Reefing

[Acornrunner]

Reefing. I'm trying to understand the setup for reefing. There are hundreds of references to reefing, Roller Reefing, Jiffy Reefing, Reefing hooks, etc. here on the forum.

Are there some pictures around here of a reefed sail, and the lines needed to accomplish the feat?

I can have reefing points added to my sail, but I'm clueless as how to use them. My sails are not new, I may simply opt for new sails with reefing points added.

Smooth Sailing
Lake Springfield, Springfield, IL

[jalmeida51]

Here is my setup for reefing the mainsail. I use a single line to reef down the leech of the sail. I use a reefing hook to reef down the luff of the sail. I installed a topping lift to hold the boom up when I ease off on the halyard. This prevents the boom from dropping into the cockpit. The halyard is marked so when I drop the halyard the luff cringle lines up with the reefing hook. Insert the luff cringle onto the hook. Hoist the halyard to tension the luff. Tension the leech luff line so the leech of the sail is down against the boom and it is pulled aft. You need to get the mainsail flat, you don't want a belly in the the sail. I don't tie up the excess sail I just let it hang. I can see under the boom so the excess sail doesn't effect my line of sight. Some people tie up the excess sail with reef lines, I guess what ever you prefer.

The leech line is tied around the boom with a bowline knot, it goes up to the leech cringle through the cringle down to a cheek block on the boom to a V cleat. ( jam cleat ) The leech line is 1/4 sta-set New England Ropes.

Most sails have the reef point at 20% but when I had my new sails made I went to 30% due to I sail by myself and the bay I sail on can be windy some days.

Take a look on U Tube it has a lot of information on reefing and several diagrams on setting up a reef system. I guess you need to figure out which system will work the best for you.
Reef Early, John

[Vanalien]

I use roller reefing on my DS2. In the discussions here it seems to be a bit disparaged, but it doesn't cost anything to try it out, and it might work well enough for you. I got my boat mid-season in 2017, and capsized at the end of the season on a solo sail in 25kt erratic winds without being reefed. There were several reasons I capsized, I don't know if reefing alone would have prevented it, but it helps immensely. The roller reefing is not as nice and easy as slab reefing, but you do have to have reefing points sewn into your sail for that, and it costs money.

I don't remember if I had read about reefing before the capsize, but I do remember I had the boat for months before discovering the built-in roller reefing feature. There's a a square pin on the gooseneck end of the boom that pulls out of a square hole in the gooseneck (or is it the other way around?) and is spring-loaded to keep it pulled together. Pull the boom aft, and it is allowed to rotate, so you can roll the sail around the boom. On the DS2, the mainsheet is attached mid-boom, so you have to disconnect the mainsheet from the boom before rolling the sail.

So, how do you re-attach the mainsheet to the boom after you've rolled the sail around it? The bail it was attached to is now buried under 4-5 layers of sail. From reading here, I had the impression at first that you need a "roller reefing claw" to attach the mainsheet. There is another way, which was mentioned here on the forum, but only once or twice in the many reefing discussions.

After I've detached the mainsheet, I tie about a 5 foot length of 1/4" line into a loop which goes through the bail, so when you stretch it out it's about 2 1/2 long (about the distance from the boom to the first batten). Keep the end of the loop sticking out as you roll up the sail, and then attach the mainsheet to the end of the loop when you're done rolling the sail around the boom. I bought a snap shackle (about $8 on five-oceans.com) to make the detach/re-attach easier.

It might help to have pictures to describe this, but the boat is in winter storage. If you want pictures in the spring, let me know, and I can post a few.

[Fly4rfun]

@Vanalien,

thank you for that explanation. I was wondering how that would work on a rolling boom, which I have. and yes you pull it out to roll it. I have not used mine yet as i just cot the boat and haven't gotten to get a good sail on a proper lake in. but now i know how if and when I need to.

G.

[GreenLake]

Some people put their jib on a roller furler (boat doesn't point well without jib, but it can be an alternative for securing the jib when dropping sails, and obviates the need for a jib downhaul).

When considering percentages, note that you not only lose area, but the Center of Effort also drops, reducing the lever arm for heeling.

Using Jim's method, it should be possible to rig two reefs at different heights. You can leave two reeflines permanently mounted at the aft end.

[jibsylife2]

Does anyone reef their headsail on the O'Day Daysailer? Is there a way to reef the headsail other than getting a roller furling system? I just bought a 1980 and have yet to even sail it.

[GreenLake]

I have seen and used roller furling jibs. I even owned a boat once that was set up that way. The intended scenario wasn't so much for high winds, but to be able to furl the jib while waiting near the start line in beer-can racing. One pull on the sheet and the boat would be powered up in an instant, ready to join the race. That was the theory: I found that I was good at getting the furler jammed, so to me, this was just one more point of failure and I sold that boat.

I've never seen and only read about slab reefing the jib. You'd need a tack line to bring the reefed tack down and a way to connect the sheet to a reefed clew. For that, I imagine you'd have to go forward enough to reach the clew of the jib, which is a downside. I can't think of a way you could make a reefline work for that, except if you rig two sets of sheets ahead of time.

But it would be doable if you set it up before leaving shore.

What kind of sailing scenarios are you looking forward to? I've seen the DS used in the Texas 200 which is an event that can run to stronger winds, and I sailed it once in someone's DS. He had 3 reefs in the main but no reefs or furler for the jib. Events like that are a challenge, because it's not possible to easily pick and choose conditions. Whereas attention to forecasts should allow you to avoid most situations on a daysail.

I would also be interested to learn if anyone has tried out slab-reefing their jib, but I think the discussion is a bit academic, especially from the perspective of preparing a boat for the first time. Winds in some of my sailing areas are on the moderate side, and there I'm happy with a single reef in the main. I would recommend that for anyone except people who only race their boats. If you expect stronger winds, I'd suggest you go for two, and if you are planning expedition style sailing, go for three (and perhaps a way to furl the jib).

Here's what sailing in 20kts with gusts to 25 looks like with a single reef in the main:

(Click to enlarge)

[jibsylife2]

Hey greenlake, I was more curious about reefing the jib than anything. I'll be sailing at Cave Run in Kentucky, so I'm not too worried about being overpowered by the winds. In the summer the winds are pretty light. In the spring and fall I think the winds pick up some. I'll be picking days where the winds are forecast to be pretty light until I get the hang of sailing the boat. Next summer I'd like to take it to Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley to do some over night sailing. Those two lakes are over 100 miles long. Cave Run is maybe 50 to 60 miles long, although it can get pretty narrow at the far southeast end.

[GreenLake]

Yes, I got that you were interested in reefing the jib without using a furler, and that my answer touched on whether and when that might be advisable or necessary, or neither. In my personal view, "people don't usually do that, and there's a reason" that kind of information can be as useful as a straight "how to", especially for someone who's in a bit of a planning stage and looking at options.

On bigger boats you can go on the foredeck if you have to put a reef into a jib that is set up for that. The same isn't as easy for the DS, which would be one big reason alone for not going that route. However, it's an interesting topic, and I can understand just being curious about it.

Here is a link to a discussion that goes into some more detail and also discusses some interesting solutions for dealing with the excess sail material other than rolling it up. There are two ways of using a zipper: either to disconnect the unused piece, or to connect across a fold in the sail.

The discussion also mentions cost. So, yes, doable.

PS: interesting area you are sailing in. Maybe put some trip report into the cruising section when you get to it.