[Rhodes22-list] Sailing with waves

Wed Oct 8 17:30:21 EDT 2008

Mary Lou,

I do have the 175, and I heave to whenever there is any wind at all and 
I need to do something.

Usually that "something" is going to the head when I'm single handing, 
although I will heave to with people aboard if things are chaotic and I 
want to calm something down.  Sometimes I heave to because it is just 
the most peaceful way to sail, and with all kinds of deep water 
available, I will heave to for hours, waving off friendlies who stop by 
to see if I'm in trouble.

The easiest way to do it (so this is naturally the way I do it most 
often) is to come about and not release the jib.

If you leave the rudder pointed in this direction, you will do a 360 and 
continue on the same tack you started.

So, after the boom crosses over, you turn the rudder the other way.

Then you play with the rudder, pointing more or less into the wind, 
until the boat gets to where you like the way it feels.  A calm will 
settle over the boat, the wind will feel like it has lessened, the boat 
will ride on the waves or tide or current without fighting it.

The wind's power will push the boat sideways, faster or slower depending 
on how high you decide to point into the wind.

Then you lash the tiller in place, and you can forget about it until you 
see obstacles approaching on your leeward side.  (I use dock line and 
both aft cleats to lash my tiller -- easy to do -- everything right at 
hand -- the tiller won't move an inch once lashed in place.  The boat 
will slowly travel in the direction set until you are ready to release 
the jib, or come about and take off.

I can do it with any amount of sail -- it's just a matter of 
establishing a balance.  Most of the time I don't change the main sail, 
and just set the sheets so as much wind spills off as I choose.  Since I 
am usually going to the head, and I have a hatch, and I'm a stand-up 
kind of guy, I reduce the jib so that it doesn't smack me in the face at 
a time when my hands are otherwise occupied.

Under small craft advisory conditions I already have handkerchief sized 
sails, and with that much wind, that's all you need.  I try not to reset 
anything once I'm underway in these conditions.

The great thing about heaving to is that everything gets so calm.  You 
have all the time in the world to experiment, and you won't get hurt.  
Roll in the Jib, roll out the main, turn the rudder this way then that, 
watch the water...at some point you realize you're doing it!  There is 
nothing to it, and there is the thrill of learning to sail in a very 
different way.

It's useful.  It's safe.  It's easy.  It works in every wind condition.

Bill

Mary Lou Troy 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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