Heaving-To

From Boat Rat's Tip of the Week
Cruising Compass
Most of us have never had to heave to in earnest due to high winds and unmanageable seas. That's because we head for port or stay in port when the forecast calls for gale force winds or worse. But, on longer passages there can be times at sea when a storm system gets in the way and we have to either avoid it or deal with it. In the latter case, knowing how to heave to is a very useful skill.
You don't even need storm conditions to make use of heaving to. If you are tired or the crew is uncomfortable or seasick, or if you have broken gear that needs to be repaired, heaving to can give you a few hours of respite. And, you will be amazed at how much the boat and you settle down once you stop sailing hard.
Traditional, heavy displacement cruisers with full keels heave to readily under a backed storm jib and a lashed rudder. Each boat has its own characteristics but in general a displacement cruiser will lie 50 to 70 degrees off the wind and will chug slowly ahead at a knot or two.
Modern light displacement cruisers with roller furling headsails are another matter. Because the boats are light and have a lot of windage at the bows and not a lot of boat in the water, they do not like to lie quietly with the headsail backed and the rudder to leeward. Also, when a genoa is rolled up half way or more, the sheets will invariably chafe on the side stays once the sail has been backed.
The solution to the last problem is to lead a sheet inside the side stays. This will narrow the sheeting angle a bit and will tend to keep the bow more into the wind than it would with the sheet outboard of the shrouds. Also, running the sheets inside the stays eliminates most of the chafe on the lines.
In light boats, you will have a hard time getting the boat to be still so it makes sense to heave to by slowing down but not trying to stop. With the headsail backed and the rudder adjusted, the boat may continue sailing a two or three knots or more, but will have a easy motion and will give you the chance to get some sleep.
Heaving to is a useful skill but you need to practice with your own boat to see what really works.