While I've been sailing for many, many years, my larger boat experience has almost always been in the pleasant company of friends or spouse acting as active crew. I'm now starting to enjoy the pleasure of singlehanding, and have come upon a new challenge. How does one go about reefing the main (slab/jiffy reefing) when the wind pipes up (18Kt apparent)? I have reefed with crew many times, and am more than comfortable with the process. I just haven't figured out how to be in two places at once! My halyard is at the mast, my old Autohelm 3000 isn't quite up to keeping the bow just off the wind, and I prefer to not let my brand new sails flog in the breeze by heading directly up into the wind while I run forward to drop the rag a bit. Any suggestions?
Steve Alarcon
CD36 Tenacity
Seattle
alarcon3@prodigy.net
singlehanded reefing
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Neil Gordon
Re: singlehanded reefing
Try backing the jib and heaving to, lashing the helm to leeward. The boat will settle down and the eased main will be in the lee of the jib.
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
neil@nrgordon.com
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Bill Starck
Re: singlehanded reefing
Steve,
I also have a CD36 with an Autohelm 3000. I agree the 3000 series is a little too small to keep the boat into the wind when there is enough wind to require reefing.
I am thinking about bringing my main halyard aft to the cockpit as well as the reefing lines for the main. I have to add blocks to the cabin top and rope clutches in the cockpit. My concern is weather to run a single line for the reefing or seperate lines for the tack and clew. Since I have 2 reef points on the main, seperate lines would mean 4 lines back to the cockpit plus the halyard. I don't know if single line reefing would put too much strain on the sail or have too much friction to be effective. I plan to do a dry run with a temporary setup with single line reefing from the cockpit.
On my former boat, a CD30, all main sail work, (raising, lowering, reefing) could be done from the cockpit and it worked great. I had no problem singlehanded. The CD30 also had a Autohelm 4000 which also made life easier in a blow.
Bill Starck
CD36, Mistral
Swansea, MA
wstarck@attbi.com
I also have a CD36 with an Autohelm 3000. I agree the 3000 series is a little too small to keep the boat into the wind when there is enough wind to require reefing.
I am thinking about bringing my main halyard aft to the cockpit as well as the reefing lines for the main. I have to add blocks to the cabin top and rope clutches in the cockpit. My concern is weather to run a single line for the reefing or seperate lines for the tack and clew. Since I have 2 reef points on the main, seperate lines would mean 4 lines back to the cockpit plus the halyard. I don't know if single line reefing would put too much strain on the sail or have too much friction to be effective. I plan to do a dry run with a temporary setup with single line reefing from the cockpit.
On my former boat, a CD30, all main sail work, (raising, lowering, reefing) could be done from the cockpit and it worked great. I had no problem singlehanded. The CD30 also had a Autohelm 4000 which also made life easier in a blow.
Bill Starck
CD36, Mistral
Swansea, MA
wstarck@attbi.com