[C320-list] Single Line Reefing

[Irv Grunes]

Jeff,
Even if you put a cheek block on the side of the boom under the cringle to
get it tight to the boom, I think you would still be crushing the sail under
the cringle to the boom.
Irv Grunes

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-List-bounces at catalina320.com
[mailto:C320-List-bounces at catalina320.com]On Behalf Of Jeffrey Hare
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 3:17 PM
To: 'C320-List'
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Single Line Reefing


Hi Irv,

I see that the reefing on your boat was "custom" rigged.  To be fair, the
factory defined reefing arrangement doesn't work well either, so whoever
rigged your boat tried to improve on it, and maybe didn't succeed.

I found that the factory way of rigging the reefing line on my boat (#809)
had at least two big problems:

1) The cringle wanted to poke holes in the part of the sail flaked on the
boom below.  Had to be *very* careful how far I let the main down.  Meaning
that I had to still play with the main halyard and the reefing line to make
things "play nice".  So, in my opinion, it's still "2-line reefing..." not
really single line reefing...

2) Pulling the reefing line from the cockpit tended to pull the reefing
cringle down tight against the boom and still leave the clew too loose the
friction was a lot to blame here.  I could never really get the Clew down
tight.  As a result I had terrible baggy sail shape when reefed to the point
where it sailed ... well, like a Hunter... :)

Traditional Reefing hook on the Boom arrangements are really much better for
keeping the Luff tight because the Main Halyard controls the luff tension
and the Reefing line controls the Clew tension.

But comes with the problem of having to go on-deck.  So, finding a way to
eliminate going on deck, but keeping the sail shape benefits would be good.

I wonder if some arrangement of a cheek block mounted on the side of the
boom would help somehow.  I have to find a mooring to hang on for a while so
I can play around with ways of rigging this.

Gotta think about this some more.

-Jeff


-----Original Message-----
From: Irv Grunes [mailto:igrunes at comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 1:07 PM
To: C320-List
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Single Line Reefing

Islse of Wight, a 2001, #851 came with a port side reefing line from the
cockpit line stopper to the block at the base of the mast. then into the
mast end of the boom, then to the end of the boom, then to the leech
cringle, and then tied off to the boom with a bowline.

The luff  was to be reefed with the hook led from the stbd cockpit stopper.
That hook was to be placed in either the reefing cringle to reef or into the
cunningham cringle for sail trim.

Reefing was then a two line process, that required going on deck to the mast
to put the reefing hook into the reefing cringle, then when dropping the
sail, we would take up on both the port and stbd reefing lines using the
winches for final seatng of the lines. Then of course raising the main head.

We had a couple of days on Middle River, Chesapeake Bay, a few weeks ago
that the wind was 20 to 25 knots and gusting to 30.  I reefed before I went
out, but it would have been scary to have to do it in that weather.

Irv Grunes
Isle of Wight #851