavily reefed (rolled) solant, in mast main reefed to try sail size. Engine ticking over for forward motion. 40+ knots.
We have a cutter rig. We roll up the big Yankee and use the staysail aback with the right amount of in-mast furled mainsail to balance it. Helm down – wheel locked. We are an old 1995 Oyster 55 (Holman & Pye design) – she heaves to beautifully….
Center the main traveler. Roll in the jib to match the area of the main. Tack and Back wind the jib. Let out the main. Lock the wheel or tie the wheel if no wheel lock. Adjust sails if needed for balance.
