raising of the mainsail

[Dellquay13]

I'm hoping to raise sail for the first time ever on Saturday, and I've remembered how most bits of the sails were when I bought the boat, but I'm unsure about the 2 reefing lines on the main.
I've got two reefing lines on the boom, and two eyelets on the leach.
Do both lines go through the lowest eyelet? What knot do I use to fasten to the eyelet? When not in use how much tension goes on each reefing line, just enough to stop any flapping without distorting the leach?

TIA
Chris

 

[Topcat47]

One line (pennant) goes to each cringle (eyelet). If the pennants run inside the boom, feed each pennant through the cringle and then lead vertically down to the boom. There ought to be another cringle in the main at the foot for each eyelet. The pennant goes around the boom and up the other side to go through this cringle. Then twist the pennant around itself three times and tie a stopper knot in it. Pull on the vertical part of the pennant until the twisted pair are trapped against the boom. If you have runners on the bottom of the sail and not a bolt rope, you may not have a second cringle, in which case the pennant is run between the appropriate sliders. If the pennants are run outside the boom, you should find a couple of pulleys on the boom, at appropriate spots. Note that the action of tightening the pennants should pull the rearmost cringle towards the end of the boom in place of the clew outhaul to keep the foot of the sail tight.

 

[johnalison]

The way I do it is to thread each line up, through an eyelet, then down to the boom. At the boom I pass the line round the boom after threading it between the sail and boom, then round and tie it to itself with a small bowline, This acts as a slip-knot which I move to the desired position and tighten as much as possible by hand. In use this tightens more and doesn't usually move much, but can be slid if required. It may be helpful to mark the positions for reefs 1 & 2 if your system means that the reef line acts as the clew outhaul, as mine does. When not reefed, each line is just pulled tight enough to take up the slack, as you say.

 

[TLouth7]

You may find that one reefing line is longer than the other, this goes to the upper cringle (eyelet) in the leach.

When reefing you first attach the corresponding cringle at the luff to the gooseneck. This might involve putting the cringle over a metal hook (called a ramshorn) or you might have a different setup. Then re-tension the halyard, slacken the kicker and mainsheet and wind in on the reefing line. This should be pulled quite tight, pulling the new foot of the sail tight and making sure the boom is fairly hard up against the sail. Then you can haul in on the mainsheet and go sailing!

Edit to add: presumably you won't be reefing on your first sail so take the opportunity to make sure the reefs look right and not twisted or tangled. Everyone gets them wrong the first time, or even the first time each season! It can be much easier to rig the reefing lines (at least the first one) with the sail hoisted than when it is all in a heap on the boom.

 

[Dellquay13]

my 2 reefing lines are still in position on the boom. From memory of unfamiliar stuff, i believe each comes out of the bottom edge of the boom around a sheave at the appropriate point.
So I should take each pennant up either side of the boom, through a cringle for each along the foot, and up the opposite side of the sail to the appropriate upper cringle, where i pass the line through and tie a big stopper knot?
I'm trying to visualise something I've only seen in situ briefly on a wet windy day back in January, before I took the sail off the boom.
I took photos of most bits but the reefing lines passed me by, I probably didn't appreciate the importance at the time.

 

[TLouth7]

So they come out at a sheave part of the way along the boom? If so each line goes up to a cringle, then down to the boom end.

Either way you want to end up with something like this:


The point is that the line pulls the cringle both down and aft, to tension both the leach and the foot of the sail.

Each line only goes to one of the two cringles! And the end of each line should be at the boom, either inline with the cringle if the sheave is at the boom end, or at the boom end if the sheave is inline with the cringle. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I've never heard of any of these 'under and around the boom and tied to itself' methods described above. Any boat I have sailed on has had eyelets in a track under the boom and the reefing lines within the boom, emerging over sheaves at the after end, the sail having no cringles along the foot. The OP has not given us any information in regard to the type of boom he has.
How I would describe what I do is to say that I take the longest line, from the sheave, up through the highest cringle and back down the other side, attaching it to the eyelet under the boom with a bowline. The second reefing line goes up the opposite side, through the lower cringle in the opposite direction and down to the eyelet under the boom. It should be pointed that each the lines go up the side of the sail on the side on which it emerges from the end of the boom.
It's a good idea to rig this with the sail at least partly raised, which it will have to be, anyway, in order to reach the cringles.
To the OP, who seems to be new to all this; you should practice reefing and shaking out a reef on the pontoon or mooring, so that you can do it quickly and efficiently.
There is a sequence of logical steps to follow:
1. Heave to*
2. Loosen kicker
3.Tighten topping lift
4. Drop halyard to first reef position
5. Attach reef cringle to ramshorn
6. Tension halyard
7. Tension reefing line
8. Loosen topping lift
9. Tighten kicker
10. Sheet in mainsail and sheet jib on correct side, to sail away
With practice, you should be capable of doing this in under sixty seconds, as a trainee sailing instructor is required to do.

* In this position the sail will lie "head to wind", but without all the unnecessary flapping, even though the mainsheet is loose.
(Edited to include topping lift.)

 

[bitbaltic]

I've never heard of any of these 'under and around the boom and tied to itself' methods described above. Any boat I have sailed on has had eyelets in a track under the boom and the reefing lines within the boom, emerging over sheaves at the after end, the sail having no cringles along the foot. The OP has not given us any information in regard to the type of boom he has.
How I would describe what I do is to say that I take the longest line, from the sheave, up through the highest cringle and back down the other side, attaching it to the eyelet under the boom with a bowline.

I have eyelets too but I put the line through the eyelet, round the boom and tie it off to itself with a bowline!

 

[Daydream believer]

There is a sequence of logical steps to follow:
1. Heave to*
2. Loosen kicker
3. Drop halyard to first reef position
4. Attach reef cringle to ramshorn
5. Tension halyard
6. Tension reefing line
7. Tighten kicker
8. Sail away

Topping Lift ????????

 

[Yorkshire Exile]

Excellent diagram Tlouth7, every year I have forgotten how to do it so I have download this

:
View attachment 115276

The point is that the line pulls the cringle both down and aft, to tension both the leach and the foot of the sail.

Each line only goes to one of the two cringles! And the end of each line should be at the boom, either inline with the cringle if the sheave is at the boom end, or at the boom end if the sheave is inline with the cringle. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Dellquay13]

So they come out at a sheave part of the way along the boom? If so each line goes up to a cringle, then down to the boom end.

Either way you want to end up with something like this:
View attachment 115276

The point is that the line pulls the cringle both down and aft, to tension both the leach and the foot of the sail.

Each line only goes to one of the two cringles! And the end of each line should be at the boom, either inline with the cringle if the sheave is at the boom end, or at the boom end if the sheave is inline with the cringle. Hope that makes sense.

that seems very sensible, but it doesn't ring any bells as to what mine actually looks like, i will reread all these after work and reply again

 

[Dellquay13]

I've never heard of any of these 'under and around the boom and tied to itself' methods described above. Any boat I have sailed on has had eyelets in a track under the boom and the reefing lines within the boom, emerging over sheaves at the after end, the sail having no cringles along the foot. The OP has not given us any information in regard to the type of boom he has.
How I would describe what I do is to say that I take the longest line, from the sheave, up through the highest cringle and back down the other side, attaching it to the eyelet under the boom with a bowline. The second reefing line goes up the opposite side, through the lower cringle in the opposite direction and down to the eyelet under the boom. It should be pointed that each the lines go up the side of the sail on the side on which it emerges from the end of the boom.
It's a good idea to rig this with the sail at least partly raised, which it will have to be, anyway, in order to reach the cringles.
To the OP, who seems to be new to all this; you should practice reefing and shaking out a reef on the pontoon or mooring, so that you can do it quickly and efficiently.
There is a sequence of logical steps to follow:
1. Heave to*
2. Loosen kicker
3. Drop halyard to first reef position
4. Attach reef cringle to ramshorn
5. Tension halyard
6. Tension reefing line
7. Tighten kicker
8. Sail away
With practice, you should be capable of doing this in under sixty seconds, as a trainee sailing instructor is required to do.

* In this position the sail will lie "head to wind", but without all the unnecessary flapping, even though the mainsheet is loose.

this seems very comprehensive, and i will reread it after work.
my boom is an old proctor boom, and i seem to recall that the 2 reefing lines exit it on either side, and they are staggered to be under the cringles i guess. I only remember one sheave on the outer end for the outhaul, not the reefs.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Topping Lift ????????

It's been a while since I have actually had to do it? .
Must edit the post!

 

[Dellquay13]

it's not easy to remember something i have only seen once or twice, ad for the last few visits it has been hidden under the stackpack canvas...

 

[Daydream believer]

this seems very comprehensive, and i will reread it after work.
my boom is an old proctor boom, and i seem to recall that the 2 reefing lines exit it on either side, and they are staggered to be under the cringles i guess. I only remember one sheave on the outer end for the outhaul, not the reefs.

If they are under the cringles then it sounds as if they are on short sliding tracks on the side of the boom. If so they need to be a little aft of the cringle . Then the line needs to go through the pulley, up through the sail & back down under the boom & fix to the pulley. The pulley usually has a becket for this purpose. The reason for it is to help provide some support to the vertical upward pull on the pulley by providing some counter force downward under the boom. . Puts less strain on the fitting. The slight aft position provides foot tension

 

[bitbaltic]

If they are under the cringles then it sounds as if they are on short sliding tracks on the side of the boom. If so they need to be a little aft of the cringle . Then the line needs to go through the pulley, up through the sail & back down under the boom & fix to the pulley. The pulley usually has a becket for this purpose. The reason for it is to help provide some support to the vertical upward pull on the pulley by providing some counter force downward under the boom. . Puts less strain on the fitting. The slight aft position provides foot tension

+1 there has got to be some means of getting foot tension so the pulleys cant be (or shouldnt be) directly under the cringles.

 

[john_morris_uk]

So they come out at a sheave part of the way along the boom? If so each line goes up to a cringle, then down to the boom end.

Either way you want to end up with something like this:
View attachment 115276

The point is that the line pulls the cringle both down and aft, to tension both the leach and the foot of the sail.

Each line only goes to one of the two cringles! And the end of each line should be at the boom, either inline with the cringle if the sheave is at the boom end, or at the boom end if the sheave is inline with the cringle. Hope that makes sense.

FWIW I think this is very much the proper way to rig reefing lines. Lots of advantages and I can't think of any disadvantages.

 

[Dellquay13]

+1 there has got to be some means of getting foot tension so the pulleys cant be (or shouldnt be) directly under the cringles.

maybe you can show me next time you are down the marina, it seems we are both on C leg....

 

[bitbaltic]

Sure- am I right in thinking you’re the Vivacity with the cats

maybe you can show me next time you are down the marina, it seems we are both on C leg....

 

[Dellquay13]

Sure- am I right in thinking you’re the Vivacity with the cats

no, 2 down, i laid up my Shetland and bought the blue Foxhound F