reefing hook & thingamajig

[Gary T. L.]

Had a great day on our maiden voyage to Stockton Lake, MO. For Ken S. and Bill W. and anyone else thinking of visiting Stockton; the area is low hills, lots of wind, an Island and plenty of coves. Went out of the Stockton boat launch - $2.00 launch fee!!As there was plenty of wind I learned what Weather Helm was! Being out on the water I did not want to take on reefing because 1) Crew & Captain are novices 2) Couldn't seem to get that hook thing on once everything else was attached - boom, main sail etc.Other than the obvious - put the hook in before boom on!! Is there a front / back to the hook? When reefing do you just insert one side of the hook into the kringle at reef point - does it matter which side? After dropping the mainsail to the reef point do you normally put the L shaped thingamajig back in the sail track, or in your pocket?Thanks again in advance.Gary

 

[Greg Stebbins]

I think.....

Gary,Hook should go forward (Toward mast). Pick a side, both work. And it's a good idea to put the stop back in.Greg

 

[Kevin Rudeen]

Ram's horn

Hi,Welcome to inland lake sailing! Glad the experience was a positive one! As you attach the boom on the 23.5, be sure the rams horn is in the UP position, so that the reef points can be held through the hook in the rams horn (maybe you figured that out!). I presume if your 23.5 is like mine, you have it rigged up so that it can be 'jiffy' reefed. I also have a 'lanyard' attached to the 'L-shaped' thing so that it doesn't get away. In fact, once the sail is attached to the mast, I never remove the stopper. Wouldn't want the slides to come out when the sail is lowered.Should you decide to venture to another Missouri sailing lake, come on up to MTL near Hannibal. Even Ken S brings his 23.5 over from Kansas to visit and sail. You'll have to join us!Kevin

 

[Jeff]

Reefing

Gary, sure glad the first trip out was a positive one. The Ram's Horn on my H26 spent the first few months upside down. It was a nifty place to hang extra halyards. One day I needed to reef and read the book. Hope nobody noticed. Over the years I've learned on days it seems more breezy than normal we put a reef in at the dock. It's easy to take out on the lake if need be. We sail just outside of Saint Louis at Carlyle Lake. Great winds here if your in the neighborhood. This lake is about 20,000 acres. As Kevin suggests Mark Twain Lake is also a great place to sail."Festivity"H26 1996

 

[Al Sandrik]

Reefing is best done at the dock!

I tried reefing on the St. Johns River last week and was single handed at the time. Needless to say a single handed person trying to keep the boat into a 20 knot wind and get a reef in was just not going to happen. I wound up dousing the jib and running back to the marina. If you have any doubts, reef the sail at the dock and shake it out if it turns out that you don't need it.