Reefing

[BurnitBlue]

Chatting to boat owners in the Ionion about reefing. Apparantely, no one uses the first reef but reef down to second reef first. After the second reef, if the wind is still rising it is mainsail down and engine on. I didn't get to my second question which would have been do you use the hook on the tack first then haul down the cringle at the clew or the other way round. I noticed that many boats do not have a reefing hook at the gooseneck so I suppose they use a penant or any piece of rope to tie it down.

What is usual in the windy UK waters? You must get loads of practice. Any tips?

 

[johnalison]

Tack first. It would be almost impossible the other way. The clew can then be used to apply the correct tension to the foot.

It is also far easier if a pair of rings joined by tape is attached to each tack cringle. this converts a two-handed job into a single-handed one, leaving one left over to hang on with.

 

[lw395]

I guess that's a product of the classic daily wind pattern there.

I normally use just one reef, only exception would be on a silly rising forecast, or maybe if I was anticipating a 'close to dead run' leg where you can get enough power using the genoa, and balance is not an issue.

I do the luff first.
The reefing line pulls the sail out as well as down, so you will not get the clew sorted if the reefing line is tight.

 

[lw395]

One (smallish) boat I sail on, there is no reefing hook, the cunningham tackle is used instead.

 

[oldharry]

I guess that's a product of the classic daily wind pattern there.

I normally use just one reef, only exception would be on a silly rising forecast, or maybe if I was anticipating a 'close to dead run' leg where you can get enough power using the genoa, and balance is not an issue.

I do the luff first.
The reefing line pulls the sail out as well as down, so you will not get the clew sorted if the reefing line is tight.

+1 My Second reef is so deep that it underpowers the boat if I go straight to it, unless things are obviously getting really bad.

 

[webcraft]

.
The secret is practice, practice, practice. If you are already sailing along under all plain sail then unless you are in very squally conditions it makes sense to go to the first reef if the boat feels a bit overpowered. Next step is a few rolls in the genoa, then second reef in the main.

On Fairwinds the kicker and all three reefing lines are led back. It usually takes us less than three minutes to put a reef in, with about half that time spent going forwards, hooking the spectacle ring on the rams horn and returning to the cockpit.

We tend to follow the old adage: 'Best time to put a reef in is when you first think of it. Best time to take a reef out is half an hour after you first think of it.'

Being confident about reefing leads to a lot less drama and more efficient and comfortable sailing. Most boats benefit from being sailed at a maximum angle of heel of 20 degfrees - and so do most crews!

If the wind is aft of the beam and looks like staying above 20kts apparent then the main comes down. This needs to be done sooner rather than later if the wind is steadily increasing.

- W

 

[Tranona]

I noticed that many boats do not have a reefing hook at the gooseneck so I suppose they use a penant or any piece of rope to tie it down.

What is usual in the windy UK waters? You must get loads of practice. Any tips?

Think you will find that is because they have single line reefing which is pretty much universal on newer boats and common on older ones which have been converted.

Of course if you have in mast reefing you are not constrained by fixed sail areas, but can match your sail area much more closely (and easily) to the prevailing conditions.

 

[BelleSerene]

Reef luff first, then re-tension the halyard,then reef leech. Otherwise you'll stretch the sail or even tear it in a blow.

 

[NDG]

I'm always puzzled by the 'engine on' approach if the wind rises. Maybe it makes people feel safer if they can hear the reassuring sound of an engine in a blow, but dropping the sails risks injury and damage from violent rolling and pitching. If the wind is sill rising after reef 2 it will be blowing pretty hard. Maybe it's time for reef 3.. ?

 

[pen2413]

It is also far easier if a pair of rings joined by tape is attached to each tack cringle.

excuse my ignorance - but how does this work?

 

[Zen Zero]

One (smallish) boat I sail on, there is no reefing hook, the cunningham tackle is used instead.

I like this idea very much! What ratio is your Cunningham tackle? I'm looking for the right kit to install on Nereide.

excuse my ignorance - but how does this work?

I use a short piece of rope with an eye in one end that goes round one side of the ramshorn, through the tack cringle round the other bit of the ramshorn and fastened to a spare cleat on the mast. I don't like it and plan to add a Cunningham, to improve the sail shape with or without reefs. I imagine I'm going to add cringles a few inches above the existing ones t make this work.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Thheanks for the tips. I have sailed my International Folkboat for the past 15 years. The reefing method is the opposite of the tips given above. When a reef is required the leach cringe line is hauled down without touching the main halyard. The main sheet and kicker are released and the leach clew line is hauled in which causes the boom end to rise to meet the clew cringe. With the boom scandelized at 30 degrees power is taken off the main. Then the main halysrd is lowered to attach the luff cringe at the tack. This horizontalizes the boom and we are off after readjusting the main sheet.

I have bought a Moody 346 and the Folkboat system does not work so I need to follow the advice above. And practice, practice, and more practice.

I would also like to know the answer to pen2413 about the pair of rings taped to the mainsail. Thanks again.

 

[lw395]

I like this idea very much! What ratio is your Cunningham tackle? I'm looking for the right kit to install on Nereide.
.....

The cunningham is 6:1, but that is as much to do with having fine control as with needing lots of mechanical advantage. We used some pulleys we already had. 4:1 would probably have been fine. That is on a 22ft boat, the first reef is not very big, but it is still a lot of string to move at 6:1. In some races we could reef for the up wind legs and shake out the reefs downwind, as reefing took only 15 seconds and hardly slowed the boat.

 

[graham]

I'm always puzzled by the 'engine on' approach if the wind rises. Maybe it makes people feel safer if they can hear the reassuring sound of an engine in a blow, but dropping the sails risks injury and damage from violent rolling and pitching. If the wind is sill rising after reef 2 it will be blowing pretty hard. Maybe it's time for reef 3.. ?

Absolutely agree ,better to sail whenever possible. Also motoring in rough water is just asking for crud shook up from the bottom of the tank by the violent motion to start clogging your fuel filters ,next step engine stops boat rolling like crazy beam on and not easy to get sails back up.

 

[dt4134]

excuse my ignorance - but how does this work?

They're known as spectacles.

You have a ring either side of the luff cringle which are each too big to slip through the cringle. They're then stitched together with strong tape.

You put the most convenient on the ramshorn and the other is held tight against the cringle.

It's a minor job for a sailmaker to add them to your sail.

 

[Plevier]

Reef luff first, then re-tension the halyard,then reef leech. Otherwise you'll stretch the sail or even tear it in a blow.

That's not possible with single line reefing.
Isn't it like saying that with full sail, you must tension the halyard before you attach the clew to the boom?
Isn't the important thing to hold the boom up with the topping lift?

 

[BelleSerene]

That's not possible with single line reefing.
Isn't it like saying that with full sail, you must tension the halyard before you attach the clew to the boom?
Isn't the important thing to hold the boom up with the topping lift?

You're of course right. I was assuming double-line reefing; sorry.

Yes, and I was assuming there's a topping lift in place to hold the boom above a safe level.

 

[snowleopard]

I currently use a lanyard to tie down the tack as I don't have a goosenenck and consequently no horns. I find it less hassle than horns as I used to have to hold the cringle onto the horn while taking up the luff tension with the other hand. With the lanyard a couple of turns and a single slippery half hitch holds fine and is easy to release.

Re. use of engine, some people feel more confident in holding the boat head to wind under engine while reefing, some boats are happy to lie to just the headsail.

I have a perfect setup for reefing: with my unstayed rig I can head downwind and let go of the sheet. The main sits docilely over the bow and the apparent wind is reduced. No spray comes over the bow and I only need waterproofs if it's raining!

 

[Plevier]

I currently use a lanyard to tie down the tack as I don't have a goosenenck and consequently no horns.

Do you find you need to take it round the mast as well as the boom to take the outhaul tension of the reefing pennant? A horn holds it forward as well as down.

 

[prv]

Re. use of engine, some people feel more confident in holding the boat head to wind under engine while reefing, some boats are happy to lie to just the headsail.

The original point wasn't using the engine while reefing, but getting all sail down and reverting to being a motorboat once the wind got strong enough.

Seems odd to me; even if you want the engine to help push a tubby boat through a short steep sea (and I can see myself needing to do that with KS in some conditions), having some sail up makes the motion much better.

Pete