impossible. So you may need to put it on a winch. But operate the winch carefully – watch to see nothing jams, that the drum is turning, etc. If the winch becomes hard to turn, stop and figure out why. If you are completely furling the


jib, watch the line on the drum to be sure it has not run out. When furling in heavy air the sail wraps very tight and therefore requires more turns to furl. I have had the drum run out of line before I was able to get the sail completely furled. Once the jib is furled to the desired


size the furling line will need to be secured. Normally the furling line has no tension on it but now it will have a lot of tension, so secure it well. Once the furling line is secure the sheet can be re-tensioned. Fine tuning can be done by adjusting the jib car on the windward side and tacking. Boats without furler reefing usually


require a change of sail, and in rough seas this comes with its own set of issues. Should you need to go forward, use a harness and jack lines. Reefing a Traditional Mainsail:


Again, the basics are the same. So, start by unloading the sail; usually by traveling down and loosening the sheet a bit. What you want to see is a big bubble in the luff of the sail. This unloads the area where the main is attached to the mast so the sail can be lowered. The leach can still have some wind on it, this will help hold the sail steady and keep it from beating itself to death. If the winch with the mainsheet on it will be needed to work the reefing line or halyard, cleat the sheet and remove it from the winch. Next, put the reefing line on its


winch. Then uncleat the halyard and start to lower the sail. This can usually be done by hand as there will be no load on the top of the sail. At the same time, start to take in the reefing line. Continue this process until the reefing line is tight. On most boats the reefing line becomes the new outhaul, so cinch it up fairly tight. Some reefing systems put a hook near the gooseneck where the new tack needs to be attached. On boats with single-line reefing, both the clew and tack are handled by the one reefing line. Once the reefing line is tight and secured, take it off the winch. Next,


the halyard should be put on a winch and re-tensioned. The sail can then be reloaded by putting the sheet back on the winch and tightening. The traveler can now be brought back to windward. And, as with the jib, the final step is to fine tune the sail. Although, in strong winds this may be pointless. One side note, when unreefing a


traditional mainsail, it will generally be necessary to go up to the mast and manually loosen the reefing line. This is because friction on all the sheaves makes raising the sail difficult, if not impossible. Reefing an In-Mast Furling


Mainsail: The first couple steps are identical to a standard main – unload the sail and, if the winch the sheet is on will be needed, secure and remove the sheet. But at this point things become different. The halyard will be left tight as the sail is “shortened” by furling it part way. So, instead of loosening the halyard, loosen the outhaul. And instead of pulling on the reefing line, pull on the furling line. This may be difficult to do in a


blow (same as the jib) and may require the use of a winch. Again, operate the


winch with care, do not fight it. If it suddenly becomes tight, stop and find out why, as this should not happen. One of the advantages of in-mast


furling is the ability to reef to any desired size of sail. There are no pre- defined reef points so you will need to pick your own place to stop furling. Then secure the furling line, as with the jib this line normally has no load on it and now it will. Once the furling line is secure, put the outhaul on a winch and re-tension it. The last steps of reloading the sail


and fine tuning it are the same as the standard main. As you can see reefing can be a bit


of a process, but the end result is a more comfortable and safer sail. If you have not done so, please practice these steps in moderate winds. Waiting until you are in the middle of a squall is not the right place to set your first reef.


Mike Huston teaches sailing for San Juan Sailing in Bellingham, WA. He has been sailing for over 40 years, many of them spent racing. He and his wife own a Jeanneau 43DS, “Illuminé.”


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seventhwavemarine@olypen.com 48° NORTH, NOVEMBER 2011 PAGE 31


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