Thanks, good tips here. I want to minimize going forward. So using the topping lift is probably not something I'm going to do. Unless that were run back to the cockpit, but that seems excessive and I'd need to add clutches.
I don't mind going forward in conditions with moderate or low waves, but this procedure I'm trying to improve is for big waves. I know 6-8' close spaced waves are not "big" to some of you, but it's enough that I'd rather minimize crew going forward in that. We did have jacklines and tethers in use. I don't have dog bones but plan to get them. We never rigged the 2nd reef point, so didn't need them (although we should have rigged it just in case). The sail gate is an excellent idea. >>* - Do you use boat speed over water as a criteria for when to reef? If so >>*what's the speed for an LF38 at which you consider it overcanvased? > This is really a function of wind speed not boat speed. More importantly TWS not AWS. With my 37+ i can carry full sails to ~15kts but it is getting uncomfortable and increasingly difficult to reef. Hmm, true, but we don't have a wind speed indicator yet so can't measure that. Just have to go by judgment. I thought some people used boat speed as a secondary indicator (eg, as you approach within X% of hull speed that's when you know it's reefing time). We were going downwind wing-on-wing at about 6.5-7 kts, then wing-on-wing started getting difficult so we switched to a standard broad reach. As boat speed started going over 7 that's when I knew it was time to reef. It's harder judging wind speed when going downwind so that's why I was hoping for another signal until I get a wind anemometer. Also usually am judging by helm, but that can be more a factor of waves sometimes. Helming was getting more difficult, with slightly greater than 1/4 turn movements to each side needed to stay on course (this may have been more a function of the waves, which were mostly dead aft but since they're coastal waves going around points they don't have a completely consistent direction). After reefing we continued downwind broad reach with single reefed main and 100% genoa but helming was still a lot of work so we furled the genoa and went on main alone. We were making about 5.5 - 6 kts then. I've also heard some people (one who said he raced on C&Cs) say C&Cs don't track well downwind. Is this what they mean?
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