| Need to take a break below in the cabin, grab a | | | | break to hold it in place. |
| nap, grab a snack, make some coffee, or | | | | 4. Adjust the mainsheet. You want the boat to |
| perhaps cook up a scrumptious gourmet meal? | | | | make a zig-zag motion so that the mainsail tries |
| As a sailing skipper, you need to learn how to sail | | | | to drive the boat up into the wind, but the |
| a boat well, but you must also know the vital skill | | | | backed headsail pushes the bow downwind. Your |
| of heaving to--or stopping the boat. | | | | small cruising boat should sideslip to leeward at 1 |
| This simple technique will ease the violent motion | | | | to 2 knots of boat speed. This also creates a slick |
| of pitching and rolling, allow your sailing crew time | | | | to windward to help calm breaking seas. |
| to rest, and lessen the strain on costly boat sails | | | | 5. Raise the tack of the backed headsail. Before |
| and sailing rigging. And you will know a skill that | | | | taking off on a a coastal or offshore cruise, get |
| has been used by sailors like yourself for | | | | your sailmaker to make a few 18" wire rope |
| hundreds of years in light sailing winds or howling | | | | pendants with eyes in each end. In heavy |
| ocean gale. Follow these five easy-to-learn steps: | | | | weather, raise the tack of the headsail with a |
| 1. Balance the boat to reduce heeling and weather | | | | pendant before you heave to. This keeps the |
| helm. Reef the mainsail or reduce the headsail as | | | | foot of the sail out of the way of seas that |
| necessary. Then, get onto a close hauled course | | | | break aboard the boat and reduces stress on the |
| on port tack. | | | | sailing rigging. |
| 2. Tack the boat, but leave the headsail sheets | | | | Every sailing skipper needs to learn what it takes |
| alone. Allow the jib or Genoa to backwind as the | | | | to get his or her small sailboat to heave to. Use |
| bow passes through the wind. | | | | these five easy steps to maintain complete |
| 3. Push the sailboat tiller downwind and lash it | | | | control over your small cruising boat in any sailing |
| down to hold it in place. If using a wheel, turn the | | | | weather that comes your way. |
| sailboat wheel toward the wind and set the wheel | | | | |