[C320-list] Heaving-to

[Harry Juris]

Graeme is correct. Like many nautical terms In use today they have carried on as much by tradition as anything else. If you picture your rudder with an imaginary tiller attached to its top (or actually test by attaching the emergency tiller) you will see that when you turn the wheel to windward to tack, the tiller moves to leeward.

Harry Juris
Polar Star 
1998 C320 #541
Nyack Boat Club, Nyack, NY

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On Behalf Of Graeme Clark
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 1:31 AM
To: C320-List at catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Heaving-to

David

I think traditional books talk about putting the tiller leeward to turn the boat windward (hence the call when tacking, “helm’s a’lee”).  Obviously with wheel steering that’s not the case Could that account for the confusion?
Graeme


Sent from my iPad

> On 24 Jul 2020, at 02:08, David Hayes <davidhayes1 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I recently read the Atom Voyages article about the 13 day offshore trip in a 320, a really great article.  But, I'd appreciate any thoughts regarding one particular reference he makes to heaving-to and the sail configuration he used....where he says he backfilled the jib and had the helm (locked) turned slightly leeward, and the boat (rather than heaving-to, actually started forereaching quite calmly) happily galloped off to the south-east at about 5 knots with a wind from the south-west, and stayed on that course itself all night without a hand on the wheel.
> Everything I have read about heaving-to says to backfill the job and turn the wheel to windward.....not leeward.  I have tried it only once in very light winds and this seemed to work as intended, but I do plan on practising this again in heavier winds next time I'm out.  But this article seems contrary to other things I have read.  No doubt it depends on the precise amount of sail you have out etc as to exactly where you have the wheel pointed to achieve the result the author achieved, but steering to leeward, with a backfilled jib, I would expect to push you strongly downwind rather than keep you on a reach?
> 
> I'd appreciate any thoughts.
> __________________
> David Hayes
> Mobile: 0478 956 056
> 20 Cooks Outlet Road
> Loch Vic 3945