Reefing and tidying up the bunt

[michael_w]

My mainsail has no cringles on reef 1 and 2. The bunt is held up by the lazyjacks. The third reef has cringles, just in case.
The leech cringles on reef 1 and 2 also have blocks to ease friction.

If the reef are tied in and the pennant gives way the result is a shredded mainsail.

 

[Poignard]

My mainsail has no cringles on reef 1 and 2. The bunt is held up by the lazyjacks. The third reef has cringles, just in case.
The leech cringles on reef 1 and 2 also have blocks to ease friction.

If the reef are tied in and the pennant gives way the result is a shredded mainsail.

That's why I pass a lashing through the leech eyelet and around the boom a few times.

 

[Hadenough]

There is usually a lot of crew flapping too on reef three ?

 

[zoidberg]

. How would I tidy away the bunt if heavily reefed without any reef points?

This may be a possible answer depending, I s'pose, on the size/weight of your mainsail. I've used this successfully on the mainsail of a modest cruising cat. It lasted for years.

Affix several eyelets across the sail at the height of the reef tacks and clews
Rig a 'bungy cord' of appropriate strength horizontally across the sail from reef clew to reef tack and back again, weaving this cord alternately in/out of the eyelets, just taut/slack enough so as not quite to sag. Tie this off , or fit one of those friction-lock plastic balls, at the clew end.
Clip plastic snaplinks on the 'loops' of bungy on ONE side only.
When wanted to gather the bunt, pull the snaplinks in turn under the BUNT and clip to the bungy loops on t'other side.