MacGregorSailors.com

BeFree/Bill asked:

When you are using your first reef, how often do you find yourself thinking, "That's still a little too much sail"?

Good question. When I have the main up and reefed, I always use my working/110 jib and not my Genoa. So, with roller reefing on the jib, I just roll it in as far as I need to, perhaps leaving a little to help with tacking. But I am just doing day sailing these days, so never very far from the marina, if it gets really wild.

Just to say: I guess in the factory main the reef would be to say a second reef. So in the factory main there is no "reef 1".

kurz wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 2:02 am Just to say: I guess in the factory main the reef would be to say a second reef. So in the factory main there is no "reef 1".

A good point Kurz.

Reef points are usually set at a percentage of the luff length. On an "X" the luff is 25'.

Single reefs are usually set 15% of the luff from the bottom (3' 8"). That is somewhere between a 1st and a second reef depending on the sailmaker.

Sails with two reefs are usually set up around 12% for 1st (3') and 24% for 2nd (6') or 15% for 1st (3'8") and 32% for 2nd (8').

Sails with three reefs are usually 11%, 23%, and 38%.

The best I can tell from measuring my rolled up Mack main mine* are pretty close to the 12% and 24% numbers. That makes my sail area around 79% on the first reef and 63% on the second. A third, if I ever get one, would make it around 50%.

My trig may be a little rusty so feel free to check my calculations if they matter to you. I leave square head sails and accounting for the sail draft as an exercise for the student.

*If "alliteration always annoys", does accidental alliteration accidentally annoy?

Well, hopefully my bat nesting issue is over. With BeFree's help, I changed my headsail back to the working jib, and we bent on my mainsail, so I am a "proper" sailboat again. We'll see how things work out with the bats. I do have another issue that might impact this decision. My right knee is a little "dodgy" these days. That makes getting up on and down from the cabin top to untie/tie the sail ties before hoisting the main sail a bit of a challenge. I am thinking about how to attach an adjustable cane to the midships port stanchion to see if it would help hoping it wouldn't fowl the main sheet on a broad reach. Stay tuned; don't think this thread is finished, yet.

My left knee is dodgy too (retired airborne ranger). I have a knee brace. Works pretty well.

Herschel wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:37 pm Well, hopefully my bat nesting issue is over. With BeFree's help, I changed my headsail back to the working jib, and we bent on my mainsail, so I am a "proper" sailboat again. We'll see how things work out with the bats. I do have another issue that might impact this decision. My right knee is a little "dodgy" these days. That makes getting up on and down from the cabin top to untie/tie the sail ties before hoisting the main sail a bit of a challenge. I am thinking about how to attach an adjustable cane to the midships port stanchion to see if it would help hoping it wouldn't fowl the main sheet on a broad reach. Stay tuned; don't think this thread is finished, yet.

Herschel wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:37 pm Well, hopefully my bat nesting issue is over. With BeFree's help, I changed my headsail back to the working jib, and we bent on my mainsail, so I am a "proper" sailboat again. We'll see how things work out with the bats. I do have another issue that might impact this decision. My right knee is a little "dodgy" these days. That makes getting up on and down from the cabin top to untie/tie the sail ties before hoisting the main sail a bit of a challenge. I am thinking about how to attach an adjustable cane to the midships port stanchion to see if it would help hoping it wouldn't fowl the main sheet on a broad reach. Stay tuned; don't think this thread is finished, yet.

Herschel,

You’ve got five years on me.

Keep the posts coming. I use you as a barometer of things to come

Knees … back… other stuff…🫣 Welcome to the rewards of good active living!
We get to experience stuff … back in days of yore …. and now …. And in the future.

A day at a time….