Sailing in the San Francisco Bay/To much main

[Dan Rumrill]

As the S.F. bay is my main venue, I have found that the standard main on my 30T 1991 Hunter needs to be reefed at about fifteen knots and usually double reefed at that. I run a 100% roller furling jib that is easy to handle but reefing underway and in windy conditions is challenging. I'm wondering how to best work with what I have at present but am willing to add systems if it would improve this aspect of the boat. I do not have any kind of flaking system. Would appreciate any comments from someone who has found a good solution other than just reefing early.

 

[Steve Dion]

How old is your sail?

Dan:How old is your sail? It may be bagged out and once they are out of shape they do not work very good in the heavy airs of the bay.I would suggest that you have someone examine it (on the boat) and get their impression of the real condition.We sail in the delta and also have quite a bit of heavy air. I got a new sail a couple of years ago and really noticed the difference right away.If you are looking for something for a NEW sail, I would highly recommend the Dutchman system. It also help when you are reefing. You may want to look at a single line reefing system so it can all be handled from the cockpit.