I have delayed, not for any good reason, implementing Christian's reef-tack-downhauls-led-to-cockpit solution that permits a sailor to avoid going to the mast to set the tack ring for a reef. I finally got around to it - I'm using New England Rope 8mm - 5/16" VPC cored lines from Defender. I should have done this a year ago.
I do the same dumb thing over and over again. I make it out of Richardson Bay with the wind is blowing about 15 knots. Perfect for all of the canvas, so I roll it out and hoist it up. I sail about 5 minutes farther south past the headlands, and then the wind bumps to 20, gusting to 25. (Like, of course it does, dude. What did you think was going to happen?) Why don't I set the sail reefed to begin with? When I do, it seems boring. So 20 minutes into my sail I usually wind up with a dog fight where the boat is unhappy, I am unhappy that the boat is unhappy and things start flapping and flogging around and I have to clamber up and get the tack dogbone set.
Today, it was easy as pie. Stay in the cockpit, bring the bow up close to the wind, loosen the mainsheet, drop the halyard, politely cleat off the new downhaul, pull the clew down, raise the halyard, bring the mainsheet in. Totally calm, totally controlled, no dancing up near the mast while no one is at the helm. So good.
IMHO any other novice singlehanders/doublehanders who encounter reefing challenges should do this update ASAP. $80 in rope, a couple of turning blocks at the mast base and your boat is much safer, much easier to handle. All of a sudden, slab reefing the main feels much closer to furling the jib in terms of ease of completion.
6.9kts in 20
If you squint you can see some fancy SailGP catamarans practicing for races this weekend. I didn't want to intimidate them, so I stayed back.
Obligatory stare-down with an oil tanker. I blinked.
I do the same dumb thing over and over again. I make it out of Richardson Bay with the wind is blowing about 15 knots. Perfect for all of the canvas, so I roll it out and hoist it up. I sail about 5 minutes farther south past the headlands, and then the wind bumps to 20, gusting to 25. (Like, of course it does, dude. What did you think was going to happen?) Why don't I set the sail reefed to begin with? When I do, it seems boring. So 20 minutes into my sail I usually wind up with a dog fight where the boat is unhappy, I am unhappy that the boat is unhappy and things start flapping and flogging around and I have to clamber up and get the tack dogbone set.
Today, it was easy as pie. Stay in the cockpit, bring the bow up close to the wind, loosen the mainsheet, drop the halyard, politely cleat off the new downhaul, pull the clew down, raise the halyard, bring the mainsheet in. Totally calm, totally controlled, no dancing up near the mast while no one is at the helm. So good.
IMHO any other novice singlehanders/doublehanders who encounter reefing challenges should do this update ASAP. $80 in rope, a couple of turning blocks at the mast base and your boat is much safer, much easier to handle. All of a sudden, slab reefing the main feels much closer to furling the jib in terms of ease of completion.
6.9kts in 20
If you squint you can see some fancy SailGP catamarans practicing for races this weekend. I didn't want to intimidate them, so I stayed back.
Obligatory stare-down with an oil tanker. I blinked.