Download Boating Tip #37: Heave To (PDF format, 28KB)

Heaving to is a way of “pulling over” in deep water when anchoring is not possible, stopping while under sail, or taking time out from sailing in order to rest. Sailors sometimes heavy to during storms, to wait for sunlight or for fog to lift before trying to enter an unfamiliar harbor, or to rest while single handling or sailing short handed. While heaving to, the wind acts on the sails in a way that causes them to counteract each other, preventing the vessel from making way.

To heave to:

• Reduce jib / genoa sail area by partially furling the sail.
• Slow down.
• While sailing close hauled, come about through the eye of the wind slowly.
• Release and ease out the main sheet until it luffs.
• Do not release the jib sheet. After tacking it will be sheeted on the windward side.
• The mainsail will move to leeward as normal. Sheet it in to balance the boat.
• Turn the wheel all the way over to windward slowly to avoid driving the boat back through the eye of the wind. Lock the wheel. (Or if steering with a tiller, push the tiller to leeward).
• To encourage the bow of a fin keel boat to round up and point more upwind, pull in the main sail a little bit.
• The boat will, more or less, stay in place because the mainsail aft of the mast and rudder are pushing to windward and the jib is pushing the bow to leeward.
• Ideally, the boat will ride 45° – 55° off the swell and will drift slowly down wind or with the current.