SAILING TIPS Mike Huston Reefing: The Steps for Shortening Sail


The most important part of reefing is making the decision to do so.


Well, summer is over. Yes, I know


– what summer? I agree, summer took too long to get here and left too quickly. But, like it or not, we are headed into winter and the strong winds that come with it. The bright side is we can sail in the winter; our waters do not freeze over and the thermometer seldom registers the tiny numbers our friends back East often see. But our winters can be windy and gusty so being comfortable in these conditions is important. Two years ago, in the October issue


of 48° North, Sailing Tips covered the techniques commonly used in heavy air sailing. If you don’t have it handy you can review it online by going to www.48north.com/articles.htm and clicking on the October 2009 issue (page 25). There were several techniques discussed, such as twisting off the top of the sails and reducing draft; but the most important one was reefing – the subject of this month’s article. Probably the most important part


of reefing is making the decision to do so. In other words, being aware of the existing and coming conditions and realizing you have too much sail up. Therefore, getting weather reports often and understanding what they are saying is important. So is being aware of building winds or dark lines on the horizon; both are signs reefing may be prudent. One could just wait until things are ugly, but the earlier reefing is done the easier it is to do. This is where the adage “Reef early and reef often,” came from. Reefing, in principle, is simple:


reduce sail area to match the wind conditions. But which sail and how much? While there are no hard and fast rules, here are some general guidelines: Most boats will handle winds in the range of 15 to 20 knots with full sail. From 20 to 30 knots some mixture of 48° NORTH, NOVEMBER 2011 PAGE 30


reefed sails should work. Between 30 and 40 a very small jib by itself will usually suffice, although some boats will also want a small main to stay in balance. So let’s discuss the 20 to 30 range


as it is the most common situation. If the winds are on the lower end of this range, reefing just one sail may be sufficient. If that is not enough then add a reef to the other sail. The following rule is a generalization but provides a good starting point; reef the main first if you have a jib smaller than a 135 and reef the jib first if it is larger than a 135. If you have a 135, then try it each way and see what your boat likes best. Our boat sails like a pig with a reefed jib and full main, but then, it loves a reefed main and full jib. Try both ways on your boat to see what works best. As the wind approaches 30 knots a


reef in both sails will be needed and it is possible one sail should be completely dowsed. This is true on our boat; in these winds we sail with a reefed jib and no main. Like our boat, many of today’s cruising boats have beamy sterns and do not sail well when heeled way over


and generally go slower when doing so—and the best way to reduce heel is to reduce sail area. The basic procedure is the same


for reefing both mainsails and jibs – unload the sail, furl or shorten the sail, re-tension the halyard or furling line, reload the sail and, lastly, fine tune the trim. One important point – reefing when on a broad reach or sailing down wind is all but impossible in a blow. It is best to come up to something above a beam reach, preferably a close reach or close hauled to reef. The following procedures are


designed to be used while continuing to sail. If you are reefing the mailsail it should be possible to continue on your present up-wind course. If you are furling the jib it may be necessary to fall off about ten degrees as mainsails usually don’t point as well as a jib. But before we get to the details, one thought on safety; remember to put on your PFD’s before reefing. Chances are good you will need to do something outside cockpit and in windy conditions doing so without a PFD is only unwise. Reefing the Jib: Most of today’s


cruising boats have roller furling jibs. To reef them one needs only furl the sail part way and re-secure the furling line. Sounds easy right? Well, in a blow this can be a challenge. The first thing to do is get prepared.


This diagram shows a common reefing system using two lines. Lines can cleat on the boom and mast or be run back to the cockpit. Courtesy www.Harken.com


Having one person on the jib sheets and one on the furling line helps but is not critical. If you do have two people, put the stronger person on the furling line. When ready, release the jib sheet. If the winds are blowing hard do not keep any tension on the sheet, doing so will keep wind in the sail and make furling impossible. The sail is going to flap, just let it do so. If you have line- controlled jib cars, move the car all the way forward (this minimizes the sheet slap and will likely be needed for the reduced sail anyway). Also, don’t forget to move the car on the other side of the boat forward. As soon as the sheet is free the


person on the furling line should start to furl the sail. But strong winds can make pulling the furling line by hand


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