## A Dialog on Reefing 

## Will Kingsburywrote: 

 Is there a rule of thumb about wind speeds and reefing? I am currently single handing, I weigh about 250 and I'm not exactly a speed demon moving around the boat. Current forecasts: tomorrow 10-15 kts with gusts to 20, next day 15 to 20 with gusts to 25, Wednesday 20-25 with gusts to 30. My instinct tells me that reefing would be appropriate tomorrow and Tuesday and Wednesday would be best spent with a good book, but I'm looking for a more educated opinion. 

##  GeorgeHaycraftwrote: 

ry it with the reef tomorrow. See how it goes, then decide about Tuesday. After Tuesday, they you can decide about Wednesday. In addition, there's more you can do than just reef. The sail's draft and it’s position will also be important. T 

You'll want a depowered sail with a flat draft located further aft. (Like 4th gear) The draft can be flattened by increasing the tension on the luff (throat halyard) and the peak and clew outhauls. The tension of the peak halyard will also be important. To flatten the draft, and move it further back, the peak halyard tension wants to be just barely enough to make the "too loose" wrinkle (throat to clew) in the sail disappear. 

If you find you've reefed a bit early, then you can tighten the peak halyard until you're just about to get the too tight wrinkle (peak to tack) to increase the draft and move it forward. This will give the reefed sail a more powerful shape. 

(Like 1st gear) Easing the throat halyard (luff) and the peak and clew outhauls will also help. A boom vang is also very helpful in shaping a reefed sail. Tightening the vang will help flatten the sail a lot. It's almost like a one line throttle adjustment. 

