If you stay around the list long enough you'll hear people refer to "dog bones" in the reef cringles. They are short pieces nylon webbing passing through the sail grommet at each of the reef points along the sail luff. On each end is a SS ring. The rings keep the dog bones captive. The length of the bones is designed so as to accommodate the stack height of the sail slugs in the mast - shorter bone for the first reef and progressively lo ger for the second and third. A sail maker can make the bones for you the next time the sail is in for service. Alternatively you can make them yourself out of some amsteel or other small stuff. If you have a cunningham you can even arrange them so that one ring hooks on the horn and the other is positioned to be hooked by the cunningham. When going for the reef I've found it very effective to turn off the wind but not down wind. Maybe 60° to 90°. Release the traveler all the way so that the main luffs straight back in line with the boom. Simultaneously ease the halyard and take in the reefing line. It helps to have the halyard premarked so you know that you have lowered it enough. Once down, hook the dog bone. Harden the halyard and then the reef line. Remember to ease the mainsheet and vang too so that the boom can rise up to the new clew. Once it is all hardened up then you can lash the sail as needed and come back up to the wind.
Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Tue, Jun 18, 2019, 6:11 PM Shawn Wright via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > This sounds like an interesting tactic, so I will try it next time things > pick up. In this case, my wife was getting a bit uncomfortable, we were > already 8 hours into an 11 hour sail, and the weather forecast I was > working on was 12 hours old, so I couldn't be sure if it would get worse or > not. It's still blowing 30-35 today, although it didn't go over 40 last > night. Fortunately, 15-25 seems pretty common so it won't be long before > we'll have a chance to practice in more moderate winds and a plan in place. > I also like Fred's idea of skipping the first reef point, so maybe I will > try that. I'd also like to see if I can switch to a single line reef > without adding too much complexity. The rams horns are small an not very > effective, so I ended up just lashing the reef point with a line at the > gooseneck. > > I was actually quite surprised how much control I had with just one reef > on the main, but that could be due to keeping the engine in gear (I wasn't > taking any chances as we had to transit several tricky channels with lots > of current), and to my shorter footed main, which is about 16" short of the > boom end when unreefed. I suppose it may have come from another boat; the > sail and cover are made by Lee Sails. > > Back to the boat tomorrow to try a few things... thanks! > -- > Shawn Wright > shawngwri...@gmail.com > S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 > https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto > > > On Tue, Jun 18, 2019 at 1:42 PM Bill Coleman via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > >> When it would pipe up around 20, I would feather the main in the lee of >> the jib, and drop it, the lazy jacks would hold it pretty much in place, >> get the sail ties on and keep going. That is if you have a 130 or better – >> >> I have won races doing that. >> >> >> >> >> >> Bill Coleman >> >> Erie PA >> >> *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of *Marek >> Dziedzic via CnC-List >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 18, 2019 2:48 PM >> *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com >> *Cc:* Marek Dziedzic >> *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Heavy weather sail trim >> >> >> >> +1 on that >> >> >> >> Marek >> >> 1994 C270 Legato >> Ottawa, ON >> >> >> >> *From:* Frederick G Street via CnC-List >> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 18, 2019 14:37 >> >> *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com >> >> *Cc:* Frederick G Street >> >> *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Heavy weather sail trim >> >> >> >> I may be a bit lazy, as I’m a cruiser and not a racer; or maybe it’s just >> the way the reef points are set up on my main. But I don’t even reeve the >> first main any more. If things pick up, I go straight to the second reef. >> Less fiddling, and I’ve never missed the sail area between the first and >> second reef. The headsail tends to be the primary driver on our boats, >> anyway. >> >> >> >> — Fred >> >> >> Fred Street -- Minneapolis >> S/V *Oceanis* (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- Bayfield, WI >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each >> and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - >> use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >> >> _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > >
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