I never want to reef with the wind coming in over the stern...In fact I think that would be a very hard way to do it
-----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Martin DeYoung Sent: February 6, 2014 7:58 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Re- heaving to > ... I have seldom ever wanted to reef with the wind aft ... On a delivery of a 56' modern fast cruiser (carbon mast/boom etc.) from Seattle to San Francisco we had 20 hours of fast downwind sailing with winds in the 35 to 45 range with seas to match. All four aboard were experience racers and offshore sailors (the owner had seen 250K offshore miles). There was heated competition for high speed of the day while avoiding making a pile of carbon splinters. (I had held one day's speed record at 24 knots on an extended surf in the middle of a 45 knot gust.) The sail plan for those conditions was 1 or 2 reefs and a poled out #3, sometimes partially rolled up. IIRC the boat had an Antal system on the mast with full battens. We were able to add or shake reefs downwind at will to keep the boat moving fast but within the abilities of boat and crew to handle the conditions. With larger, powerful sail plans the lower friction mainsail luff systems (Calypso has the Harken Batt cars) I consider the ability to quickly reduce sail area upwind or down is a safety and seamanship issue. I am able to singlehandedly put the first reef in Calypso's mainsail in less than 3 minutes under most conditions. I did heave to reef once while sailing singlehanded in what started as a nice 20 TWS that quickly became 30 with gusts to 35. I rolled up some of the #3, tacked without releasing the sheet. Once the boat settle in a little I was able to put in the reef (all lines at the mast) with significantly less motion on deck. I do recall thinking to myself that setting out on Calypso, singlehanded in these conditions could be my last mistake and have been more conservative since. It was not the actual sailing, it was the ability to recover from a mistake or equipment failure so close to land that was a concern. Martin Calypso 1971 C&C 43 Seattle -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of OldSteveH Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 10:08 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List Re- heaving to Steve, I have seldom ever wanted to reef with the wind aft, usually am shaking out the reef. But needing to get it back in again before changing course to windward, and then yes I would try to head up enough to get the main shaking and put in the reef. If it's that windy I'm not likely to be flying a chute, so the whole process is not complicated. Andy I get that now - nice system. I did run into a situation two years ago where my wife and I were racing (shorthanded). We had a strong quartering sea, flying our #3 and full main on a beam to broad reach. "Auto" does not do well at the helm in those conditions and we needed to get a reef in before the leeward mark. Other boats with full mains were rounding up, we were doing ok, but definitely needed that reef really soon. Because I couldn't leave the helm (my wife was a learning sailor at the time) we couldn't reef and ended up retiring from the race. In hindsight could we have hove to and put in the reef? Maybe but again it was a race, that would have lost a lot of time. Like other posters, I will be experimenting with heaving-to this summer to see how it works. Having learned to sail first by racing, I don't naturally consider heaving to or heading off my course to put in a reef, but they certainly all work, and some with less stress than others! Just don't tell my wife there's an easier way . . . ;-) When cruising I guess I suffer the curse of a racer - always trying to get the boat trimmed the best it can be and to steer the shortest course between A and B. Cheers, Steve Hood S/V Diamond Girl C&C 34 Lions Head ON _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
