🔍 Key Concepts

• Heaving-to on a ketch – how the headsail, main/mizzen, and rudder work together to balance the boat • Difference between backing a sail and sheeting it in flat • What it means to be on the starboard tack (which side the wind is coming from and which sails are drawing)

💭 Think About

• Visualize the wind coming over the starboard side: which sail(s) should be backed, and on which side, to stop the boat while still keeping her gently fore-reaching? • When heaving-to, should the rudder be trying to turn the bow into the wind or away from the wind, relative to the backed headsail? • On a ketch, how does trimming the mizzen (tight vs aback vs loose) affect the balance between bow and stern and the boat’s tendency to head up or bear away?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which tack you’re on: wind from starboard means mainsail/mizzen normally on port side when sailing • Check that the backed sail is opposing the rudder, creating a stable balance rather than both trying to turn the boat the same way • Confirm that in a strong wind (35 knots), the mizzen trim you choose would reduce drive and help balance, not make the boat power up or round up violently