Sailboats: reducing sail and heaving to
Boat handling · Sailboats
On a sailboat the first defense against rising wind is less sail, set early. Know how to reef your boat before you need to, reef when you first think of it, and learn to heave to so you can stop, rest or ride out bad weather.
Safety first
- Reefing often means leaving the cockpit. Clip on, tell the helm, and reef while conditions are still manageable.
- Running downwind hides how strong the wind is. Reef before turning upwind, or you may meet far more apparent wind than you expected.
- No storm tactic reliably prevents capsize when a large breaking wave strikes, and a hove-to boat is still drifting. Keep a lookout and allow for drift toward a lee shore or traffic.
Reef early
- An overpowered boat heels hard, is hard to steer and loads up the whole rig. Reefing cuts sail area so the boat carries on comfortably in more wind.
- The old rule holds: reef when you first think about it. Reefing in a near-gale is far harder and more dangerous than reefing before it.
- There is no single wind speed for a first reef; it depends on the boat and the point of sail. The American Sailing Association (ASA) notes many boats are reefed, or close to it, by about 15 kt. Apparent wind rises sharply when you turn upwind.
- Practice at the dock: find where the reef lines lead, then put a reef in and shake it out several times until the sequence is automatic.
- With roller furling, rolling in some headsail is usually the first step and reefing the main comes next. Ask someone who knows your design how it balances best.
Heaving to
- Heaving to 'parks' the boat: the backed jib pushes the bow off while the main and rudder bring it back up, so the boat lies roughly 45 degrees off the wind and drifts slowly.
- ASA's method: sheet the jib in, tack without releasing the jib sheet so the jib backs, then steer back toward the wind (usually wheel to windward) and adjust the mainsheet until the boat lies steady on a close-reach heading.
- Uses: riding out bad weather, waiting for daylight before entering port, making a repair, or resting and eating. Backing the jib is also the first move of the Quick Stop crew-overboard maneuver.
- Every boat heaves to differently. Traditional full-keel boats generally do it well, while many modern designs won't lie steadily and may fall off beam-on as the wind builds. Try it in moderate wind before you need it.
Other storm options: skippers differ
- Forereaching: deeply reefed, sailing 45 to 60 degrees off the wind at a few knots, keeping steerage and some control. One experienced delivery skipper prefers it to heaving to on modern boats.
- Lying ahull, with all sail down and the helm lashed, is generally treated as a last resort because boats tend to lie beam-on to the seas.
- Running off before the storm, with or without a drogue, needs plenty of sea room; see Running with following seas for the drogue debate.
Sources (6)
americansailing.com · americansailing.com · sailingmagazine.net · yachtingworld.com · rya.org.uk · sas.cruisingclub.org
General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.