Reefing a Catalina 30 "Tall Rig"

[~Thomas~]

I just purchased a beautiful 1976 Catalina 30 Tall Rig and am not sure at what wind speed to think about reefing the main. The Jenny is a 130 on roller furling that is hanked on. Any help would be much appreciated.

Depends on sea state and what I am doing. It's a new main and not too deep and drafty, so I can keep it flat or twist it off if things pipe up.

Think about it at 15 and likely do it by 20. Have a 155 genoa, so that is where the real choking in is occurring, till I go to second reef? If I am still out there.

 

[Twice Around]

Steve, when I was a kid, my old man would reef when we were heeled over 30 degrees. Since the older C-30's (especially the STD rig) were a little heavy on the helm, reefing and keeping up the big genoa balanced things nicely.

I am a little more conservative these days..I reef when I want the boat to be a little more stable, so it depends on the sea state & wind & where I am. In flat water (breezy protected river) you may be able to reef a little earlier since you don't need the power to punch thru big seas. In big waves on the Bay, you may need to sail a little 'overpowered' to keep the boat moving thru the waves.

The old rule of thumb is, when you think it is time to reef, you probably should have done it about 20 minutes ago!