How To Reef The Traditional Way?

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hebdena

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On several occasions I had to reef the mainsail this weekend. As per my previous post I am not that experienced in this area so I had a few problems .
What is the best practice point of sail when carrying out a mainsail reef? I sailed close to the wind and then let out the mainsail until it luffed and then reefed. I couldn't reach the last few reefing lines as the boom was too far overboard. I ended up with a bit of baggy sail under the end of the boom, not a problem as such but looked untidy.
I think next time I reef the main I plan to roll in the genoa to stop it flogging, go head to wind and then put the reef in. How does that sound to you?
There appears to bit of a shortfall of instruction in the books I have read on the subject, they only seem to cover the mechanics of the reef and not the boat handling bit.

Regards..................Andrew

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If all else fails you can always heave to. That is how I do it when single handed. The motion of the boat becomes very stable and predictable, and nothing flogs about. With a crew I get them to sail on a beam reach or a bit broader, with the genoa sheet well eased out to slow everything down, then take in the reef.
Whatever way you do it if the sails are depowered and the boat slowed down it's a lot easier.


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I must be honest - I've never done the intermediate 'reefing points' - on mine this entails threading a light line through the points and inder the boom. I tried it once, and decided never again - I nearly got thrown overboard. The sail just hangs in a bag under the bom now, looks untidy but I live with it. Actually 'used to hang under the boom', I fitted a 'packaway' sail cover recently and this contains the sail nicely.

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... :-) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
 
Me too

I have never attempted to tie in any reefing points. Sail may look a little untidy but no harm will be done. It would be most unfortunate to fall overboard due to tidying up unnecessarily!

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I keep the boat sailing on the jib and ease the mainsheet to reef. This has the advantage that you don't have the clew of the jib flogging around your ears. Works fine up to a beam reach.

Other alternative, as suggested, is to heave-to but I prefer to keep some way on.

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That's pretty much how I do it, although I don't have a clew line leading back to the mast so the boom is pulled inboard and the main feathered. Slacken the kicker, haul the topping lift, drop the halyard, tie in the new luff then retension the halyard. I haul on the clew line, then drop the boom back down. When sailing off the wind I don't necessarily head up to wind, pulling the main in to the centreline takes a lot of power out of it, I can get the new luff sorted out first and it is often possible to get an adequate reef in that way when running.
The ties are just to tidy the sail up and shouldn't have any strain on them anyway, so it may be possible for you to fasten the last few by hauling the boom inboard once you've tightened the clew and halyard. Heaving-to or dropping (or rolling up) the jib will help you make your reef a lot better but I still find the best setting sails are those reefed in harbour. If I'm not sure about the wind outside the harbour I put a reef in "just in case" as it's always easier to shake it out than to put it in. Sod's law usually intervenes, however, and the wind only picks up when I don't put an early reef in!
Maybe some books are written under the assumption that you've a modern boat with a small high aspect main and reefing lines led to a winch at the mast, where you can haul them in hard even with wind in the sail. Such boats combine wide beam and a short boom, which would make tying reef points up easy, if they had them.
Hope this is of some help.
Dave

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G'day Andrew,

The system I, and think most us use is as follows:

First, make sure everthing is ready, no tagles or twisted coils of line, flake them out ready.

Then, pull the jib on and take a bit of time to trim it to get the boat pointing as high as you can.

Make sure people know what is going to happen, so they don't sit on lines or get tangled up in them.

Ease the main and wait, have a bit of a sail on the jib, the boat will drop in speed, you may have to re trim the jib at this point, but take your time......

When you happy the you are sailing as high as you can with main eased, go for the reef, but only after a final check that everthing is ready.

Works for me.

Avagoodweekend



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.
 
Heave to!

This is a very eye opening thread for me, since I have always hove-to to reef with points, as I was taught as a child, and I was frankly unaware that anyone even tried to pull a traditional reef in whilst under way and making way.

Heave to. Set up the topping lift. Pull down the leach cringle. Pull down the luff cringle. Tie in the points, or pass the lacing. Ease the topping lift, let the headsail go across and there you are. Easy.

Why on earth does'nt everyone heave to - are we all offshore racing all the time?

My own boat has roller reefing - different matter.





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Re: offshore racing?

I suppose it's what comes of being brought up on dinghies with no reefing points. My object is to take the power out of the sail so I can get the lines tensioned, and you can either heave-to "properly" or haul things flat and feather the sails. I find I often decide to take a reef in when I'm changing headsails, rather than leaving it until later, and it seems natural to keep her making way slowly through the water, upright and quiet under main only, while I fiddle with the ropes.

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Heave to!

With your boat, Andrew, I might do the same. With mine, I have a single line reefing system that can be used up to a beam reach. Free the mainsheet, pull on topping lift a few inches, free and lower halyard until the marked point reaches the clutch, haul on the reefing pennant, winch the halyard a few inches to re-tighten, release topping lift and re-sheet the main. Anybody of virtually any age could do this in less than a minute. The only reason that it can't be done with the wind more free is that the lazy jacks (hated things) prevent the sail from sliding down. The Sadler will heave to but it's quicker and easier to do it as described.

With a deep, fin keel, if the magazines are to be believed, heaving to is barely an option.

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Don\'t heave to!

Well, OK if conditions are really bad or something has gone wrong with the sail.

But surely, Mirelle, you must have realised that reefing methods have moved on since Dixon Kemp? The great advantage of the 'jiffy reef' system and being able to put a reef in quickly while still under way is that one is no longer obliged to put in precautionary reefs, or follow the old adage to "reef when you first think of it" (which in the case of some yachtsmen is before they have even reached the marina). Instead, reefing can be left until when the conditions are actually such as to make it desirable - i.e. the yacht sails better with a reef in. And there is no inducement to be lazy about leaving in a reef when conditions improve.

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Re: No ties, No tears !

There's a good reason for the lack of ties on a modern boat main sail : If by misfortune or mistake the reef line get free the sail stay in one piece !
I know, it'snt the traditional way : aboard J Class's one sailor used to run along the boom with a knife to cut the ties... unfortunately nowadays it happens that inexperienced crews forget the rule.

<hr width=100% size=1>Brittany Yacht brokerage & assistance : PM
 
Re: Don\'t heave to!

"you must have realised that reefing methods have moved on since Dixon Kemp? "
Have they? Not, I think, among Gentlemen Yachtmen of taste such as the owner of Mirelle . If Dixn Kemp doesn't cover a question then FB Cooke will. For a more modern opinion Hiscock rarely lets me down.
But Andrew, luff first, leech second isn't it?

IanW



<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience
 
Use the force......

of both technology and sensory organs.

Have to admit that I am thinking about reefing as I drive drive to the mooring ( 15 minutes) and I even check my local buoy via the internet ( nice chap that tells me wind speed, direction etc only about 10 miles out). Then as I row to the mooring, my golden curls wafting in the breeze give me another indicator plus what I call the 'bottle factor' which is getting lower as I age, finally comes up with a sail plan. At least for the kick off anyway.

Are you keen on luff length for jibs ? Going to windward with a masthead rig I find that the jib is everything. A real powerhouse to get you there. I have a lovely blade jib using a full hoist . Anything above force four the old girl goes up with enough main to get a nice dash of weather helm. Even if the wind dies a bit , I leave her there and I still make good speed shaking the reefs out of the main.

As I am master, crew, cook rolled into one this seems to work well for me. If I have to change jibs there is no argument with any of us. I don't like it wet !
I always turn and run downwind. Dryer, quicker and I ain't racing !

Admit it Andrew ! You racin types is always racin even if you ain't racin.
Claude Worth - now he's a bloke thats worth reading.



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