Heaving to for reefng

[DEAN2140]

I just read an article about off wind reefing in a sailing magazine. It didn't mention the option of heaving to in order to reef. We did this once in blustery conditions in Thailand on a charter boat and it went beautifully. The deck was stable, the apparent wind moderated and the reef was executed without any drama. I would be interested in the experience of others.

[Don C L]

I think it depends on the boat, but reefing certainly involves calming the boat down so you can get the work done. In my own boat, long keel, I lash the helm alee at a certain angle and set the jib just right to balance the windward and leeward helm forces with the main out and luffing, it works fine, but it's a balancing act (if I am singlehanding.) If she makes enough headway the rudder can keep the bow from falling off. (So not exactly hove to, more like fore reaching.) If someone else is at the helm and knows what they are doing, or with the autopilot on, then yeah it's better of course. If it's rough, in my little boat, a wave could knock the bow over and mess up my balance and (if alone and no AP) I have to get back to the helm quick. It's very easy for the bow to just windvane off downwind and get into a potential jibe situation. Now this is just my experience in my 2 old long keel, rudder-attached boats; I haven't done this in a fin keel/spade rudder/high aspect boat. I'd expect it to be easier then.
But, yeah, I am surprised the article didn't bring it up. Seems pretty common sense to me.

[SailingHarmonie]

If you are far enough off the wind, and the wind is strong enough, you will need to come upwind at least a bit to get the main off the spreaders and rigging. I have never had the need to heave to for doing this, but just sail along under jib alone. The jib actually directs the wind to the back of the main, taking the pressure off. You lose this effect if you are hove to.

Many boats will not point high enough while hove to that they actually take enough pressure off the main to pull it down. If yours does, then by all means heave to. If it works for you, it's a fine solution.

One of the reasons I never bothered with heaving to for reefing, is it always seemed to take longer than the reefing process itself. Once I got to the mast, if it took longer than 3 minutes to tuck in a reef either the setup was bad or I was doing something wrong.

[Benz]

I like to round up if possible. If I can get the boat head-to wind and she stabilizes there, then reefing is a lot easier than when off the wind. If it's nasty, then getting the boom into the gallows while I reef is a big help--keeps it from flogging around.
In big winds (where I can't reef on whatever point of sail), I get the headsails in to reef the main, then hoist again after. There's enough windage aft to keep the boat resonably into the weather.

[Mirage35]

We normally heave to for reefing. The big advantage for us is that we then don't feel the need to rush the job - the boat is stable and we can take all the time we want.

[Dockhead]

With this boat, I have in-mast furling so no need to heave to or change course to reef.


On previous boats, heaving-to to reef was SOP.



On this boat, heaving-to is SOP for any task on desk which requires calm and a stable platform.

[DEAN2140]

Benz: The article I referred to described how a couple lost their lives by going head to wind in attempting to reef, with the boom flying, the mainsail flogging and waves coming over the deck.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by DEAN2140

Benz: The article I referred to described how a couple lost their lives by going head to wind in attempting to reef, with the boom flying, the mainsail flogging and waves coming over the deck.

I remember that story.

It was a total mess of bad technique on a very badly designed boat. It wasn't the boom that got them, it was the mainsheet which was secured at deck level in the middle of the open cockpit. They COULD have hove to (maybe), they certainly COULD have sailed under jib alone and still reefed the boom furling main. But they felt they needed to motor directly into the wind, which in big winds and big waves is not possible to do in a straight line.

There was just no way to control the boom and wildly whipping mainsheet which shared the cockpit with the crew. The helmsman would be (probably) safe behind the wheels, but anybody working winches and lines had no protection at all from the mainsheet. A criminally bad design.

This was a boat basically designed to kill people in this situation, and in any accidental gybe. Heck, even when just setting the main in strong winds would have been dangerous.

[Kanook]

As a Sail Canada instructor, I teach my students to heave too to reef to minimize the risk in rough conditions. Only when I am racing do we do it at maximum speed.

[fxykty]

If already close enough to the wind such that the mainsail can be eased for reefing without hanging up in the rig, standard windward reefing technique can be used. If easing the mainsail isn’t enough to slow the boat down for reasonable comfort and stability while reefing, partially furling and/or easing the jib should be enough. Heaving to would be a last resort, but if you’re already close hauled then not a big deal.

However, if you’re running a broad reach or downwind such that the mainsail is pinned by the rig, downwind reefing is safer. The techniques (two slightly different ones) have been extensively described in CF.

On a monohull it is reasonable to turn to windward to reef, although in stronger conditions this turn needs to be done with full care and attention to avoid s**t happening as the apparent wind increases and the waves come broadside. Downwind reefing avoids this dangerous manoeuvre.

On a catamaran, it is downright dangerous to turn from downwind into the wind to reef. With the wide stable platform that a catamaran provides, reefing downwind is much, much safer. It is even possible with single line reefing, but is easier with separate clew line and tack control. Learn the techniques and practice in lighter conditions.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by DEAN2140

Benz: The article I referred to described how a couple lost their lives by going head to wind in attempting to reef, with the boom flying, the mainsail flogging and waves coming over the deck.

I know very little of that situation, not having read the article, but some things stand out:
The boom should not be flying; it should be sheeted in as the boat goes into the weather. Heaving-to is about maintaining control.
There should not be waves coming over the deck. That's one of the points of heaving-to. Harmonie mentioned they were motoring. Well, that's not hove to, that's looking for trouble. I have never, in thirty years of cruising, had green water over the bows unless I was motoring into weather. It's one of the worst things you can do if you want to ease things up.

If the weather is wicked enough to need to round up to reef, and seas are rough enough to need to hang on, then dropping the boom into a gallows to reef is key. Everything is better with a gallows.

[Calif.Ted]

Furl headsail, put boat in irons and reef, it's worked this way for a long time. There is a difference between "heaving to" and "fore reaching" that seems to elude many people. If you have steerage you must be forereaching, no steerage when hove to, right?

[meirriba]

In the Biscay, at night, sailing at broad reach angle, on our Lagoon400, I singlhanded reefed the mainsail using the following technique.
Went in small steps to DDW, closing the traveler at the same time until the sail was in the middle.
Then, released a little of halyard, and tensioned the reefline (1st and 2nd reeflines come to the cockpit).
Repeated the above until 1st reef reached position.
Later when wind picked up more, repeated the exercise for 2nd reef.
3rd reef requires going to the mast - this caused wakeup of a crew member...

[wolfring]

I teach sailing(ASA) on San Francisco Bay. Reefing is a required skill with our heavy afternoon winds.I teach two methods: 1. Heaving-to if the boat will do it and ends up stable, and sailing close-hauled under jib alone, easing the main and reefing then.
Both techniques work well. If the boat heaves-to well, this is the more comfortable and potentially safer way of doing it.


My two cents :-)


Wolfring

[merrydolphin]

As a US Sailing instructor teaching out of San Francisco, reefing is virtually an every day event. Sometimes several times a day. It depends a lot on the boat and sails. Most modern fin/ spade boats do better reefing close hauled, as reefing hove to tends to have the main too far out, the boat too far down for easy reefing. It can be done but is difficult dragging the sail up and down. Now my heavy ketch does well hove to. If the mizzen is involved, it helps with either method. You just have to experiment. My personal boats have always had the Tides marine track system, ( or another very low friction system). This certainly helps. But if it’s plastered up against the rig, it sure can be difficult and not good for the sail.