reefing and other questions

[diverphil]

hi, we are new to this sailing lark ,have done a couple of courses, and a couple of weeks out sailing, we bought the boat last October, did the clean, antifoul and service jobs but with the lockdown only got the boat back in the water last month, my question is at what wind speed roughly would I need to put the first  reef in , the reason I ask is our lack of experience with a sail boat and that the original owners said they always leave 1st reef in as it can get a bit of a handful with full sail out. with this in mind we set off for our first try out on our own, ran around for a bit on the engine then put the headsail up (confidence thing, one sail at once, see what happens) the second time out we risked the main as well. perfect for beginners 7 to 10knt wind gust to 15. this was all with 3rd reef in. all went well if a little slow  around 4 knt.
so back to the question, is there a rough wind speed or gust speed that you would start reefing .the boat is a bav 33 cruiser 2006
regards
Phil

[geoff]

Without knowing your boat it can only be a rough personal view ...but In our 40cc I put in 1st reef if the apparent wind hits 20kt and reef 2 if the apparent wind stays above 25kt. That said sea state and crew confidance /comfort can vary that a fair bit. If YOU think you need a reef DO IT.  Enjoy !! Geoff   

[Symphony]

You should be able to hold full sail up to about 15 knots apparent. Above that you will found a tendency to round up in gusts, particularly if you have the main pinned in tight above 40 degrees to the wind. You may well find taking a couple of rolls in the jib first might help in marginal conditions. Above 15 knots then first reef in main is a good idea if wind is forward of the beam. In your 7-10 knots you should be able to make 5 knots+ at 35 degrees to the wind comfortably.

It is probably easier to set the main first by going head to wind with the engine on, just at low speed and maybe with the autopilot on to hold a steady course. Once up you can then free off and start sailing under main alone, pulling the jib out once you have control over the boat and all the string from the main is tidied away. One of the downsides of the sheeting arrangement with the mainsheet on the coachroof is that you can't reach it from the helm, so you need a crew to be ready to free it off in gusts. To reduce the need for this, you might start with the first reef in if you are going out in 10 knot+ and gusts until you get the hang of what works for you.

[sy_Anniina]

Welcome to sailing, Happy to see new addicts Jere.

You have to try and feel your own limits, roughly it is time to reef when

A. Heeling becomes eccessive, usually The Admiral or the Junior will be a good indicator on this, otherwise at least before toerail is underwater.

B If steering while running is too hard, reef to reduce power.


For us the rough rule of thumb is 8m/s close hauled 10+m/s running for first reef.

BR
Tommi
s/y Anniina

[diverphil]

thanks for your info, I didn't  wish to go out and put full sails up, to find it all went wrong in a puff of wind and wishing I had my diving gear on. will go out next time with a bit more confidence  and put more sail up (wind depending). 2 weeks ago is the first time I've seen wind below 12knts on the gauge, has usually been 20+ when we have been down to boat , has been as high as 48 on the pontoon.