[C320-list] When do you reef?

[Andrew Santangelo]

Kevin,

I was trying to remember when I reef - too many calm weather days on  
Lake Michigan the last few years have meant very few chances to reef.

But if memory serves me, here are the approximate reefing times for my  
crew and I.

* At apparent wind 16 kts and over, I begin to furl the head sail  
upwind or on reaches; headsail is a 155%.  I leave main alone.  If my  
course will be a steady reach or upwind I go to the 100% Jib Sail.
* At around 21 kts apparent wind or gusty conditions we look at  
reefing the main.
* Over 30 kts apparent wind we look at the second reef and using the  
storm jib, or furl the genoa mostly in.
* We stop using the heavy spinnaker over 28 kts apparent wind.  I will  
say we have gotten over 13 kts on the boat with a strong blow, reefed  
main, and the heavy spinnaker with surfing action.  It was wild.

NOTE - when I am short handed or with the kids, grandparents, weak  
guests I take things much easier.  When cruising and adventuring, I do  
not reef until after 15 kts and depending on the constitution of the  
crew and interest we do fly the 155 genoa up to 15 kts.  Alternatively  
if things are a little rougher for guests we may use only the main or  
the genoa; we may stay on the inland lake (Lake Macatawa) and avoid  
Lake Michigan altogether.  Or they may just sit on the boat in the  
slip!   Typically, though winds are mostly light and we keep things  
very easy for guests..

Another rule is we shorten the main and the headsails earlier if the  
weather will get bad.  Back in the day it would be done quite a bit  
early, up to 3 hours early depending on how nervous I was.  Now with  
all the weather monitoring systems on board we do a change as early as  
15 minutes before a major weather change with crew of 3 or more or 30  
minutes as a couple.

Also, for the curious, when doing long races we do not use the furler  
- instead we disable the furler (dropping the drum from up top) and  
use the duel tracks to do a sail peel.  Thus a sail is always up when  
changing sails.

Now is this confusing?  Am I all over the map?  It is simple though -  
reefing is based on the limits of your boat, sails and crew.  If you  
are a cruising couple do not even bother flying a spinnaker in the  
dark in 25 kts of wind - I had six very experienced sailors on board,  
and yes there is still the risk of a mistake, but we did it.

Now when to use what sail when and where is a whole different story.

Hope this helps gives you some insight on the boat and my experiences  
with reefing.

Best Regards,
Andrew
C320 "Dawn Treader"
#333

On Mar 9, 2009, at 6:23 PM, Rick Evans wrote:

> Kevin
>
> I find you need to reef her at about 15knots. I always start by  
> rolling up the genny a bit and I only have a 135.
>
> Also depends on the conditions if its a steady 15 and gusty to 18 or  
> so a reef in the main is needed to keep in comfortable.
>
> The old rule always applies. When do you reef?  If you think you  
> should then do it.
> Rick
> 724
> Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kevin <onedrop7 at yahoo.com>
>
> Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:42:55
> To: <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Subject: [C320-list] When do you reef?
>
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> I got my 320 in the late fall and she's been on the hard through the  
> winter so I still have lots to learn about her.
>
> Just wondering...at what wind speed do you reef? The 320 sails best  
> with minimal heel, correct? Do you ever start by lessening the sail  
> area of your genny before putting in a reef?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Kevin
> #211
>
>
>
>
>