Heaving To with Self Tacking Jib?

[Gramp34]

I was wondering this morning if a sloop with a self-tacking jib can heave to? Assuming of course it has enough keel to heave to with an overlapping head sail.

My guess is it won't, unless maybe an extra sheet is added to prevent the jib from tacking itself.

Anyone have experience with these?

Thanks,

Tim

[CharlieCobra]

You can pinch up to a stall but not execute a classic heave to with a self tacking jib, unless you have an auxiliary sheet on it.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by Gramp34

My guess is it won't, unless maybe an extra sheet is added to prevent the jib from tacking itself.

Yes..that is the only way...


Only did it in a Hanse, in the Algarve on a friends Hanse, but in those you can lock the genoa traveller to one side.

[SaltyGirl]

Tried it with a staysail which is self-tending and main and it didn''t work too well...

[hphoen]

You need to sheet the staysail to weather with a snatch block on a stanchion base, led back to the cockpit, or on the toe rail, if so equipped.

[nolatom]

I'd always thought of a self-tacking jib as being club-footed, but I guess this is too old-school to be realistic nowadays.

But by definition, your normal sheets won't hold it to windward, since there's only *one* sheet, right? So you have to add an auxiliary "backing' sheet, as others have mentioned.

Also, self-tacking jibs are by definition less than 100 percent of the foretriangle, so maybe not quite big enough to balance the main for heaving-to, unless the main is already reefed.

I've found with heaving-to, there are general rules (jib backed, main eased a little, helm to leeward some or a lot), but the specific rules are specific to each boat, and each wind and sea condition.

It seems to me, in teaching sailing sometimes, you teach heaving-to on the same boat, same sails, but each day the "perfect balance point" is never quite the same, it's always different. So teach the principle, and hope the students understand eventually how to put the principle into practice.