Reefing again

R

roberth

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 Mar 2004
Messages
161
Visit site
The recent post on reefing has set me thinking.

When I reef using the single line coming back to the cockpit, I always attach the reefing cringle on the luff onto the ram's horn. However, the cringle on the leech always remains a foot off the boom when winched hard in. The boom therefore drops slightly below horizontal and catches the spray cover when tacking/sheeted hard in.

While I have used this technique with no problem apart from inconvenience, should I be lowering the sail more so that the line of pennants and cringle are all on the boom, and secured, before winching in, to get better sail shape and to keep the boom a bit higher?

Sorry if this is a bit newbie, but I would appreciate your comments.

Thanks in advance

Robert
 
Do you take the weight off the boom with the topping lift and release the vang?

If you lift the boom slightly with the topping lift then you should be able to pull the leech cringle down tight to the boom. Probably without needing to winch it. Then release the topping lift and tighten the vang afterwards.
 
Good advice, if you dont release the vang/kicker and the main sheet there is a danger that you will stretch the leech of the sail.
 
No topping lift - gas kicker. But should be able to get same result by pushing boom up from cockpit and lash cringle to boom.

Thanks

R
 
Your first post sounded like the reefing line terminates at the cringle - why not thread it through that and down to a fixed point below on the boom .... ?
 
I'm wondering where the fixed end of your reefing line is on the boom? Normally it would be fixed under the boom itself, slightly aft of where the cringle comes down to. It's like this on my boat and I don't get your problem, I can winch the cringle almost down to touching the boom. Is the fixed end on yours perhaps at the aft end of the boom? Just a thought.
 
Good point - it does, and why didn't I think of your solution?

Thaks for the speedy replies - it never ceases to amaze me how many people view this forum even in the middle of a working day - which reminds me....back to the grind for now.

R
 
Well the front end is fixed by the cringle going onto the ramshorn so slackening the halyard more when reefing will not help. However at the outer boom end if you a) make sure kicker and mainsheet are slackened right off and b) raise the boom slightly by pulling the topping lift up more whilst reefing or by letting the boom rise more if you have a gas kicker it will be much better. You should be winching the clew to the boom rather than trying to pull the boom to the clew if that makes sense?

As far as the line of eyes/pennants are concerned - DO NOT USE! There is a high risk of damage to the sail if there is ANY load on these. If you do use them it should be a simple continuous light line (even shockcord) laced loosely through, not tied and with no hitches, just to tidy up the loose bunt. We have lazyjacks and the reefed bit just rests in them, but even without lazyjacks the slabs will sit quite well without needing to be tied in place.

Robin
 
At the risk of stating the obvious once again, and as nobody else has, you just need to tie the pennant round the boom with a simple, but quite tight, bowline. If its too loose, the reef won't come right down to the boom as the knot will stick in the cringle.

Good luck.
 
[ QUOTE ]
As far as the line of eyes/pennants are concerned - DO NOT USE! There is a high risk of damage to the sail if there is ANY load on these. If you do use them it should be a simple continuous light line (even shockcord) laced loosely through, not tied and with no hitches, just to tidy up the loose bunt.

[/ QUOTE ]

And you are giving yourself more work to do, exposing yourself to danger on the coach roof working at the boom at a time when you should be in the safety of he cockpit.
 
My drill (for what it is worth) is:
1.Off on mainsheet, off on kicker.
2.Raise the boom at least 20 degrees above the horizontal
3. Lower mainsail and make on cringle for reef on rams horn.
4. Tension reefing pennant by pulling clew down to boom
5. Tension halyard, ease off topping lift.
6. Take in on kicker (if needed), take in mainsheet.
7. Reinforce reefing pennant by putting an earing through clew ((basically a sail tie through clew cringle)

Robin's point about how he ties up the bunt of the sail cannot be overemphasised.
One other point, if you have all your lines led back to the cockpit, when something goes wrong up forrard and you havent been there for a while at sea, will you have the confidence to go there? I do not have any mainmast lines led aft, I can see the value of having your lines rigged this way, but there is a disadvantage as well.
 
Robin
"You should be winching the clew to the boom rather than trying to pull the boom to the clew if that makes sense?"

After releasing kicker and mainsheet you are winching boom up to the clew

got me thinking now!
Gordon
 
Gordon

Ah the perils of the written description!

What I'm trying to say is that you raise the boom end on the topping lift or gas kicker to a liitle above the position it would be at in the reefed position, that way you are pulling on the clew reef line just to pull the sail corner over to the boom end and to apply some tension along the foot. What you should't be doing is trying to lift the boom/sail weight at all with the reef line and especially not to be trying to lift it against any downward pull of either mainsheet or kicker tension.

Some sails, including ours are cut to set with the boom end a touch higher when reefed, so if the boom is left in the full sail position it would be a real struggle to pull the reef cringle down to it because you are having to really pull hard on the leech to get it to the boom end - don't! Raise the boom to put in the reef and the load is much less and the sail is better for it. Afterwards of course the topping lift if used is released and the kicker and mainsheet are re-tensioned.

Robin
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'm wondering where the fixed end of your reefing line is on the boom? Normally it would be fixed under the boom itself, slightly aft of where the cringle comes down to.

[/ QUOTE ]
I experienced the same problem at the weekend with the cringle well clear of the drooping boom. How far aft is "slightly"? I have about 18" horizontal distance between the boom mounting and the cringle - I suspect that this is too much. Any advice?
 
I always did this until last year. Following a discussion - either on this forum or the PBO one - I tried a slightly modified method. I now tie the end of the reefing line on to the standing part using a clove hitch. As the poster who suggested this said, the result is a neater knot and a tighter reef. Highly recommended!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top