Thanks Chris, we have been thinking of going to a reefing system similar to that, so that helps. I still have one thing I'm not clear on...I have a double line reefing system. The rear line goes through a turning block and into a clam cleat. I didn't want to bring it to the mast and then back to the cockpit - way too much line to tangle plus the mid-boom is basically "in the cockpit" anyway.
The front has a 3/8 line fixed to the mast at boom height, goes through the reef cringle then down the other side of the mast, through a pad eye at boom level, down to a turning block at mast bottom and then to a rope clutch.
Reefing is a simple matter of pulling the rear line until the reef cringle is at the boom and then clam cleating it. Then it's easing the main halyard while pulling in the front reefing line. When the front is all in, lock the clutch and then retension the halyard.
Whole operation takes about 60 seconds or less. With the slugs "bottom loaded" like I described there is no need to go to the mast for anything.
Chris
When the front of the sail is reefed by the line there does the sail come down and pile up the couple slugs right above your screw and the sail is pulled down and taut via the reef line through the cringle?..... I closed the slot on our 26S all the way down to the boom mount. There I drilled a hole large enough to "just" insert the slug "shotgun style". The hole is just through the outer "lips" and JUST above the boom mount............Chris
Are you using this on both reef points if you have two. Our new sail only has one reef point, which is about where the second reef was on the stock sails. Bob did that and Martin recommended it to us also and we agreed. In reality we reefed to the first point only a couple times and then usually ended up moving it to the second point anyway and most times just started at the second point. I think if we raced I'd want more options, but we don't.
I can also see this will be easier with a reef line, either single or double line like yours as the line by the mast will be through the one and only reef cringle.
Do you have any pictures of your reefing setup?
Thanks for the info,
Sum
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