[Rhodes22-list] Sailing with waves--Now Heaving To

Wed Oct 8 15:40:30 EDT 2008

Mary Lou,

I don't feel too comfortable in giving you sailing advice, but since you and
Fred haven't practiced "heaving to" much, maybe I can help.

I telecommute from my boat and am constantly being rudely interrupted by
work.  If I need to chat with someone I typically heave to.  When I first
started I would just tack without reefing the Genoa.  The rudder is so huge
that it would keep me heading somewhat into the wind, but with some speed
and heeling.  If you have the full main out, I've found that reefing the
Genoa down to at least 100% to 115%, with the sheet pulled tight, seems to
be about right.  The reef that you use for sailing in higher winds also
seems about right for heaving to in higher winds.

I can't remember heaving to in winds lighter than 5 knots.  With the big
rudder, the Rhodes is good at lying ahull.

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaving_to
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaving_to 

If you're in light winds with no sails, you're probably drifting slowly
enough that lying ahull won't help much.

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island, MD

Mary Lou Troy-2 wrote:
> 
> Bill,
> What size jib when you heave to in those conditions. You have a 175 right?
> 
> We've never been successful getting the boat to heave to but we 
> haven't practised much and we may not have tried it in enough wind. 
> Do you find you can heave to in winds less than 10 knots?
> 
> Thanks,
> Mary Lou
> 
> At 12:33 AM 10/8/2008, you wrote:
>>Andrew,
>>
>>I've sailed in the same place under the same conditions.
>>
>>I find I can control the boat up into 20-25 mph wind conditions.
>>
>>I sail with far less than 50% of both sails, and can maintain sustained
>>over ground speeds between 7 and 11 kts--exceeding theoretical hull
>>speed by planing on the waves.  I try not to heel at all, and roll up my
>>175 to storm sail size--tiny just for balance.
>>
>>The main drives the boat, and I set it at any size that will not cause
>>heeling.
>>
>>It is almost impossible to come about under these conditions factoring
>>in the waves.  I always jibe...carefully, with a very small main, and
>>just a small "pop" when I change tacks.  I generally sail with the boom
>>up so I don't have to worry about getting killed by a small mistake.  My
>>main is so small, the higher boom does not create heeling.
>>
>>Heaving to under these conditions is a kick, and definitely what I would
>>do if I found myself in a storm not on purpose. If you didn't try it
>>when you were out there, you should next time.  You bob like a cork in
>>complete calm.  I had lunch, then released the jib in such a way that I
>>headed on the opposite tack and came home.
>>
>>Bill Effros
>>
>>
>>
>>Andrew Collins wrote:
>> > Question for blue water and Great Lakes (maybe) sailors:
>> >
>> > The day before Hanna, the one before Ike, was due to roll in, I took a
>> sail
>> > to try the boat out in unusual conditions. The wind was steady out of
>> the
>> > east at about 15-20 mph with rolling 5-6' swells 20' apart once 
>> out of port.
>> > On LI Sound waves are uncommon, as it is usually only choppy. So going
>> out
>> > the tack was port on a reach and crossing the swells at less than 90
>> deg.
>> > This was sailing into, up and over the swells, which was controllable,
>> the
>> > sails reefed to 50% area. Boom down, life jacket on, pulse up. The boat
>> > behaved well. Upon approaching Payee Reach which gets more air 
>> and having to
>> > cross a more shallow area the swells got larger as the bottom pushed
>> them
>> > up. So this got a little too exciting sooo, it was time to tack and
>> turn
>> > back. The wind was too stiff and the the swells enough so she wouldn't
>> come
>> > around, and I fell off to the former port tack.
>> >
>> > Keeping a weather eye on the swells a quick jibe got me on a starboard
>> tack
>> > headed back towards port. So now we are sailing across and with 'down'
>> the
>> > swells, where before we were sailing 'up'. The boat is heeling to port
>> and
>> > when sailing down, the heeling is being accentuated by going downhill
>> on an
>> > angle across the swell, a new experience. This I did not like, so
>> whenever
>> > the boat started to head down a wave I fell off to brad reach and
>> headed
>> > straighter down the wave (closer to the fall line) and headed up again,
>> > describing a zig-zag course. This I liked as there was a bit of surfing
>> > involved. Having had my fun I headed home, where the first mate
>> observed
>> > that I looked a mite piqued.
>> >
>> > What have other R22 sailors done in these circumstances, besides
>> avoiding
>> > them? In how much wind are you able to tack? My boat will tack up to
>> about
>> > 20 mph, depending on the seas.
>> >
>> > Andrew
>> > s/v Carmen
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