Drunken Sail[maker]?

[s2sailorlis]

I have 2 mainsails for my CD22. My “good” sail I use this time of the year as prevailing winds on LIS are under 10-12 knots generally. In the fall, when the breeze picks up, I use my “older” sail that I normally reef. Both sails came with the boat from the PO.

This year winds her have been pretty good generally with a few days around 12-13 gusting to 18-20. In these conditions, singlehanded, I reef to keep things in order and keep my arms from doing a muscle beach workout...due to the extreme weather helm...

When I tried to reef the sail set seemed awkward. See picture..it seems the cringle for the reefed tack is much lower than the reefed clew. To get proper foot placement along the boom and, the boom end has to be at an extreme upward angle. My older sail sets level so the boom end isn’t pointing up to the sky....my 2 previous boats reef with a level boom, not some crazy upward angle like I’m launching an ICBM off the stern.

How could a credible sailmaker do something like this...?

[Jim Walsh]

The angled reef was a feature used on some of the old gaffers which had main booms extending well beyond the transom. This kept the end of the boom from being caught by a wave when reaching in storm tossed seas. When the vessel would heel the angled boom would normally not dip into a sea and be subject to the wrenching effect of the weight of the water.
Why a sailmaker would have constructed your mainsail in this manner is anyone’s guess. Pretty weird.

[Steve Laume]

That is just wrong.

Since you have a spare main, why not take it to a sailmaker and have them put in a proper set of reef points? This would be fairly reasonable and if there is some life left in the sail, it would serve you well for a long time. Once in the sail loft, they could also look it over and do any stitching that seems necessary, Steve.

[s2sailorlis]

That’s the plan, just got back from marina and swapped mains. The older one is from an outfit called Vector Sails in Chicago. Must be at least 25-30 years old...

Have to find a new sail guy down here in Fairfield county but maybe worth checking some lofts in eastern Connecticut...

Amazing the PO didn’t realize this. It was made by Shore Sails in Norwalk...now part of Quantum I think. Certainly not going there for the work.

[tjr818]

I believe that the Vector sail is the original sail, that is the brand that was on our 1980 27 when we bought her.