Reefing main, heaving to

[walt]

When I am single hand sailing, I can easily raise or drop my hank on jib from the cockpit.

But the main.. is more complicated. Ive had the halyard and single line reefing lines run back for reefing the main - but just don't like the extra rigging hassle (I mostly trailer) and seems Im just never happy with how "tight" you can get things on the main trying to do it from the cockpit. Not to mention that even with the "lines aft", you still need to steer the boat.

Ive recently scrapped all the main lines "led aft" and now have a nice simple reefing system - but I need to be up at the mast to do it. I also tighten my main halyard at the mast - just works better.

Since this is for single handed sailing, Im wondering if anyone successfully puts a 26C into "heaving to" (see video) and then reef's the main while in heave to?

http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/heaving_to_wmv1.htm

I also have considered an auto pilot but the main sail reefing would be the only real need I would have for it at the moment. Ive also reefed the main at the mast in the past with just using something like a tiller tamer (holds the tiller) but if your not fast...

 

[flynfol]

Walt, If you can swing the cost of a tillerpilot, you WILL NOT regret it. I singlehand, and I installed a used ST 1000+ ($200 ebay) and you'll find more uses for it than dousing sails

Problem with heaving to in order to reef, the boom is usually out over the water. But you certainly can do it.

John

 

[timebandit]

Without the jib up and the main just pinned to the back stay and the rudder straight my boat just kinna weather vains into the wind even if the main is being lowered for reefing.

 

[walt]

Yes, I would plan to keep the jib on while reefing the main.

For reefing the main, it would be best if the main sail had no wind pressure while reefing. If the heave to mostly relies on just the jib and rudder, seems this would work. But if the heave to rely's on both the main and the jib, maybe trying to reef the main while in heave to would not work so well. Reefing while trying to maintain some lift in the main sail sounds like a big hassle?

What happens now if I am single handed is that I go out with the full main and a 100% hank on jib. Ive got a traveler, vang, outhaul, battens in the jib which all give the boat a lot of wind range (ie, don't need to reef as often).

When things get too much, I usually will just drop the jib - since its easy to do. I can handle some fairly high winds with just the full main - but.. the boat is FASTER with a reefed main and the jib up - and its better balanced - less helm. So I'm hoping to be able to reef the main (at the mast) with the the jib still up.

Auto pilot.. I will probably get one sometime, my boats DC power was sized to use one.. but at the moment, every place I sail at just does not need the auto pilot - the tacks are not long enough. I would only need it for reefing and if the heave to works, Id rather have the area in the back clear and also avoid the set up hassle of the auto pilot. Low setup hassle is a high priority for me.

 

[beamreach]

Walt, My 26c heaves to quite well with the working jib and lashed tiller as in the video. My old main has one reef and I began a line on the aft boom section on the port side, then up through the rear reef grommet, down through a cheek block on the rear starboard side of the boom, then forward to a cleat on the same side of the boom near the mast. I reef at the mast on the starboard side. It doesn't matter if the boom is over the water because everything is at the mast. My reef hook is pinned through the track in the boom in front of the pin that holds the tack of the main. I've got cleats both sides of the mast about 4 feet up from the deck. I tighten my topping lift. I let the slugs fall out as I lower the main, hook the reef tack with my reef hook, tighten the main halyard and tie it off on the starboard mast cleat. Then I pull the line from the cheek block tight and tie it off on the boom mounted cleat near the mast. I release tension on my topping lift and I'm done. I've got ties in the reef grommets and usually tie them off to make things look better. This has worked very well for me. I've got a new main coming with two sets of reef points so I'll have to add to the system.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

topping lift! yeah, that would make my reefing a lot easier..

I have to rig jiffy reef lines before I go out..

My boom is setup, with a tack reef point, tied to an eye, on stb side of boom, thru the reef tack grommet to port cheek block, to mid boom cleat on port.

Clew reef, has line secured to eye on stb boom, running thru clew reef grommet, down to port cheek block to same mid boom cleat.


So whats the highest winds anyone has reefed? 25knts 35??

 

[Sumner]

....... But if the heave to rely's on both the main and the jib, maybe trying to reef the main while in heave to would not work so well. ...........

I haven't gone back to look at the videos, but I think you are right that you use the jib, main and tiller.

I'm kind of going through the same thought process and have pretty much come to the conclusion I want to do it at the mast for the same reasons you stated. Of course I have Ruth and she us usually on the rudder 90% of the time, so I'm set for that.

With the CDI I won't be going forward as much, but will kind of miss that actually. I like going forward in weather. Kind of gets the blood pumping. I am thinking of adding a non-fixed stay behind the CDI and being able to rig it and a storm jib if needed, so I would still get to go forward for that .

If I was single handing like you are Walt I think I would run the lines to the cockpit and use the tiller-tamer, but be close to it. I don't know if it would work, but maybe reef from the cockpit as best you can getting the main halyard as tight as possible from there. Then mount a cam cleat on the mast. When you get a chance go to the mast for just a moment and pull the halyard down and as tight as possible and snap it into the cleat. Just a thought and maybe full of holes :cry:.

If you live down in the Denver area and make all of those photo trips, sailing trips and cross country skiing trips you have a lot of miles going up and down to Eisenhower Tunnel. When I drive over that way I really don't much like the drive down from up there into Denver especially if towing something. People are kind of crazy on that stretch and it seems the weather is bad more often than good.

c ya,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

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[walt]

What I want to do is pretty much exactly what beamreach described - and it sounds like it works fine.. The video is worth watching.. I will watch it a few times again. Ive had the lines for the main sail led back to the cockpit and see that advised all the time - but Ive tried it and its not for me. Its about 50% avoiding set up hassle, 50% that you can just do a better job at the mast. I don't have a reef hook but am trying something similar (attached picture - things have changed a little since I took the picture).

Mr. Bill, since most of my sailing is at 8600 feet, I probably sail in higher wind speeds than most because of the thin air. But white caps are white caps.. I can sail on just the main when its pretty much filled in white caps.

Don't drive I-70 much THANK HEAVENS!!! Yup, we went cross country skiing this weekend. Used to do it a lot - and I still really enjoy it. The ice on the lake is about 30 inches thick.. its going to be there for a while:cry:

 

[flynfol]

My boom is set up like Beamreach with the addition of one more reef point. I have cars on tracks for the clew on the starboard side of boom (lines going forward can be reached mid boom)and use a hook for the tack on the port side. Topping lift for sure . Tillerpilot holds heading into the wind. Tillertamer has trouble with that because you are changing sail balance unless you heave to. In a good blow that boom is over the water if you are heaved to. On Lake Michigan, when the wind picks up requiring you to reef, it is usually pretty choppy too. Tillerpilot takes less than a minute to set in place initially. Then just an afterthought to engage. I don't think you guys will believe me until you try one. I can't tell you how much easier they make singlehanding.

 

[walt]

flynfol, Im also afraid that Id set the auto pilot, relax.. relax some more, relax again this time taking relaxing very seriously, fall asleep.. the boat would sail into those big rocks we were skiing by.

I probably will get one someday however..

 

[flynfol]

A distinct possibility. Sunny day, sailing a beam reach, 1 to 2 footers....I can neither confirm or deny.......but when you have miles to go:dance: I usually only engage it when I need the "extra" hand or need to go below.

John

 

[SamLust]

Some years back my niece (then about 15) and I were out on the bay on a nice light air day with her at the tiller of my first Mac 25. I nodded off with my back to the bulkhead. I woke to the feeling that the boat's motion had changed. I found that she had drifted off also and sailed into an island.

 

[Robspan]

Walt,
I agree with Flynfol. IMHO, if you have a boat that has a battery, the first thing to have after running lights is an autopilot. They're particularly good when motoring in calm water but even if you need to go below or up forward for a minute, it's good to know that the boat won't be off course or out of the channel when you get back. My wife has about a ten degree temperature tolerance so I singlehand a lot, and that electronic helmsman makes my outings a lot more fun.

 

[walt]

Sounds like a really fun toy - and I will get one eventually. Ive never sailed the boat on a lake with more than a couple mile reach and if the heave to works for reefing, I just don't see why I would need one at the moment.

Several years ago, I did a little mod which is on the funky side - but Ive grown to like it. I have a rope loop which goes from the tiller, under the seats and into the cabin. It has 2:1 leverage on the tiller. I can clip on the loop to the tiller and it allows me to steer the boat from the cabin since the rope loop runs inside the cabin. I can stand in the cabin with the pop top up and steer the boat. I can even sail the boat from the cabin since I also have access to the main sheet (but don't normally).

When I get to big water, I will definitely want the autopilot - and possibly one with a remote control since Ive grown somewhat fond of steering the boat from the cabin.

 

[JDK]

SamLust, I like that story. I also like Walt's lines running to the cabin. That sort of ingenuity is what keeps us differentiated from the apes.

We have an ST 2000+, which has operated flawlessly...until the last race of the season last year. The wind was howling, and my lovely first mate took me up on my offer of "honey, if you don't want to race, tell me now and we'll withdraw". (Naturally, I thought she would demure, but she didn't.) I stowed the sails I had ready to hoist, and set the autopilot for a course to take us the seven miles back to the channel into the ramp where we launched for the race. We were beam to the wind, with 2 footers running at a 45% angle to the bow, no boats for miles, and spray covering the cockpit. We went below, closed the hatch, and used the remote on the autopilot since we didn't want to leave the GPS out in the wet. I was marveling at the amount of water leaking in the windows when the motion of the boat changed, and we were going 180 degrees from our intended course. Damned if I know why, but it just goes to show that the best devices to make life easy can also run amok.

That being said, I'd trade a lot of stuff on Soire'e before I'd let go of the autopilot.

JDK

 

[MrBill_FLL]

Oooh yeah, the AP was the single best improvement for me! I use it every time.

I was dropping the anchor outside the channel, to stow the sails, get the docklines out, and fenders ready for takeout, and then getting rocked by wakes since its near the channel. I don't miss that a bit.

I think, had I to do it over, I'd get the ST1000 vs the simrad TP10. even though the raymarine was 30% at the time.

a remote would be really nice as would the gps interface.
-I've had a few thrilling jibes when running in 3'+ seas... With the remote I think I could get ahead of the pilot.

-as a matter of fact, I ended up heavingTo twice, last time I was out. Since I was running back (7knts on the main only), and wasn't using the AP. Heaving to was nice and calm, the boat just floated in between the waves peacefully.

 

[walt]

Ive been single handing this spring with this system - working fairly good.

If I need to reef, Ill put the boat in hove to (boat needs to be moving slow just before you "lock it up"). Once in hove to, I go up to just in front of the mast and release the main halyard and the boom kicker keeps the end of the boom from dropping.

I "hook" the forward reefing point on the main (see the picture) and have a single reefing line to pull in the main sail rear reefing point and then cleat the single reefing line - cleat is on the boom near the mast.

Tighten the main halyard and its ready to go. This is my fastest sail config (reefed main, working jib) and I can get the reefed main nice and tight - looks like I still didn't do as good of job as in Mr.Bill's picture.

Sail has only one reef - keeps the setup simple - and I don't have to mess with the slugs at all even during reefing.

 

[steve leon]

Oh yeah!

Heaving to is an awesome maneuver! I do it all the time on my 26x, comes in handy for many reasons. Definitely something every sailor should know how to do.

 

[beamreach]

Re: Oh yeah!

Something else that is pretty awesome in windy, rough weather, especially if your halyards are run to the cockpit as mine are, is a down haul on the jib. On my last sail I was alone and the wind was steady and fine ten miles out in the Gulf but as I got near the river mouth that evening the wind was roaring along the coastline due to the air rising off the heated shore and the void being filled by the cooler air off the 67 degree water. I was ready to drop sails so I hove to, lashing my tiller to starboard and hauling in the port jib sheet. I am always amazed at how well these boats heave to! The main was left flapping and I went to the mast and dropped it and tied it off. Then went to the cockpit, released the jib halyard and used my jib downhaul to pull it down; the wind alone held it up. Once down, I cleated the downhaul and tightened both jib sheets. The jib lay just inside the starboard life line, didn't have to touch it until I reached the dock. My jib downhaul is nothing but a 3/16" nylon line run through a small block at the bow and through the lifeline stantion bases to the cockpit. I fasten it with a brass snap to the top hank just behind the jaw where the hank meets the sail If you snap it insde the hank, when you pull on it, it will lock the hank against the forestay and not pull the jib down. Of course, if you've got roller furling all this is irrelevant.

 

[MontanaSailor]

Semi new question. 93 26c with doyle sail with two reefing points. It has a single jiffy line reefing system installed. I can set up up either to the first reefing point or the second reefing point. The wind speeds we sail in tend to be 0-3 (boring), 4-12 (fun and comfortable) 12- wtf (need to reef). I have enough line to run to second reef point, my logic being the unpredictable, gusting inland lake winds, take it to second reef to be on safe side. I haven't sailed with my new topping lift installed but part of my reason was to aid in bring sail down when I reef (less binding on slugs). Am I on the right track or not. Thoughts or comments. (I have used my TP 10 to reef into the wind) (have also hove to with this boat which performs nicely)(I have cdi roller furler also) Thanks, still learning!!!!