Quote:
Originally Posted by backcreeksailor
When presumably you could just let the main out to dump a little more air if you're heading upwind, or bring it in to catch less air if you're going down wind. And just avoid the entire evolution of reefing altogether?
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Lots of reasons including a balanced helm and the fact that sheeting out or flattening might still result in being seriously overpowered.
A few days after my last BVI trip, three Brits who were "supposedly" experienced sailors put a Beneteau 39 on its size and it subsequently sank - mostly because they were sailing in 35K and gusty with the boom swung out as far as the mainsheet would allow - and then, seemingly out of nowhere, had a microburst that piped the wind to over 55K with no warning.
They put a 250K +, new boat in 90 feet of water - mostly because they had too much sail and no margin for forgiveness when the strong breeze piped up more. If they had not compounded the situation with open hatches, they may not have sunk. They still would have been knocked down!
Many times, you can compensate by heading up as flat as possible or spilling as much as you can by sheeting out.
Sometimes, too much sail simply results in the effects of too much sail.
Keep in mind that the sea is very unforgiving of incapacity, carelessness or neglect.
The short answer to your question: Because sometimes that simply isn't enough and less sail is the only answer.