I was out sailing a couple of weeks ago and the wind rapidly changed from a consistent 4-5 knots from the NW to a violent & gusty 20 knots from the SW in a matter of only a few minutes. Waves, whitecaps, excessive healing....all made for an exciting if not panicky few minutes. I quickly turned her into the wind and furled in the genoa while we made ready to reef the mainsail. I have a jiffy reefing set up however things did not go exactly as planned....I don't have to reef very often and this was the first time this summer so it isn't practiced a lot and with this blow we had no early warning. The weather channel had not even predicted it, so planning ahead didn't really work. Meanwhile back at the crisis at hand....I asked my wife to take the helm and try to hold her into the wind while I began attempting to reef the mainsail. I took the tension off the main halyard and began to lower the sail as I grabbed the jiffy reef line with my other hand. The boat violently shaking and beginning to turn with the wind. The boom now dropping down the mast and resting against the down-haul cleat. There was no way to complete the reef at this point. I could only do one of two things; raise the mainsail back up or drop it completely and begin motoring back to safety (approximately 40 mins away). I chose the latter and we arrived back at the slip safe but shaken by how violent those few minutes were and how fortunate that neither of us were injured or the boat damaged. So, the root of my question is this: What went wrong? How do I prevent the boom from dropping into the cockpit during a reef? Something has fundamentally changed in my set up from the last time I had to do this under similar conditions but I don't know what that is? I have a pigtail topping lift that I could have applied prior to dropping the main halyard but that prevents the boom from moving more than about 1' from mid-ship to port or starboard. That would have been risky because the gusty winds could catch us during the maneuver and potentially knock us down. Going forward and messing with the down-haul seems risky....What is the proper sequence? What should I have done differently. I appreciate your years of experience and wisdom...Thanks for your comments.
Jiffy Reefing
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Pretty darned exciting!
I keep a stop under the boom on the mast to prevent the forward part of the boom from dropping, but when you're loosening the main halyard, that can drop the aft end of the boom.
Have you much experience in heaving to? I'll just let my boom drop off to the side of the boat with the mainsail in irons, harden the aft reefing line (it's led back to the cockpit, right next to the main halyard).
I then go forward to the mast to hook the reefing grommet, then retension the halyard. In a perfect world, this could all be done from the cockpit.
Is your jiffy-reefing line led back to the cockpit?
Got any photos of your set-up?
I keep a stop under the boom on the mast to prevent the forward part of the boom from dropping, but when you're loosening the main halyard, that can drop the aft end of the boom.
Have you much experience in heaving to? I'll just let my boom drop off to the side of the boat with the mainsail in irons, harden the aft reefing line (it's led back to the cockpit, right next to the main halyard).
I then go forward to the mast to hook the reefing grommet, then retension the halyard. In a perfect world, this could all be done from the cockpit.
Is your jiffy-reefing line led back to the cockpit?
Got any photos of your set-up?
You have it right Justsome guy. Heaving to is the answer to reefing under sail. I also have a topping lift on my boom so it does not drop into the cockpit. Fogram practice heaving to so that this won't happen again. You maintain headway for steerage and the tiller can be tied over so that stuff can get done safely even if solo sailing. Also if it is just a short squall a heave to can allow you to ride it out comfortably without having to get things done in a panic.
I have single line reefing led back to the cockpit so I don't have to leave my cozy haven to reef. Just heave to, loosen the main halyard, pull in the reefing line and retension the halyard...good to go.
John
I have single line reefing led back to the cockpit so I don't have to leave my cozy haven to reef. Just heave to, loosen the main halyard, pull in the reefing line and retension the halyard...good to go.
John
Sounds to me like you need a topping lift, which would hold the boom up when you drop the main. We added this on our old 25, because the boom would drop into the cockpit when I dropped the main. There was a hook and line to clipt the boom to the rear stay which was OK while headed straight into the wind, but not worth a hoot if you need to reef suddenly.
Definitely look into a topping lift...it makes life easier all the way around.
Definitely look into a topping lift...it makes life easier all the way around.
My opinion is you should not have rolled up the headsail first..... you should sail on a close reach, then release the mainsheet to luff the mainsail while sailing with jib only... then you can reef the main while the boat stays on course.
The boom should be locked in place if you're using a reefing "horn". You can purchase a product called a track stop to accomplish this. Then mark the halyard to match the reef cringle's location with the horn.
The other method is to employ a forward reefing tackline. It is secured on one side of the mast, run up through the cringle then back down to a cleat on the other side of the mast. This method will pull the new reef tack cringle down and forward.
Here's a video to give you some inspiration.... the equipment is not exactly the same but you'll get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddyB9GwAkI8
The boom should be locked in place if you're using a reefing "horn". You can purchase a product called a track stop to accomplish this. Then mark the halyard to match the reef cringle's location with the horn.
The other method is to employ a forward reefing tackline. It is secured on one side of the mast, run up through the cringle then back down to a cleat on the other side of the mast. This method will pull the new reef tack cringle down and forward.
Here's a video to give you some inspiration.... the equipment is not exactly the same but you'll get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddyB9GwAkI8
IMHO, where I sail, on a mountain lake - the wind shifts make leaving up the head sail too dangerous for any type of heaving too or forreaching. I really believe that I have tried just about every combo of headsail size, mainsheet easing and tiller angle possible for a 'heave too' - all have failed me at one time or another because the hills around the lake mean that the wind swirls around too much. So I heave too, or whatever its called, under the main alone.
I have a hook at the tack for reefing, and a line at the clew. My reefing procedure:
1. Roll up the head sail, all the way.
2. Uncleat the boom downhaul and ease the vang some so the boom will slide up and down.
3. Heave too/ forreach on the main alone, mainsheet eased and tiller set via the tiller tamer to keep the boat close to the wind.
4. Lower the halyard, the boom droops off past the beam some.
5. Hop up on the cabin top, push the boom up and hook in the reef tack.
6. Tighten and cleat off the clew reefing line.
7. Raise the main halyard some if I eased it too much. I have a line clutch which makes this easy and fast.
8. Tension and cleat the boom downhaul (I don't have a halyard winch, so the downhaul is how I obtain luff tension).
9. Tension and cleat the vang down hard.
10. Roll out as much head sail as I want and enjoy the wind :dance:.
In writing it seems like a lot to do - but with practice it becomes a very easy procedure. No matter what procedure or reefing system you have, as long as it a good one, practice is very important, maybe something many of us have learned a bit the hard way
. As is the ability to do it smoothly single-handed.OC
Interesting differences of opinion. If your headsail is 110 or smaller you can heave to. That's what we used to do on SF Bay. Anything bigger will result in a turn around.
Here's a page from Pat Royce's Sailing Illustrated, showing what you should do an a C22!
Great book for a boat your size.
Here's a page from Pat Royce's Sailing Illustrated, showing what you should do an a C22!
Great book for a boat your size.
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"How do I prevent the boom from dropping into the cockpit during a reef? Something has fundamentally changed in my set up from the last time I had to do this under similar conditions but I don't know what that is? I have a pigtail topping lift that I could have applied prior to dropping the main halyard but that prevents the boom from moving more than about 1' from mid-ship to port or starboard."
2 things. The topping lift and the little stopper thingie that slides up under the boom in the sail track. The topping lift should certainly not prevent the boom's mobility side to side any more then the sail would. It's run from the top of the mast and will swing with the boom. A lot of people just leave it attached loosely every time they sail. The stopper in the sail track will keep the fore end of the boom from sliding down, and potentially out the gate in the track. With these 2 things in place and a few practice runs at the beginning of the season, reefing should be a fairly smooth operation. By the way, in my opinion (for what that's worth) you did the exact right thing by dropping the sails and firing up the outboard. In any case when things get a little too wooly for comfort, it's always a good idea to reduce the situation to a controllable one by removing as many variables as possible. In this instance, the main not cooperating was one BIG variable and could potentially have caused the situation to escalate.
EDIT: It just occurred to me that maybe you were referring to a pigtail attached to the aft stay, in which case I stand corrected.
2 things. The topping lift and the little stopper thingie that slides up under the boom in the sail track. The topping lift should certainly not prevent the boom's mobility side to side any more then the sail would. It's run from the top of the mast and will swing with the boom. A lot of people just leave it attached loosely every time they sail. The stopper in the sail track will keep the fore end of the boom from sliding down, and potentially out the gate in the track. With these 2 things in place and a few practice runs at the beginning of the season, reefing should be a fairly smooth operation. By the way, in my opinion (for what that's worth) you did the exact right thing by dropping the sails and firing up the outboard. In any case when things get a little too wooly for comfort, it's always a good idea to reduce the situation to a controllable one by removing as many variables as possible. In this instance, the main not cooperating was one BIG variable and could potentially have caused the situation to escalate.
EDIT: It just occurred to me that maybe you were referring to a pigtail attached to the aft stay, in which case I stand corrected.
Sounds pretty serious.
First, the pigtail ISN"T the topping lift. The difference is that the pigtail restricts the boom from moving very far. Your topping lift must be a line leading from the top of the mast and not from the lower part of the backstay.
To prevent the boom from dropping into the cockpit, some use the topping lift. Some have added what's called a Boomkicker. That's a product name brand. http://www.boomkicker.com/bk_specs.html It keeps the boom up like it's on a spring pole. Having the boom drop into the cockpit with an unfurled mainsail can cause some serious issues if the helm isn't controlling the boats direction. The boom could have hurt someone if the wind caught the loose mainsail like in a jibe. It may be that the only way that your wife could have maintained the heading is to A) power up the outboard. or B) To sail close hauled with some sort of sail up.
This brings me to what I would probably have done.
Dropped the main and the Genoa. That biggie-sized head sail may have been too large for you or your wife to manage while you were trying to reef the main.
I probably would have raised a 110 jib and tried sailing on the foresail alone. For me, this means to go forward and change sails. If you have roller furling Genoa then you have the advantage of not having to go forward to shrink that head sail down considerably.
Then IF I felt comfortable, I'd jiffy reef the main and then try to raise it heading into the wind or close hauled ....of course. I have my wife on the helm also and I have tried to explain that the windex should point just about to the bow before I can raise the main and that the pigtail should never be attached to the boom when the main sail is up.
But if you are at all concerned about getting over your head with control in higher winds, sailing with a smaller head sail alone is a safer bet than assuming that you need any main (reefed or full.)
A good suggestion might be to experiment with your setup under less severe conditions. Take the boat out on a nice 8-10kt day and sail for some time with the Genoa or jib alone. Then work out your reefing procedure with 8 kt winds rather than 20kt. conditions. Another thing to consider is a "man-overboard" drill. Throw some floating object overboard (Like an empty plastic milk jug) and see if your helmsman can safely get the boat tuned around and back to that object.
Practice is number one!
The downhaul cleat that slides up and down in the mast sailtrack is your stop if you adjust it up to point where you want the bottom of the boom to be at it’s lowest point ever.
As the others have suggested, a topping lift, this is the simplest and inexpensive item to add to your boat that you’ll receive the most benefit from.
Now, the situation you found yourself in. The old saying is “When you think it’s time to reef, you’re already to late!” When the boat is shaking like you describe then things happen very quickly so you must act very quickly also, so practice is the answer your seeking.
You said, “I quickly turned her into the wind and furled in the genoa while we made ready to reef the mainsail.” When you dropped the main halyard you lost all control of the boat, a little headsail or as others have suggested, use the the motor to keep the bow pointing into the wind, this will give you time to study your problems with the mainsail reefing.
Mainsail reefing happens on the boom and raising the halyard is the final step. Even if the boom is laying in the cockpit as you described, all of the reefing required on the boom can be accomplished with the boom in this position. Now, with the wind flogging the mainsail and the halyard dropped the reefing lines will also be flopping around and can become entangled at the boom reefing points. This will also happen with a topping lift keeping the end of the boom out of the cockpit! I sail a lot in larger boats on the Chesapeake Bay and when I have to reef someone always has to double check the end of the boom to make sure the reefing line has pulled the leach down tight to the back of the boom, a marking on this line would tell me where this point is while standing at the mast or in the cockpit under a bimini.
After getting the two reefing points on the boom secured, raising the halyard will lift the boom out of the cockpit.
Right now, raise the downhaul cleat, mark the reefing line, and practice!
The downhaul cleat that slides up and down in the mast sailtrack is your stop if you adjust it up to point where you want the bottom of the boom to be at it’s lowest point ever.
As the others have suggested, a topping lift, this is the simplest and inexpensive item to add to your boat that you’ll receive the most benefit from.
Now, the situation you found yourself in. The old saying is “When you think it’s time to reef, you’re already to late!” When the boat is shaking like you describe then things happen very quickly so you must act very quickly also, so practice is the answer your seeking.
You said, “I quickly turned her into the wind and furled in the genoa while we made ready to reef the mainsail.” When you dropped the main halyard you lost all control of the boat, a little headsail or as others have suggested, use the the motor to keep the bow pointing into the wind, this will give you time to study your problems with the mainsail reefing.
Mainsail reefing happens on the boom and raising the halyard is the final step. Even if the boom is laying in the cockpit as you described, all of the reefing required on the boom can be accomplished with the boom in this position. Now, with the wind flogging the mainsail and the halyard dropped the reefing lines will also be flopping around and can become entangled at the boom reefing points. This will also happen with a topping lift keeping the end of the boom out of the cockpit! I sail a lot in larger boats on the Chesapeake Bay and when I have to reef someone always has to double check the end of the boom to make sure the reefing line has pulled the leach down tight to the back of the boom, a marking on this line would tell me where this point is while standing at the mast or in the cockpit under a bimini.
After getting the two reefing points on the boom secured, raising the halyard will lift the boom out of the cockpit.
Right now, raise the downhaul cleat, mark the reefing line, and practice!
On my C22 mast I had a mast stop that I tensioned in the mast slot just under the boom to prevent it from sliding when the main halyard was released.
Just as important was a line cleat that was mounted in the mast slot that was just below the boom bottom stop lock.. A 1/4 inch line was mounted to the bottom of the boom gooseneck and secured to that slot cleat. This prevented the boom from being pulled up when the mainsail halyard was tensioned upward.
Now the forward end of the boom is secured and only the rear can be raised or lowered. With a topping lift the rear of the boom can be supported and both ends of the reefing proceedure is performed. A "ram's horn" at the gooseneck greatly speeds up securing the mainsail tack.
Ray
Just as important was a line cleat that was mounted in the mast slot that was just below the boom bottom stop lock.. A 1/4 inch line was mounted to the bottom of the boom gooseneck and secured to that slot cleat. This prevented the boom from being pulled up when the mainsail halyard was tensioned upward.
Now the forward end of the boom is secured and only the rear can be raised or lowered. With a topping lift the rear of the boom can be supported and both ends of the reefing proceedure is performed. A "ram's horn" at the gooseneck greatly speeds up securing the mainsail tack.
Ray
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