Reefing Guidelines?

[Craig522]

Any suggestions on when to start reefing on a Pearson 10M? I've had her out in a little over 20 knots without reefing. It was fun (rail just touching the water) but of course not very efficient. Had to back off the traveller when the shout of "Daddy, what are you doing?!" came up from down below.But when should I throw in the 1st and 2nd reef for best performance? Thanks.

 

[Dave Goldsmith]

Reefing Guidlines

There's an old adage--If you THINK about reefing, DO IT!!As a general guideline, if heeling more than approx 15-20 degrees, you're not sailing very efficiently.

 

[Bob Lee]

Reefing

I've buried the rail once without having an inclinometer to tell me the degree of heel. Just the same, I decided to dump some sail right away. We still kept moving along at at least hull speed and all were a bit comfortable. We were on a beam reach and the wind was blowing @ 15-20knots. The day before we were in 20-25knots and took a double reef. So, to answer your question, consider your first reef somewhere around 15 knots and a second reef as needed.

 

[Craig522]

What heel angle gets a 10M into its "groove"

Thanks for the replies. Like Dave said, I could use the heel angle as well as wind speed as a reefing guide.I know every boat has a heel angle that is it's optimum for speed. My father-in-law says his Tanzer 22 will just hunkerdown at about 12 degrees and move along very well.Do you find the 10M likes to be somewhere between 10 to 15 deg when performing at its best? Of course I'll experiment on my own (when I get the knot meter fixed!) but I'm always happy to learn from others' experience.