Heaving to (to heave to and to be hove to) is when you stop sailing with the sails up.
Why?
You could heave to to rest, help retrieve a person overboard, put in a reef, plot a position, or cope in storm conditions.
What?
When you heave to the jib is backed to windward, the mainsail is slightly eased, and the rudder is fixed in an attempt to turn into the wind
How?
- Come to close hauled
- Tack without releasing the jib sheet
- After completing the tack ease the mainsheet – half in / half out
- Secure the tiller to leeward
- The jib will push the boat backward and the main will push the boat forwards.
- The boat will drift slowly at about 90 degrees to the wind.
How an individual boat heaves-to is a a function of many factors; design, keel type and relative sizes of the jib and mainsail are just some of them. So it might take a little practice and adjustments to figure it our for your boat.
