When the weather becomes intense, heaving to is a wonderful method to ride it out. The concept is simple: back the headsail and turn the rudder towards weather. This will keep the boat pointed at an angle into the wind as it slowly drifts backwards. This creates a slick to windward which calms approaching waves from breakers into rollers. The end result is the motion on board is quite comfortable as we ride out the storm. But what does it look like?
During a rather intense series of squalls we encountered, we filmed the ordeal to help shed some light on what it really looks like. This way you will know what to expect when you find yourself heaving to in a storm as you wait for it to pass.
