Single handing w/o roller furling

[sailingdog]

Single-handing you should generally be tethered in... regardless of weather or conditions. Chances are pretty good if you fall off... you're not getting back aboard.

[bobmcgov]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Single-handing you should generally be tethered in... regardless of weather or conditions. Chances are pretty good if you fall off... you're not getting back aboard.

Unless you are Bob Gainer and your boat turns around and runs over you. (Out of love ... or out of spite?)

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by bobmcgov

Unless you are Bob Gainer and your boat turns around and runs over you. (Out of love ... or out of spite?)

That was out of sheer dumb luck...

[ewhaile]

Yes, but just how exactly did you reef it? I am coming from a yawl where reefing is a nobrainer to a sloop, where it looks like to me it's always a mad scramble singlehanded. Minus autopilot, that is. I have a kickup rudder so I could imagine as far as the foredeck is concerned, I would just raise the blade and sheet home the main and let the boat weathercock. But how do you reef the main? I have imagined I could backwind the jib to port and throw the helm to port. But does this work? Haven't yet had time to experiment. ED

[Sailormon6]

When singlehanding without an autopilot, I reef early, when I can see that weather is coming, but before it gets here. If you do it before the wind and waves build, it's easy. It only gets difficult when the wind and waves have already built, and you don't have anyone to help.

I usually point the boat about 45 deg. to the wind, let all sails luff, bring her nearly to a stop, tuck in the reef, sheet in the main and get her under way again, and then sheet in the jib.

Also, if I'm sailing in fairly open waters, I'll double reef the mainsail, rather than single reefing it, because it's not a fun thing to have to tuck in a reef singlehanded without an autopilot after the weather has already hit, and you've decided that a single reef is no longer sufficient. If you have crew, you can wait a little longer, but when singlehanding, you should stay well ahead of the deteriorating conditions.

[nolatom]

What do you have, a single cable-type headstay, an overlapping jib, and a "working jib" or something smaller for heavy air?

And reefing a reefable jib is, for you, the equivalent of changing jibs, meaning stowing the old one, and breaking out, hanking on, sheeting, and raising the new one.

Definitely doable, but takes time and physical effort, while someone, or some device, holds course, probably on a close reach.

In "just" a summer squall (not a weather front), and no close lee shore, you could just drop your jib (and yes a downhaul would help) and ride it out with reefed main, or even luffing main if you got caught without enough time. Five minutes later you'd have nice weather.

But if it's steadily worsening conditions, you've reefed main, you have to reduce jib size to keep her balanced, then you've got a challenging piece of work to do alone up forward.

Definitely doable, but if you knew the forecast and had access to a crew when you departed, you'd really be grateful during this sail change. Reducing or changing out sails in truly snotty weather is why we have crews anyway.