Had a crack at it today, all worked very nicely just wondering if the sheet resting on the side stay could cause problems like chaff and putting pressure on the rig.

Hi Cammd
As you have noticed the sheet hard up against the shroud is a part of heaving to.
Over a short time wear is not a big problem. The sheets rub up against the shrouds in normal use (tacking).
Over a longer time, like heaving to in a 10 hour storm, an extra line can be rigged to come back between the shrouds.
Even then there will be rubbing.

As for effect on shroud tension.
Compared to the loads applied by a beam reach in heavy weather heaving to would be of little effect.
Your rig looks fine to me.

gary

Thanks for the reply Gary, I will continue to practice with different sail configurations in different conditions, mostly sailing with just two of us on board so I would like both of us to be well versed at stopping the boat in a hurry if it was required.

The boat may heave to with different sail combinations for different wind strengths. Now is the time to experiment. Most yachts will heave to like that combination in light to moderate conditions but modern fin keel yachts may need something else. In strong breezes try furling the headsail and with the main with one reef at least, haul in hard on the mainsheet and see what she does.

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Ramona said..
The boat may heave to with different sail combinations for different wind strengths. Now is the time to experiment. Most yachts will heave to like that combination in light to moderate conditions but modern fin keel yachts may need something else. In strong breezes try furling the headsail and with the main with one reef at least, haul in hard on the mainsheet and see what she does.

I am really interested to see how she reacts in different conditions with varied sail combinations, its the first time I have performed the manoeuvre so we were experimenting a bit, I guess that's what you need to do everytime, we eased the main right off at first and she sat almost beam on but by adjusting the main we could change what angle to the wind she settled at. Keen to try it in a strong breeze with some Moreton chop pushing her around.

I use to heave to in weather up to 50-55 kts gusts. With the boom pulled in she would sit 40-60 degrees off the wind.
Very comfortable, except for the noise in the rigging and the occasional 'crack' as a wave broke hard against the hull. They would hit like a shotgun blast. The first time I got up to see what had broken, same the 2nd time. Then I slept through it.

Heaving-to is one skill I am yet to practice - maybe next season. I was hoping to have a go with Skip Novak's crew in the Drake Passage, but wouldn't you know it - there wasn't enough wind!
Back to my little TopHat. I can run a second set of Headsail sheets inside the stays and assume that I would have the deepest reef in the main. But what about the helm? From what I can glean it needs to be lashed a little bit 'down', ie steering a little to windward.
What has been your experience? MB and others?? ...Thanks.

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MuttonBird said..
Heaving-to is one skill I am yet to practice - maybe next season. I was hoping to have a go with Skip Novak's crew in the Drake Passage, but wouldn't you know it - there wasn't enough wind!
Back to my little TopHat. I can run a second set of Headsail sheets inside the stays and assume that I would have the deepest reef in the main. But what about the helm? From what I can glean it needs to be lashed a little bit 'down', ie steering a little to windward.
What has been your experience? MB and others?? ...Thanks.

The sheets need to be outside the stays. The headsail needs to be "backed". Full main or reefed is going to depend on what your sailing with at the time. Helm usually lashed hard down but that is going to vary on what your boat needs. You have to experiment. Your aiming to have the boat almost stationary but it will move slowly forward, fin keels faster than long keels. Sometimes just let the main off, othertimes pull in to balance behind the backed headsail.
Next time your sailing in a light breeze sail close hauled and tack but leave the headsail sheeted on. Let the mainsheet off and see what happens.

I would also experiment with genoa sheet tension as well as mainsheet tension. If you want to head up more (and reduce speed) sheet main on and reduce headsail sheet tension. To bear away more increase genoa sheet tension and ease mainsheet. Rudder can then be used as a fine tune after you have sheeted correctly.

With heaving to there is the basic principle.
Helm over,
Do not release foresail sheet as in a tack.
Back foresail .
Helm back to opposite position and lashed off.

Then you will have to see if you need to play with the mainsail, if you have too much foresail out and if the helm is too far over.
All of these small adjustments will be defined by seastate, wind strength, sail size and underwater shape.
The underwater shape will stay the same but all other factors will vary.
Therefore the components of heaving to will vary.
It takes about 5 minutes for my boat to settle down to a hove to state and I do need to fiddle a bit each time.
I suggest Practicing each time you go out .
It only takes a few minutes and after a few times you will have it under your belt in a variety of conditions.
Essential for MOB.

gary

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MuttonBird said..
Heaving-to is one skill I am yet to practice - maybe next season. I was hoping to have a go with Skip Novak's crew in the Drake Passage, but wouldn't you know it - there wasn't enough wind!
Back to my little TopHat. I can run a second set of Headsail sheets inside the stays and assume that I would have the deepest reef in the main. But what about the helm? From what I can glean it needs to be lashed a little bit 'down', ie steering a little to windward.
What has been your experience? MB and others?? ...Thanks.

As Ramona says you need to practice what is best for your boat. My S&S34 would heave to very well with its (relatively) large heavy keel and skeg.
In light winds you tack through leaving the headsail where it was. Lash the tiller down to keep the bow coming up into wind, the headsail stops it coming through the tack. The boom is let right off or close to it. She would lie 70-80 degrees off the wind and creep ahead at 0.5-1.5 kts.
In big winds and seas when I was heaving to seriously I'd bring the boom up to bring the bow closer to the wind and play with the tiller to get the most comfortable position. This would be with a bit of headsail or just the storm jib hoisted on an inner forestay, fully reefed main. The crew and I would go to our bunks, me with an ice cream container, and ride it out.
I think every Lord Howe trip we had to heave to at least once to ride out big winds and have a rest. We did this one night in winds gusting up to 55kts, nothing below 40. An S&S34 rides nicely (nicely is a relative term, it was pretty horrible).