Today was a reefing challenge. I ask the boats to start with full mains and reef by the time they round windward mark and the shake out the reef on the downwind leg, so they come to the finish with a full sail. I want the sailors to be able to reef quickly at a moments notice. The only way to achieve that is to practice.
The takeaways from tonight:
- Don’t wait till your in the three boat length circle to try and reef – Once the main comes down to put the reef in the boat is going to make more leeway and you don’t want to be close to a bunch of boats when you are trying to put a reef in
- Helmsman need to “lock in” when crew work is going on – Some skippers had a hard time staying close hauled once the main came down and the crew started putting in or shaking out the reef. It is imperative that the helmsman holds a steady course and to not get distracted by the crew work when there is a lot going on.
- A backwinded jib is a brake – don’t backwind the jib during a race
- Between races furl the jib – if you need a break and want to stay close to the starting line furl the jib. The boat will sail slower and the crew has less to do.
Pictures from the race:
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