By Matt Claiborne
A way to slam on the brakes and stop your forward movement if someone goes over or you need to fix something on board immediately.
- To take a break from sailing for a while, maybe to get some sleep or make dinner when in heavy weather - To wait outside a dangerous cut or inlet until dawn or a move favorable tide for entry - To reduce pressures on the rig to make a repair - To ease the motion on deck so as to make going forward safer or more comfortable
- To make it easier to put a reef in the mainsail - To come to an immediate stop in order to retrieve an object or even recover a man overboard - With reefed sails, to ride out a storm at sea
- In coastal boating, the need to hove to seldom arises beyond getting some practice. - On longer trips, crew fatigue becomes a much bigger problem. - The sea state and strong winds often make a key part