Who watched the doco-drama on the 1998 Sydney-Hobart last night?

[Black Panther 1,686]

Most modern boats heave to better with no jib. The bow tries to fall off anyway.

[Addem 120]

5 hours ago, Guest said:

Mate and I planned to go out in 40+ in the gulf and practice Heaving to years ago. Never happened.

 

Do it!  But Maybe not in 40 knots. First time I hoved to was a disaster and I wish I had practiced first. 

Was a long time ago (40 years?) off kawau in a ply 21 foot quarter tonner.  While being blown sideways the solid keeled dinghy got flipped because it couldn't go sideways at the same speed as the boat and ended up being dragged under the boat.   While retrieving it one of the crew ripped a stanchion out of the (obviously) rotten deck as we lurched due to having too large a Genoa.  Learnt a lot about the technique though, but have been wary of ply boats since. 

The corollary to this was that we wisely decided to shelter in the lee of one of the islands until the blow abated and headed home in what became my first night sail. This was in the days well before gps and had to go through tiri channel in pitch black by Compass and DR. Nervous times but thanked my sea scout training. 

[Sail Rock 30]

I discovered heaving to is a good way to steady a boat while reefing the mainsail, particularly when sailing single handed. I’ve also heaved to approaching an unfamiliar harbour entrance at night to wait for sunrise.

[aardvarkash10 1,057]

2 hours ago, Black Panther said:

Most modern boats heave to better with no jib. The bow tries to fall off anyway.

Like a tanker off the Aussie coast?

[K4309 351]

9 minutes ago, aardvarkash10 said:

Like a tanker off the Aussie coast?

I believe that tanker was outside the environment.