Is it possible?

[Diving Duck]

That reminds me of my favorite quote from "Sailing: The Basics," "Seamanship is the art of staying out of trouble."

[tattoo]

Sailing solo or with a crew, Tattoo heaves-to nicely when under sail. A good way to enjoy lunch (or just rest and relax) without lowering the main’sl. And when the wind is steady she can be trimmed (sheets & tiller clutch) so that she sails herself. Of course, if there’s much wind shift or wave action change (or weight redistribution of crew), adjustments have to be made. When first sailing Tattoo, hoisting or lowering the main’sl (solo while under way) was a bit of a problem. However, it has become much easier with lazy jacks installed and the gaff extended about 8” so that it can rest on the gallows (when lowered). Also, when new, the cars didn’t always slide smoothly on the mast track. Now, after a “break-in” period, they slide very nicely.

As for taking in a reef solo (in wind conditions requiring it) with main'sl already hoisted – it would really be helpful (for the less experienced – like me) to have a written guide setting out step-by-step how it should be done on PocketShip -- along with a demonstration video. Although I don’t think I’d want to set my spinnaker solo with white caps showing, it would be nice to have a written guide and demonstration video for that too.

If John could provide us with a rigging diagram for a PocketShip “jiffy reefing” set up, I’d consider fabricating and installing it as a winter project, ready for sea-trials (and report for the forum) in early spring.

By the way, on Monday (Nov 11) Tattoo was sailed out of Leesylvania State Park on the Potomac. Very nice weather and a good breeze. After sailing for a while, the wind picked up and we (skipper + one crew) tucked in both reefs. She stood up well in the gusts and easily was making just above 4 knots!

Pete McCrary, Tattoo's skipper and builder
Maiden voyage, October 2010

[slash2]

For reasons I shall explain, I was searching the forum for information on reefing and ‘tattoo’s post above is exactly what I wanted to ask. I saw no replies that really answered his questions though. So, in the intervening 10 years, has anyone written up how to reef the main on a ‘stock’ Pocketship and what jiffy reefing system works well? For the first part, the reef ties are pretty obvious, though I have seen differences whether one ties them around the boom, but what about the cringles? Obviously they need to be tied, but does one keep lines tied to them or add them during reefing? Doesn’t the clew need some kind of outhaul? Basics like that. For the jiffy reefing I’ve seen references to Pocketship #1 but no clear diagram of what he did.

Ok, so.. why was I searching this? Well I took Little Wing out on her third voyage today. The first two times were pretty light winds. Today was forecast as 8-9 with gusts between 15 and 20. I figured I’d start out with a reef, but when I got there, there was hardly any wind. By the the time I got out and went to raise sails, it was dead calm. I figured the forecast must have changed and did not reef (can you see where this is going?). Soon after the wind picked up and was probably 7-8 and I was going along nicely. Then the ‘gusts’ came in. They were persistent and I realized I was in trouble and needed to reef. I found out how hard it is to solo steer into the (changing) wind, drop the halyards, and tie a reef in. It was not a pretty sight, but I kept my senses and got it done. She sailed nicely after that, though the persistent gusts were not fun. I headed in and contemplated my foolishness. I’m embarrassed to relate the story, but maybe it will make someone else think twice about ignoring the forecast. I do have to say the Pocketship stayed on her feet with some pretty crazy winds going around

[[email protected]]

For reasons I shall explain, I was searching the forum for information on reefing and ‘tattoo’s post above is exactly what I wanted to ask. I saw no replies that really answered his questions though. So, in the intervening 10 years, has anyone written up how to reef the main on a ‘stock’ Pocketship and what jiffy reefing system works well?

First of all, Pocketship really needs an easy-to-use reefing system. Without it, sooner or later you will find yourself in a dicey situation.
I studied photos of Pocketship #1's current reefing setup, and installed it on my boat. John Staub from CLC told me this:

John's set-up for reefing on our boat is genius. It forces you to stand in the safest part of the boat while underway - directly in the companionway. This can be a lifesaver in rapidly
changing conditions, or when you find yourself realizing the time to reef was in the past. All the control lines are at arm's length and the sail takes its new shape with just a tug
of the line. I know he'd still endorse the setup and I'd second it every time.

The main component of the reefing system is the Harken #395 pivoting lead block. You need one for each of the two reefing points, as well as a swiveling block,a regular block,
a cheek block, a fairlead, and some eyestraps. All of the stuff will probably cost something like $350.

Here is a photo of the stuff on the mast, while in use:

reefing.jpg (199.41 KiB) Viewed 8277 times

One tip: don't make both lines the same color. Also consider using more than one fairlead on the boom for each line.

[[email protected]]

And here is a video, double-reefed during a squall in Chesapeake Bay: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mAcSoFDH6JJ6X4VP8

I didn't get a chance to deal with the reef ties, and the excess material hanging below the boom was starting to fill with rainwater...

[slash2]

Thanks Doug. I guess, in the end, a jiffy reefing system is needed. I had seen your picture before but could not make out the components. Thanks for listing them. It’s still unclear to me how the whole system works, like at the clew. Do you have a diagram of how everything is run?

Also I get that being able to reef from the companionway is preferred, but then, when solo, how does one stay steered into the wind? That was the hardest part for me- keeping the sail luffed with the boom over the boat. Or in your system do you not have to be headed into the wind- just let the sail luff and reef, then take back control?

Most of my experience is on smaller boats without reefing, so it’s pretty new to me, so I may be asking questions that seem obvious to large boat sailors.

[dbeck]

It seems we have at least two threads in this topic

Jay, my 5 ct: My view is that the limit is imposed by the sailor, not the boat. Fatigue, cold, having too little food or drinks, the movement of the boat (even if not sea-sick) may diminish the capabilities a lot. That is not only physical capabilities, but also the ability to take sound decisions. Of course, a boat should fit the purpose. We build our PS as a daysailer for protected, maybe coastal waters. The intention is that we can go into areas (with shallow water) inaccessible for larger keel boats. For open water, I'd rather use a different kind of boat. S.th. like trip to the Bahamas mentioned by John is certainly an exciting and exceptional project for the very experienced.

Steve, Doug, CLC: I am also interested in a single line reef and I'd be interested to see a sketch. I believe it should work as shown in the image below? Maybe s.o. from CLC can comment?

A: reef line starts here
B, E: reefing points
C,D: cheek blocks
F: the famous haarkon 395 block

I tend to place the start (A) below the first reef point (B). This will pull the reefing point easier towards the boom. If the start (A) was further aft, either a lot of force in the aft direction would be need to pull the aft reef point (B) onto the boom (imposing a lot of stress and wear to the sail cloth) or the reef point (B) is not on the boom but less controlled as shown in Doug's video (thanks a lot Doug, this video helps a lot in understanding the setup)

I am not sure (swivelling) blocks are really needed at the reefing points (B,E).

Cheers, Dietrich

jiffy_reef.png (29.01 KiB) Viewed 8263 times

[[email protected]]

Also I get that being able to reef from the companionway is preferred, but then, when solo, how does one stay steered into the wind? That was the hardest part for me- keeping the sail luffed with the boom over the boat. Or in your system do you not have to be headed into the wind- just let the sail luff and reef, then take back control?

Especially for solo sailing, you need to be able to heave to: with the jib backed, and the tiller over to the opposite side. When heaved-to (hove-to?), the boat will sit motionless and stable,
with the wind coming from one side. This makes it easy to reef, or go into the cabin to fetch something, etc. This is a basic sailing skill, and you should practice heaving-to until you can
do it reliably on either tack. (If you are solo you will need some way to fix the tiller to one side.) The boom will be off to one side, but that does not really complicate single-line reefing process.

Doug

[[email protected]]

Steve, Doug, CLC: I am also interested in a single line reef and I'd be interested to see a sketch. I believe it should work as shown in the image below? Maybe s.o. from CLC can comment?

A: reef line starts here
B, E: reefing points
C,D: cheek blocks
F: the famous haarkon 395 block

I tend to place the start (A) below the first reef point (B). This will pull the reefing point easier towards the boom. If the start (A) was further aft, either a lot of force in the aft direction would be need to pull the aft reef point (B) onto the boom (imposing a lot of stress and wear to the sail cloth) or the reef point (B) is not on the boom but less controlled as shown in Doug's video (thanks a lot Doug, this video helps a lot in understanding the setup)

I am not sure (swivelling) blocks are really needed at the reefing points (B,E).

Both the startpoint A and the cheek block C should be a few inches behind where sail reef point C will be (I put them a bit too far back on my boat). Another possibility is to have startpoint A be a loop of line around the boom instead of a fixed eyestrap. The will let it naturally assume the correct position. I was recently sailing on a 32-foot Island Packet, and that's how its single line reefing system was set up. We had the boat single and double-reefed at different times, and it worked fine.

The block at the reef point B may not be necessary, but it only needs to be the cheapest non-swivel carbo block, and you can just lash it in place.
I don't think a block at forward reef point E would work - it would get all caught up in the other hardware in that congested area. Finally, the swivel block at point D
should be attached to the tabernacle. You need to position that block and the fancy 395 block carefully, so that they do not interfere with each other, and the front corners of the boom
cannot crush them when the boom is swung way over to the shrouds. (This spring I modified my boom by rounding and tapering the front few inches so that it could not jam against the gallows.)

Doug

[slash2]

I installed single line (jiffy) reefing on my boat today. I read up a lot on this, here and on the interweb, and it seemed like a good idea. I saw lots of discussion on pros and cons, block vs cringle, etc etc. I tried a few things but ended up with a basic setup, running the lines through the cringles. Yes, there is a bit of friction, which causes the tack to tighten before the clew, but I just pull on the line along the boom to fix that. But when I brought the sail down for the night, a question popped up that i don't think I've seen addressed.When the sail is dropped and the reef lines are left alone, the slack line drops down off the boom and creates a bit of a mess. Now I haven't installed fairleads yet, so I imagine that would help, but it still seems there will be a bunch of loose line hanging down. Unless one tightens the reef lines up as the sails are dropped, but that seems like it would be a pain on lowering and subsequent raising.

So, what does one do with the the reef lines when lowering the sail?