There is about 10-15' of 1/4" line with an eye splice connected to an eye strap riveted to the right side of my boom about 8" in from it's aft end. The boat is a 192. I keep the line neatly tied. Since it is eyespliced to the boom I am leery about removing it but I have been sailing without it and have not seen a need for it. Thank you in advance, Jerry
What is the purpose of this line on my boom?
- Thread starter Jerry Shenkman
- Start date
good question. That is your reefing line. It should go up from your eye splice through a cringle in the leech of your main (big grommet) and through a cheek block on the aft end of your boom (should be fairly close to exact opposite your eye strap forward to a cleat.
My 192 is rigged with eye strap on port, line up to leech reef cringle, down to starboard cheek block, then forward almost all the way to cleat forward on the boom. Reefing hook on top of the gooseneck with hook on starboard side only.
Sequence: Sail port tack, and tack over to starboard tack. DO NOT release jib sheet, so that jib is backwinded. As boat blows off, release main sheet, and push tiller over to port to hove-to. I lock tiller position with my Tiller Clutch. Go forward to mast, make sure topping lift (cleats on starboard side of boom) is on enough to hold boom up, and keep the leech loose while pulling on the reef. Release boom downhaul/cunningham. Move my boom stop up so that sliding gooseneck doesn't drop down. Release main halyard and get luff reef cringle over reefing hook. (Easier said than done. Need a through-cringle webbing ring on next main sail…) Hoist halyard appropriately, with maybe an inch or two of gooseneck/boom lift. Turn myself 90º aft, and the leech reefing line and cleat is right to hand on starboard side of boom. Pull on leech reef line until leech reef point is down to boom and foot of sail is tight. Cleat off, release gooseneck stop, release topping lift. Pull on downhaul to move draft location forward (it is windy, after all, otherwise I wouldn't reef.)
Go back to cockpit, and tie up excess sail with nettle lines along reef foot. Release starboard jib sheet, bring tiller to centerline-ish, sheet in jib and main and continue on starboard tack easily reefed. Whole process is less than 5 minutes, and it quite relaxed as the boat is very calm while hove-to.
Hope this helps.
Sequence: Sail port tack, and tack over to starboard tack. DO NOT release jib sheet, so that jib is backwinded. As boat blows off, release main sheet, and push tiller over to port to hove-to. I lock tiller position with my Tiller Clutch. Go forward to mast, make sure topping lift (cleats on starboard side of boom) is on enough to hold boom up, and keep the leech loose while pulling on the reef. Release boom downhaul/cunningham. Move my boom stop up so that sliding gooseneck doesn't drop down. Release main halyard and get luff reef cringle over reefing hook. (Easier said than done. Need a through-cringle webbing ring on next main sail…) Hoist halyard appropriately, with maybe an inch or two of gooseneck/boom lift. Turn myself 90º aft, and the leech reefing line and cleat is right to hand on starboard side of boom. Pull on leech reef line until leech reef point is down to boom and foot of sail is tight. Cleat off, release gooseneck stop, release topping lift. Pull on downhaul to move draft location forward (it is windy, after all, otherwise I wouldn't reef.)
Go back to cockpit, and tie up excess sail with nettle lines along reef foot. Release starboard jib sheet, bring tiller to centerline-ish, sheet in jib and main and continue on starboard tack easily reefed. Whole process is less than 5 minutes, and it quite relaxed as the boat is very calm while hove-to.
Hope this helps.