Don't go head to wind. And sometimes your position won't allow it.
Slack the sheet, allow the boom to swiing out enough to take the pressure off, but not flog, then tie in your reef and reset sheet. Should be able to reef on a real broad reach even
Damn good advice! Will say again: Dont go head to wind to reef!!!!!!!
Simply come to a beat and sail on with just the jib/genoa drawing, the mainsail boom and main eased and in the windshadow of the jib/genoa and with the only the aft section/leech of the main slightly full of wind which will significantly keep the main quite --- then reef. All for less flogging, less rope tangles .... and one hell of a lot 'quieter'. If need be even go to hove-to attitude solely on the 'jib', then reef the main in the jibs windshadow.
The decision of double or single line reefing really depends on the boat design, the intended direction of travel into or off the wind, ..... AND the height of the waves usually encountered in your local sailing venue:
A. If the reason for reefing is only to reduce the amount of sail area up in order to reduce the amount of heel, then any system will work and work well. This is especially true for low wave/flat water conditions encountered in bays, lakes and other 'inshore' venues. For light weight boats that can get up onto a plane ... simply FLATTEN the sails to look like a sheet of flat plywood is all that usually needed, .... but then hold on to your hat as youll now be sailing at 'incredible' boat speeds and still be at less heel angle.
B. If the reason for reefing is that your boat is now exceeding its so-called hull speed and the boat is now 'death wobbling' because the boat is attempting to go faster than its hull speed and is becoming VERY unstable (uncontrolled and violent yawing, etc.), then again any system of reefing will work - for power
AND speed reduction.
C. However if you NEED to beat into such high wind and especially if there are LARGE waves/swells oncoming that are stopping the boat and preventing forward progress, only a double line system will 'save the day'. In such wind/wave situations a FLATTENED and reefed sail plan will usually be a BAD choice as there is little
power output available from the flattened shape; flattened sails are the result of extra tight clew lines and this also applies to reefed and deep reefed sails.
A single line system does TWO things simultaneously - 1. sail area reduction (heeling) AND 2. flattening (less power). With flattened sails you will have significantly less POWER to 'punch' into and through oncoming (large) waves and youll mostly 'sit there like a duck in a windstorm'. With double line reefing you can
independently tension the luff and independently tension the clew ... independent clew tension provides the 'adjustability' to set the amount of draft needed to set up the needed POWER to enable one to 'power through' oncoming waves; you can even go to a deeper reef and still have that
needed power if you increase the amount of sail draft that provides that power. In such conditions sail area reduction reduces the heeling, increasing the draft in the remaining exposed sail area provides the 'power' ... and without much increased heeling because of the less amount of sail area exposed.
(FWIW- how much draft? watch your speedo for its maximum output ... when the boat is at max. speed for the amount of sail being 'up', that's the correct tension on the clew - the correct
balance of speed and power; and, whether reefed or not !!! .... you can 'depower' via more flattening / clew tension from that
now known setting for the exact wind and seastate conditions youre sailing in.)
The simple rule of thumb is: FLAT sails for speed sailing, well drafted sails for power - high gear vs. low gear.
Single line reefing systems only provide 'high gear', even at an equivalent low engine rpm from reduced sail area.
So, if you sail where there can be LARGE waves or where extremely high & steep 'chop' develops, the better choice will usually be 'double line' reefing
( .... and of course with jacklines to prevent the reefed portion from flogging as such will be automatically controlled by the jacklines and with no need to 'tie in the bunts' of a reefed sail.)
FWIW - For any reef system its very helpful to have ALL your reefing control lines and halyard 'pre-marked' so that youll have less time and less guesswork (and less time to fall or get knocked overboard) when putting in the reef(s).
hope this helps.
