Even if..

Posted By: Bob Frak
Date: 6/5/08 8:34p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Be sure the outhaul is on as hard as can be (Seth Dabney, 2023-C, Oxford, MS)

Even if you get a good reef in at the dock before heading out, like I did, you may tear the main right along the boom from the leach, like I did, to however far it gets before you dump the main sheet, like I did. I know it's happened to others also. My main wasn't so old that it was overly weak. There is a reason there are reinforcement patches at the outhaul and reef points. I know if I would have taken the time to put even a large triangular sticky back sail patch on and reefed to that point it wouldn't have ripped the sail. I had an actual reef point put in my new main and will rig it to make use of it. That way I can leave the vang attached and still make use of it also. I think if the mainsail feed slot was higher up the mast the sail wouldn't creep up like it was on you Paul. When I had to reef when underway I would drop about twice the amount of sail I wanted to reef and stick my left arm between the mast and boom and force the sail back with my left forearm as I cranked with my right. Then hoisted the main again. Bob