MacGregorSailors.com

Anybody have a demo of reefing a stock M-sail?

No, I don't, but I have a demo of going straight back to my slip to take a nap if conditions warranted reefing

Rick Less

I don't have a video...yet. It is on my "to do" list for when I get back.

But here are a couple of pics if that helps at all.







These were all taken Dec 31 2008 by JCasale in the St. John's River in Jacksonville, FL. I did not get the halyard tied off properly and the luff got a little loose on me but since we were going well I didn't bother to tighten it back up that day...so please excuse the ugliness. Didn't hinder the sailing though IMHO. I find reefing first but leaving the full 150% Genoa works for me. Then once I start heeling too much I furl in the Genoa.

I have the single line "Jiffy Reef" system that is led back to the forward/port side of the cockpit. Makes it quite easy to do single-handed which is the way I sail most of the time now. If the winds are up I reef from the get go before I even raise the main for the first time. My technique if reefing while I am out on the water and in the wind:

1) Heave to -- works great (helm locked hard over by the S1 Wheel Pilot engaged but off)
2) Slide forward on the starboard side of the cockpit and loosen the halyard (mark on my halyard for approximate halyard position while reefed)
3) Switch over to Port side and start pulling on the reefing line. With halyard loose the main will fall on it's sail slides. Reefing line will pull the tack down tight then keep pulling as the clew comes down to the boom. I pull it as tight as I can possibly get it. Then secure the reefing line on cleat at the front of the cockpit.
4) Loosen the vang by leaning up on the sliding hatch (this line is not led back)
5) Switch back over to starboard side and pull the halyard to get the luff tight again. Secure the halyard on cleat at front of cockpit.
6) Pop the Genoa sheet to "Un"-heave to.
7) Adjust main and genoa sheets as necessary. Off I go.

I will shoot a video next time I am out...but that won't be until late Summer.

Cheers,
Jim

P.S. I bought my boat in Tarpon Springs. The PO lives on Lake Tarpon and kept the boat on his dock behind his house.

Wow, nice pix! Thanks for doing that!
Reefing is my biggest headache, especially singlehanded.
I'd love to figure out how to reef the front of my main on my X without going forward.
I have 4 slugs above the gate. Without a plate to prevent the slugs falling out of the gate I don't see how I could reef by pulling lines.
But if someone has a mod that permits that a picture is worth a thousand words!

Reefing under way is best done with the boat is hove-to. I'm sure there are posts on this maneuver.

argonaut wrote: I'd love to figure out how to reef the front of my main on my X without going forward.
I have 4 slugs above the gate. Without a plate to prevent the slugs falling out of the gate I don't see how I could reef by pulling lines.
But if someone has a mod that permits that a picture is worth a thousand words!

Not quite sure what you mean. All my slugs are above the gate. The "Slug Stopper" is also about 1/2" above the gate. When I reef the bottom several slugs (don't know the exact number) are pulled down and stack up on top of the slug stopper. No slugs fall out of the gate...that is what the slug stopper is for. But, because of this the reefing tack is probably 3" (give or take...just a guess) higher than it would be if I wasn't using slugs. But so what...doesn't really affect anything.

And once the tack is down as far as it goes I continue to pull hard on the reefing line to get the clew to go down as far as I can get it. Does it go all the way down and sit on top of the boom...not normally. Probably could get it that low if I reefed with no wind blowing and I could reach up and assist with hands. But once again...so what. It works just fine even if the clew is a couple of inches higher than it has to be.

And if this amount of reefing and the possibility of a slightly baggy sail shape due to clew not being as low as possible then it is time to lower the sails all the way and motor back in.

And, by the way, the lower part of my sail is caught and held in place by the lazy jacks. I have never inserted any tie downs in the holes going through the small reefing grommets. But I guess if I was planning on a long sailing trip where reefing might be likely I would probably insert some and use them. I imagine it would be difficult to get access to these if single-handing and you were out trying to do this in strong winds...I have never tried.

And as some have done, the reefing system can be installed so that the as you pull on the reefing line the line first goes through the clew and then the tack. This will help get the clew down lower improving sail flatness/shape when reefed.

There are many ways to "skin this cat"...lots of threads on reefing systems and techniques.

Good Luck,
Jim

Thanks for the replies

I thought I would give my personal reefing experience. It is still a work in progress, but I was in need of improvement in my reefing.

Jim above has described the best method with lines led aft. It will cost you some dough for blocks, cleats and lines.

However, I came up with a $17 half-way solution.

A few days ago in 10 to 15, I was alone and practicing in a wide channel. My reefing was a disaster as it always was. I managed to get it done but sloppy and 3 to 4 minutes before it was complete. That included chasing reefing lines that I am too embarressed to explain where I had them. They flapped in the breeze as I grabbed for them.....

After studying this forum and books at the library, I made a list of all the things I needed. I liked what this website had to say http://tritonclass.org/articles/linesaft/reef.html

When I took my sketch to WM and priced it all out including lines I was about $200. I said to the WM rep I would think about it.

I went back to the boat and did think about it and practice various things until I came up with the solution I will describe here. I used a spare $17 Swivel Block and some spare line as my sole investment in reefing.

Here is my procedure, refering to the pictures below.

1. Luff mainsail and TIGHTEN TOPPING LIFT. If you don't have your topping lift on, the boom will fall on your head. Ask why I know this.... Also, loosen boom vang.
2. Release mainsail from cockpit cam cleat to premarked position (magic marker on main halyard.)
3. Use downhaul to help bring down main to premarked reef position. (Downhaul is just a line connected at the head of the mainsail right where the main halyard is connected and then run down the mast to a block and then to the cockpit.)
4. So far, I have not left the cockpit.
5. Carefully go to the mast and hook short line in the reefing tack eyelet to the rams horn hook at mast near where boom connects to gooseneck.
6. Haul the reefing line that is routed from the reefing clew eyelet, around a Harken block slightly aft of the eyelet on the boom (hooked the swivel to the mainsheet bail) thru the boom vang bail, using it as a fairlead.
7. When tight, run reef line under same rams horn and then cleat it off on the mast cleat above it.
8. Back to cockpit, raise mainsail tightly.
9. Tighten mainsheet, adjust topping lift, and sail away under reefed main. You can tie the reefing lines that secure the loose mainsail to the boom if you want to look neat, but you can do it when you have the chance. The boat will sail safely without tying these lines, but the loose sail may billow a bit at the boom and look bad.

suggestions welcome.

Under calm conditions at anchor I can now do the whole thing in 30 seconds. On the water sailing it takes about a minute. I still need practice. And I have caught the reefing line in the works, stopping my raising the main fully when I want to go to full main sail, so I need to practice some more with that, but I did figure out to put a stopper knot in the reefing line at the mast and run it thru the mast cleat hole so it won't come loose and flap around when uncleated

My thought on the reefing matter goes like this. It is a skill you need to have. Before you go out you should be confident you can put in a reef. I have spoken to mac sailors who have had their Macs for many years and never reefed, not even once. I agree with Rick, but only if you want to go back in and quit sailing, the weather is predicted to go no higher than 20kts, and it is not an oncoming storm that is causing the higher winds but just a brisk sea or land breeze, and, of course have a working engine.

Why reef?

For one reason, if your motor ever fails in brisk winds, then you may be overpoweed coming back with a full mainsail. You could go to only a foresail, but what if you don't have it or can't use it? Isn't that reason enough for your safety to learn reefing?

And, secondly, I have had many hours of great sheltered water sailing in 15 to 20 kts in bays and sounds and channels where I was the only sailboat out there and a few times in the open ocean. With the mainsail reefed, I could confidently sail, tack and gybe without leaning too much because of overpowering. And I always put out a little foresail to help in tacking.

that's my 2 cents...

Aren't you missing the first step in reefing while under sail? Heave to.

Phil M

Hove-to reefing doesn't work for me since I do not have lazyjacks and without them, upon releasing halyard, my sail gets caught in the spreaders if there is pressure in it as would be under hove-to. Perhaps with a different boat that does not use swept-back spreaders the heaving-to function would work better for reefing. Let me know if I am wrong...

On edit, 2011, with practice, I can now reef after a hove-to. I need to pul down the main gently with my hands, but it comes down OK and I can reef. Thanks for advice.

While you are sailing in open water you reef without heaving to? I've never tried doing a reef without heaving to, unless the wind was still light and I was preparing for stronger wind that has not happened yet. I don't like heaving to and then reefing while out in the open, but sometimes the wind just builds up too much and the gets hard to handle. It scares the crew to see the gunwales in the water.

Phil M