- Heaving-to, an important heavy weather tactic:
"In moderate winds, maybe even up to gale force, some vessels can be hove-to by backing a staysail and sheeting in the main. However, with higher winds, heaving-to means using any sail and gear combination to get your boat to lie stopped, about 50 degrees of the wind and drifting slowly, directly away from the wind behind its own slick. "Only when you create a good slick and stay behind it can you break the power of the seas." - Larry Pardey
Heaving-to in heavy winds (gale to storm force), when the seas start to build, differs from heaving-to in moderate winds, because this is a tactic that uses the wake or slick of your boat to settle the breaking seas. The key to heaving-to in these conditions is to get your boat to make a wide drift, 60 degrees to the waves. This way you stay directly behind your amazingly protective slick.
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