I have a downhaul for the jib on my F36. It's only 190 sf. and
douses itself to the foredeck and stays contained in the worst
conditions I've ever sailed in. Reef the main first, let the jib
provide drive for control, douse the jib if needed. All from the
cockpit and single handed. Sweet.

On 12 Jan 2004 14:27:34 -0800, (Frank Maier) wrote:

"Donal" wrote:
"N1EE" wrote:
...snip...
It should be easy for one person to steer it.

True, but it would be difficult for that person to go forward in a hurry.
They would have to climb up on to the sidedecks. As my kids are reaching
the age where they might soon fly the nest, I am looking at boats with a
view to sailing them two handed.
...snip...

Well, I'm not familar with the Dehler line; but I have a generic
response to this comment. A self-tending jib is so small that it's
good for most wind conditions, right up to the point where you simply
need to douse it. There's usually no need to go forward "in a hurry."
Pretty much no need to go forward at all. If you have single-line
reefing for the main as well, you can pretty much single-hand without
ever leaving the cockpit. So, unless I'm not understanding your
comment, it's really kinda moot.

Could you expand on having to go forward "in a hurry"?