What is reefing and furling?
Roller reefing rolls or wraps the sail around a wire, foil, or spar to reduce its exposure to the wind. In mainsail furling systems the sail is either wrapped around the boom by a mechanism in the gooseneck or hardware inside the boom winds it around a rotating foil.
What is a furling sail?
Furling refers to stowing or dousing a boat’s sail by flaking (folding), packing (like stuffing a spinnaker into a bag), or stowing it in part or whole using roller furling.
How do you reef a furling headsail?
If they are furled around the forestay then it is very simple to reef them. You simply roll them up a little in order to decrease their size. Typically there will be two stripes marked on the foot of the jib/genoa. Each one marks where the sail should be rolled to for the respective reefing point.
What is reefing in sailing?
Typically it involves lowering the sail a few feet and tying up the extra material in some fashion onto the boom, thereby establishing a new tack and clew. Figure it out and put in a reef, then shake it out.
Can you reef a furling jib?
You should be able to reef a furling genoa on a 40-footer by hand – be very careful if you are using a winch. Most furling headsails have reefing “buffers” and marks. The buffers are additional plies of sailcloth that help disperse the loads on the reefed sail.
Can you reef in mast furling?
Furling Mainsail Advantages A furling mainsail is easy to reef and un-reef from the cockpit while underway – a great advantage in San Francisco Bay where winds can be highly variable. There’s no need to flake and cover the mainsail when done sailing. Roll it up, close the line clutches, and you’re done!
Can you reef a furling genoa?
With a furler, the genoa can be reefed or stowed from the safety of the cockpit without the physical effort of dragging sails onto the foredeck, so a small crew can sail a large boat, or a moderate size boat can be single- handed.
Do you have to turn into the wind to reef?
When to reef? Most boats are designed to require the first reef in around 18 knots apparent wind when sailing to windward. Some lighter, more coastal-orientated boats may struggle in 15 knots while heavier offshore designs will still be happy at 20 knots or more.
