wfe1947
Active Member
Perhaps simplistic but doesn't easing the mainsheet achieve the same objective in higher winds such as reduction in heel, etc. as reefing the mainsail?
Reefing versus Easing the Mainsheet
- Thread starter wfe1947
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ctva
Well-Known Member
No, because you lose the power in the sail. Reefing allows the power to be maintained as the sail is set correctly.
webcraft
Well-Known Member
This technique is better in gusts and squalls than in prolonged strong winds.
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William_H
Well-Known Member
We have some classes of racing keel boats and of course lots of racing dinghies where there are no reefing facilities. They rely on flattening the main sail with back stay tension, outhaul tension, mast bend, vang etc. They seem to get away with it in some fairly blowy conditions. Certainly not storm conditions when a race would be cancelled.
Obviously lots of dumping of main sheet to alleviate heel.
I love to race my little boat. Fairly tender light weight. It has a big fractional rig main sail. I love to pull a realy good well shaped reef into the main. With less concern re dumping main sheet I can concentrate on helming to best advantage when beating into wind. I think the loss of main sail area is of little concern compared top the ability to sail close to the wind. The secret is in the well shaped reef. Tack right in to mast and boom,and lots of outhaul tension on clew. None of this single line reefing for me. ol'will
Obviously lots of dumping of main sheet to alleviate heel.
I love to race my little boat. Fairly tender light weight. It has a big fractional rig main sail. I love to pull a realy good well shaped reef into the main. With less concern re dumping main sheet I can concentrate on helming to best advantage when beating into wind. I think the loss of main sail area is of little concern compared top the ability to sail close to the wind. The secret is in the well shaped reef. Tack right in to mast and boom,and lots of outhaul tension on clew. None of this single line reefing for me. ol'will
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
Exactly - ease for the gust but reef in anticipation. Too many people reef because the wind is too high (at least until they learn the hard way). You should reef before the wind gets too high unless you're racing and everyone knows exactly what they're doing (please let me know if you ever find a boat where that's the case).
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
Yep, people forget you're often faster with the right amount of sail up as well as more comfortable.
MonniotC
Well-Known Member
Errr. If the wind is behind you, easing the mainsheet won't help. You won't be able to on account of those dratted shrouds and spreaders.
thinwater
Well-Known Member
Honest. If the physics are not self evident, go out in increasing breezes and try it both ways. Move the traveler around on different points of sail. Explanations are helpful, but you also need to learn it on a muscle-memory level. You will get knocked down a few times reaching and running. You will struggle for control and to sail up wind.
Then come back and ask questions about the fine points. They'll make more sense.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
That's something that was drummed into me on my Day Skipper course.
If you're wondering about a reef, do it; if you're wondering about taking one out, wait a bit. Easing the sheets on a cruising boat probably means you should be putting a reef in, unless you're pretty sure it's only a gust and there won't be more. Now all I've got to do is learn to follow my own advice...
Hermit
Well-Known Member
The luff can/will then just flap. Will trash your sails pretty quickly if you do it a lot.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
Yes, good example back in the days of the identical Sunsail Sunfast 36s on the Clyde. Skippering a boat with inexperienced crew i reefed early upwind, whlist the other boats tended to be more gung ho. Even after taking the time to reef, we quickly overtook the identical boats with flapping sails upwind. Reefing reduces the drag caused by a flapping sail, and very slightly lowers CoG and Centre of Pressure.
Of course with a full race crew of 10 hiking on the rail we might have kept full mainsail up - and certainly would have on a short race course, as full main (and spinnaker) would be faster on a downwind leg, outweighing the gain upwind of reefing.
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
And for those blessed or cursed with in mast furling that only rolls up on starboard tack and pointing into the wind, even more caution is called for.
I follow the guidance that if reefing feels like it's going to be a problem (to do) you should already have done it. Another piece of good advice is to reef anyway at night in case.
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
Added to which is the drama/danger of gybeing in high winds with a full mainsail. I have seen a boat with an inexperienced helmsman rounding up to be beam-on to the wind, then being knocked down, with crew going overboard.
flaming
Well-Known Member
This is exactly right, but....
One of the biggest changes to sailing brought about by the advent of laminate sails has been the ability to depower by flattening. These days most inshore mains on race boats are not fitted with reefs. On the last boat we did actually spec 1 reef in our inshore mains, but in 8 years we never used it. The simple reason for this is that in any conditions that the committee boat can anchor we can flatten the main to such an extent that we can hold full main upwind. And as said, we want the full main because at the top mark we're turning around and going downwind. BUT, this does not mean we're allowing the main to flap upwind, that is slow. Instead, by maxing out halyard, cunningham, outhaul and backstay we make the sail very flat, with very little draft. And then adding twist in the gusts to just spill wind from the top of the sail. This reduces the power down to a point where you can hang on to the full main in up to 30kts, which does seem to be the limit of committee boat anchors, but requires both very active trimming and very precise helming.
It also helps that you reduce jib size...
However, when the top mark is not 1-2 miles away, but you're going offshore then the balance shifts back to reefing, as it's too much to ask of the crew to sail like that for long, and overall you're probably a bit faster with a more powerfully shaped but lower CoE main. Especially as the waves build.
When not racing, reef. Reef often and reef early. Especially if you don't have the full suite of depowering tools.
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
I have no great experience of in-mast furling, but would'nt heaving-to achieve the object of getting the sail head-to-wind in a much more calm and less flappy manner than actually driving the whole boat HTW? It's the only way you could reef such a sail in a situation in which your engine was disabled.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
The old saying is that cruisers reef for the gusts while racers reef for the squalls. I presume that racers have worked out that your overall speed will be higher if you ease the sheet during gusts and put up with the temporary loss of speed, while members of the human race just want to get from A to B in comfort.
Easing the sheet, what I call an Irish Reef, is useful on occasions but as well as losing power you also add a lot of extra drag from the flapping sail. It is OK on anything of a reach but when close-hauled I prefer to keep the sail flat and pinch a little, but a lot depends on the sea state.
Easing the sheet, what I call an Irish Reef, is useful on occasions but as well as losing power you also add a lot of extra drag from the flapping sail. It is OK on anything of a reach but when close-hauled I prefer to keep the sail flat and pinch a little, but a lot depends on the sea state.
wfe1947
Active Member
Thanks for the replies, all very interesting. However, I do tend to reef when I think that the wind is going to be too strong for my fair weather sailing.
mrming
Well-Known Member
Echoing what Flaming says above, we have only reefed the main on a race boat a handful of times in 20+ years of competitive inshore events. On a well set up fractional rig boat you can “blade” the main out to the point where there is very little power or drag, and then twist off from there if you have to. Different story cruising of course, I might spill my tea if I have to keep messing with the controls. 
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Yes, you're right. I usually point 20 to30 degrees off the wind with a tiny bit of fill rather than dead to wind, especially when still carrying the jib. It's fantastic when it works well and it usually does but the port starboard thing is a pain if you have to tack. Its good in lots of ways especially singlehanded with no stowing or deck work but I am very wary of having too much up in squally winds. Full genoa and some reef in the main is not unusual for me. Of course the other plus is it triple reefs to a rather nice shape but haven't needed that yet.
Agree about racing boats having more depowering choices but also usually a larger crew.
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Ok to ease the main for an odd gust, but if it's gusty I reef. If the wind is strengthening and I'm going to reef, my maxim is if I feel that I need one reef, put two in. It's easier to shake one out if the wind doesn't live up to expectations than putting in a second when the wind has built.
If I'm sailing downwind, I don't bother with the main, I put up twin headsails ?️
