On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:19:19 -0600, Paul Cassel
wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:06:18 -0600, Paul Cassel
wrote:

Jiffy reefing but it seems that in a real blow, I have a very hard time
of it.

It's important to ease off the mainsheet and boom vang until the
reefing lines are snugged down.

Does the mainsail stick in the luff groove or do the slides stick?

The really nice system that I saw on the 70 footer had full length
battens with a roller bearing car on the inboard end of each batten.
That sail dropped and stowed slicker than a venetian blind in reverse.

Basically the general fuss of such a large rig is what gives me fits. My
next boat, if a sailboat, will have in mast or in boom furling. I almost
installed in boom and actually ordered it but the mfg made some sort of
measuring error. I just got disgusted waiting around in port for a part
which was all wrong & left.

Remember, I"m single handing. This would not be much of deal if not for
that.

I built a behind the mast system and while the foil certainly sags to
leeward it is no more then a stay sail schooner, and the big advantage
is that because it is so easy to use I end up with more sail in the
wind for more hours a day.

Before, when it was a matter of going forward and hauling in another
reef at the mast, or shaking one out, I tended to wait -- probably
gonna blow more later; or probably gonna be calm anyway, so I'd just
leave things the way they were. With the roller it is just pull the
blue line to make it bigger and the red one to make it smaller.

It doesn't look as good as an in mast system but it works about as
good. Wouldn't be without it.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)