[Alberg30] Twin Headstays

Dave Terrell DTERRELL at message.nmc.edu
Thu Oct 9 08:09:51 PDT 2003


Not to be fussy, but heaving to is done with the sails, most commonly, I
think,  with the headsail. I think it can be correctly described as
backwinding the headsail and lashing the tiller or the wheel on the
opposite tack. The result is that with the sail wanting to go one way
and the tiller/wheel wanting to go the other way, the two forces - the
tiller/wheel and the sail - work against each other and stop the boat
allowing it to drift downwind very very slowly. The head sail needs to
be cranked in tight. I was working with a friend on this the other day
and he could not get his boat to heave to until he cranked in head sail
in. When he did, his boat hove to just fine. Heaving to can also be done
with the main sail as the Pardees do. I still  have to get their book
and find out exactly how they do this. 

It is really hard to imagine what this thing you describe really is,
but you may be right, it is intented to put in the water to hold the
boat into the wind. In that case it would be a sea anchor and is
deployed off the bow of the boat. Or could it be a drogue which is
deployed off the stern and designed to slow the boats speed when going
down wind? Most sea anchors I have read about resemble parachutes. So if
it has a frame, maybe it is a drogue? Who knows? I would like to hear
what others think this beast is.

When I got into larger boats with keels, the most valuable thing I
learned from the salesman, who handled the first purchase, was how to
heave to - everyone should know how to do this - great for dealing with
storms, especially when used in tandem with a sea anchor, also good for
stopping for lunch or a swim - with appropriate line overboard, and for
reefing - makes a sometimes scary job pretty simple and not scary at
all.

I hope I was not too fussy. 

>>> schuylki at vanent.vanebros.com 10/08/03 04:10PM >>>
>a very large bra.  It has a triangular  frame about
>the size of a small head sail made up of Dacron strips about 1-1/2"
wide 
but
>only the lower half has sail cloth inside the frame.

Sounds to me more like a rig for heaving to. the idea is to throw the
mess 
in the water and let it hold the boat's bow into the wind

About the headstay idea: how about a foil type roller furler (it
basically 
slides over the existing stay, with modifications) and then have a tape

for that foil added to your present sails. Not sure about staying in
class 
with the foil, but it sure looks efficient

Michael
#220
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