Sailing
Techniques & Maneuvers
Reefing Afloat
The techniques of heaving to and reefing afloat come together in the Asian Yachtmaster's because the first is a necessary prelude to the second. Reefing is the technique of setting the right amount of sail for the weather conditions. It is always better to reef before setting out or early in proceedings. In some ways you can think of reefing as the ability to predict the amount of sail needed for a particular wind speed.The first step is to pick a suitable place to reef making sure that you have plenty of searoom to leeward so that the yacht doesn't drift ashore or into danger while you are reefing.
Your goal when reefing should be a sail reduced by the required amount which still has an efficient shape, with no wrinkles. The boom should be level and the boomvang should still be effective. With practice, you should be able to do the job in a boat equipped with roller reefing in about two minutes - much less if you have slab reefing.
Reefing - Seven Easy Steps
1. ‘Heave to’
on the favored tack.
2. Lower the mainsail by roughly a
third and release boomvang.
3. Mastman hooks
required reefing coringle onto the reefing horn at the boom
gooseneck.
4. Re-tighten
main halyard.
5. Take in
the loose leech of the mainsail by tensioning on the desired
reefing line.
6. Sheet on sails, secure excess sail
at reef points, readjust boomvang
and sail away.
7. Reverse this procedure to
remove the reef ensuring the halyard is tightened
and the reef line is released at the same time.
