# How do i stop for awhile?



## Carovina (Sep 14, 2020)

Hi everybody - I'm a very novice sailor who bought a 21' Edel 6 last fall and is looking forward to a summer of sailing the Chesapeake Bay with my 8 year old. We want to be able to sail some but also swim and just relax on board. 

We will have a few more lessons with a captain before going out with me in charge but I was hoping to do some reading and I have gotten a bit confused. Do I anchor if I just want to stop awhile? Is laying ahull dangerous in perfectly calm weather? Do I need to learn to heave-to? Can anybody help orient me? I don't even know what to look up! 

Any safety tips for letting kids in the water in the Bay also appreciated. I'm not sure I'm going to let him swim yet lol. Thank you!


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Any of the above depending upon circumstances.

Learning to heave to has other advantages and is worthwhile in and if itself. 
Nothing wrong with chucking out an anchor if it isn't too deep and you are out of the way.

Sailing is often not very rule driven, there can be a lot of latitude to do what works for you right then. And if it doesn’t then do something else.
You will make mistakes, forever. That is part of sailing, it is a continual learning experience. 
Your child will watch you struggle, and learn, and persevere. And will in turn learn to incorporate those traits into itself.

Good luck and enjoy.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

For swimming I would definitely anchor with a good swim ladder deployed.

If you just want to stop to make a meal or relax for a bit you can heave to if there is some wind or chop, if conditions are fairly docile you can just take sails down/turn engine off and drift.

Swimming off an unanchored boat can be dangerous, especially with just one adult on board.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Try this video for heaving to






Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Heaving to is good to learn for eating lunch or such, but it's just about as easy to steer with your leg over the tiller. It is not a tool I use often. If I just want the boat to go straight (without steering or autohelm) I tighten the jib and let the main way out. Most boats will slowly beam reach.

Don't heave to or lower sails to swim. The boat can still sail off if the wind comes up. Anchor.

There are two Chesapeake-specific swimming hazards. Nettles. Poor visibility. If a head goes underwater, it is invisible. On the other hand, there are lots of shallow beaches you should be able to get close to in calm weather.

Have fun!


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## Quickstep192 (Jan 6, 2001)

A good swim ladder is a must. I used to have a boat with freeboard low enough that I could just pull myself up from the water. I took my girlfriend out for a sail and we anchored to swim. It was then that I discovered the importance of the swim ladder. She couldn’t get back on. I had to move the boat to shallower water while she held on. Luckily it was a shallow draft centerboarder.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I’ll triple down on the advice to anchor, when swimming. There are ample stories of folks jumping in for a swim and forgetting to deploy their ladder. With short handed crew, you want a definitive way to be able to deploy the ladder, from the water. You may also install an emergency ladder, for this purpose.

Sort of a controversial subject is worth researching. Water quality. I have a buddy that would not swim in the Bay and would quote why. Might be different in different parts.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

If you are getting in the water you should be at anchor. Just because there is no wind when you decide to jump in, that doesn't mean that it will stay that way. 

From my 103 class;
"Anchoring is generally permissible anywhere, so long as it is not within the confines of a marked channel, or within the defined boundaries of a harbor master's jurisdiction. Anchoring (absent an emergency) may be restricted in the area under the harbor master's jurisdiction by the harbormaster."


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Do not swim and leave your boat adrift.... there are currents often.

Anchor the boat... and make sure you have a swim ladder or means to get back aboard. It's easy peasy to jump into the water... but unless you are a dolphin you won't be jumping out of the water.

Anchoring is a PRIMARY skill for ALL people who own and operate a boat.


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

If you want to stop for awhile, and you don't anchor, you're probably going to drift a lot. And, it always seems like you drift somewhere bad. 

If you're in water that's too deep for anchoring, and there isn't a lot of traffic and nothing dangerous to drift into, then just drifting around is fine. But, not for swimming.

If there is traffic, then you run the risk of confusing other boaters (many who don't know what they're doing...even when they're sober). 

Heave to to just hang out for awhile. I've never done it. Probably never will. 

I sail a Catalina 28. Mostly daysailing on Lake Michigan, out of Muskegon, MI. Anchoring is a regular part of our time on the water. We bring books. The key is to have a good anchor, chain, and rode, set up conveniently for quick and easy use. And, to practice anchoring. Anchoring can be a fairly complex activity, but for just throwing out the hook on a lazy afternoon, it's pretty simple. You don't need as much scope compared to anchoring overnight. 

You'll know you're doing it right when you're out for a sail, and you decide it's time for a swim and some lunch, and you say, "let's throw out the hook". You sail to your favorite anchorage, drop your sails, and throw out your anchor. It sets, and you kick back and live the good life. If instead, you say, "nah, that's too much trouble", you're either doing it wrong, or maybe you should be golfing instead of sailing. 

Oh, and the best anchor is.... Ha ha, just to caution you, anchor discussions on sailing forums quickly turn violent, so using the search function to access previous threads is safer. Best of luck to you.


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

If you'll be having more sessions with an instructor, ask for some instruction on how to sail the boat shorthanded and how to dock and undock shorthanded. Also, you should rig a simple topping lift for your boat, you should lead your control lines to the cockpit where you can reach them without going to the mast, and you should get some kind of self steering device, i.e. either a tiller tamer type device, or electronic self steering. A roller furling jib would also be helpful, but, it's fairly expensive and, if you have the other aids above, you won't really need it. You can sail without any of those aids, but they'll make it much easier and safer to sail shorthanded.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Drifting can actually be uncomfortable because the boat bobs around with waves hitting it at varying angles as it turns this way and that. If you leave the sails up (in no wind) it can be noisy with the sails and boom slatting from the mast's motion in the waves. If there's wind and you take the sails down - because otherwise you'd start sailing instead of drifting - they're not helping to stabilize the boat. Heaving to avoids these problems, but some boats heave to more easily than others. Anchoring puts the bow into the wind (and therefore probably the waves) so the boat's motion is steadier and more predictable.


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## jeremiahblatz3 (Jul 3, 2018)

Not much to add, except that heaving-to to just relax/have a bite/fix something on deck/etc is quite good. It can be a difficult art to master on modern boats, but if you just want to hang out in the cockpit and not have to worry about the tiller, you don't have to master it, just get it basically okay. That, fortunately, is pretty easy!


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## GlanRock (Feb 26, 2013)

You've gotten a bunch of good advice so far. I'm on the Bay too and will emphasize key points made above are:

definitely drop anchor if you are getting off the boat, learn scope, Bay is muddy so make sure its dug in and you've enough scope out
the Nettles are especially annoying the farther south on the Bay you are while they are less frequent typically above the Bay Bridge (look for them while you are looking for a spot to anchor) but this is a not a rule, more of a guideline and certain times are worse than others
good life-jackets
an area with other people at anchor is nice as typically boaters are willing to help if you call out
A handheld VHF is a good plan if you do not have one.

Hope you have a fantastic time out there!!!


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