It would be best if you practice reefing at the dock or even on the trailer so that you are confident and capable before you need to reef for high winds. It is said that if you even think about reefing, it is probably time to reef.....
Most Macgregor boats have a design that places the mast far enough forward, that the boat will sail with the main sail only, you should practice sailing with just the main. That way you have evn more possibilities for sail reduction by dropping the jib sail.
Your mainsail should have at least one line of grommets, this creates a way to reduce sail. You will notice that two of the grommets are re-inforced with extra layers of sail cloth, the grommets at the front and the aft end of the edges of the sail. The forward grommet will be the tack when the sail is reefed, the aft grommet is the clew. When reefing, you will be attaching new lines to the tack and the clew. The other grommets are for sail ties. These sail ties do not carry any stress! They are used to gather the extra sail material after reefing, they are often kept clear of the boom by running the reefing lines above the boom. You'll see why later.
When you decide to reef, you will need to slacken the mainsail halyard, to allow the mainsail reefing tack to be pulled down to the gooseneck area. This accomplishes two things: sail area is reduced, and center of effort is lowered down the mast. It will be easiest to drop the mainsail if you are pointed directly into the wind when you begin to reef. Otherwise, it may be impossible to pull the reefing tack down. After the reefing tack is secured, the reefing clew is tightened, stretching out the foot of the sail. The reefing lines can be secured after you start sailing, as the wind has probably blown the bow of the boat back into a close hauled sailing point.
How is the tack secured? There are numerous ways, sometimes a reefing hook is installed at the gooseneck, sometimes a series of lines and jam cleats pull the sail down and secure it there. It is most important to be competant with your particular reefing sysytem by practising in advance of real need.
How is the clew secured? Most have some kind of line and jam cleat, but some reefing systems have one line to pull to both secure the tack and clew, often the lines run inside the boom with this type of reefing.
Now about the reefing lines that gather the excess sail material. They may have re-inforcement material sewn in the grommet area, but they are NOT meant to carry the forces of a high wind. Like I stated above you may run the reefing lines around the boom, but you can also run them above the boom to keep them from carrying any loads. If you have the grommets and no reefing lines, you will need them in advance. Ilike to tie an overhand knot on each side of the sail to keep the lines in place.
Removing a reef is the exact reverse, but if you forget to let the reefing lines loose before you release the reefing clew and tack, you stand a good chance of ripping the reefing line grommets out of your sail! I have a repair in my shop right now for this very problem.
As usual, it is difficult to say what kind of reefing system you have without looking at it. If you can, please post pictures of your sail, and possibly your boom at the gooseneck. Also, there are great diagrams of various reefing systems at
www.harken.com good luck
