I have two sets of reef points in the mainsail on my Flying Scot and have found
that this makes the boat much more versatile when it comes to cruising.
The Scot has a relatively large mainsail and even with the jib down, it
can be a real white knuckle ride when the wind gets up into the twenties
and is gusty. Sailing in these conditions can be a lot of fun, but there
are times, when you may have an inexperienced crew or are single-handing,
that you would rather have a more controlled ride. The main thing you will
notice about reefing is that it takes the heeling moment off the boat but
keeps most of the power in a breeze. The single-reef makes for a much more
comfortable sail when single-handing in about 13 to 18 knots. I've
experimented with sailing under doubled-reefed main only in light wind
just to see how the boat handles when underpowered. It sails well, but you
really have to reach off a bit to get your boat speed up before going
closehauled.
In 1997, I had a chance to try it out in the windiest of conditions at Smith Mountain Lake
in Virginia. The wind was about 15 knots so I already had it double-reefed when a front came down
the lake at over 30 knots. I was single-handing and could see the black water coming about two miles
up the lake. I put the boat into the safety position, but at that windspeed, I was still up on deck trying to
get the jib tied down when it hit. The safety position that we teach in our sailing classes is what saved
the boat from getting knocked over. And... I knew that if worse came to worse I could stay in this position and gradually
ease my way over to the nearest shore.
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My friend, David Layton, was close by on his Mirage 5.5 doing the same deck dance. I thought I was toast but once the
jib was secured, the sailing was great! If you're single-handing, I would suggest tying a line to the
head of the jib, running it through the boweye and back to a cleat to keep the wind from blowing
it back up the forestay.
Flying Scot Inc. sells a jiffy reef kit made for a single reef but Bill Byrd, a good friend and longtime
sailor, suggested putting two reefs in - one at three feet above the boom and another three feet above that.
After drawing Bill’s suggestion out on paper to see how it would look, I decided to go with this and I’m really
glad I did. I use the cunningham hook to pull the luff down and a single line at the end of the boom that pulls
down the reefed clew and tensions the outhaul at the same time. Then, just roll up the excess sail and tie the
reef ties. I haven’t timed it, but I can reef in a ‘jiffy’. With the main reefed, you have the option of putting the
jib up for extra horsepower if you want or dropping it if the wind pipes up.
Steve Bellows at Schurr Sails has put in two sets of reefpoints on two of my mains and done a great job. On the second
main I had an additional reef tie put close to the luff and clew. The cost is about $110 and the shipping is $10 to $20 depending on
how you insure them. If you'd like more information, please contact me at steve.raper@greensboro-nc.gov or go to http://www.schurrsails.com
and contact Steve Bellows.
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