Oldiesrocker2001: Do you have a masthead or fractional rig? I'll assume masthead for a moment. Here is my feeling on reefing. Once I decide to reef a sail then sail shape goes out the window. All I care about is getting my little beauty back to the dock in one piece. I could are less what it looks like. Once you reef you have reduce the sail area and thus reduced the power of the sail. It makes it difficult to do anything especially coming about. Couple the reef with a small jib on a masthead rig - the jib is the engine on a masthead rig - and you can see the problem. Assume you have a fractional rig where the main is the engine. When you reef the main you have drastically reduced the power making it even harder to come around.
