Reefing a loose footed mainsail

[Poignard]

Depends on the sail. The reef points are entirely necessary on mine, otherwise I get great bags of sail hanging under the boom, sometimes filling with wind and/or flogging depending on point of sail. On the other hand, I have sailed on boats where none were fitted or required.

Pete

Me too, I always tie them off.

It also depends on the dimensions of the boat, ie how far it is from the water to the boom. I have dipped the boom of my 28' boat (8' beam) under water in bad weather, with a reef in, and been glad there wasn't a big bag of canvas to fill up with water and delay her righting herself; not to mention £750 worth of mainsail being stretched out of shape by the weight of water. It only takes a few minutes to tie off the reef points so I can't see any reason not to do it.

Plenty of expert advice is available on the subject in "Cruising Under Sail" by Eric Hiscock.