I can't imagine reefing any other way than hove to, but that's probably because I've never done it any other way. Hove to the boat is quiet and on a fairly even keel, essentially "parked". I've found that my 17 balances quite well with the boom just over the quarter and the helm hard alee, so I can get at the leach reefing line without leaning out of the boat. Rick M-17 #633 Lynne L On 12/12/09, Tom Jenkins <tjenk@gte.net> wrote:
Doug, It sounds as if you can stand forward in the cockpit and do everything. My hook works fine for the first reef, but I sometimes struggle to get the second cringle over the hook when the boat is bouncing. Maybe heaving to solves that problem. Tom
On Dec 12, 2009, at 12:50 PM, Doug Kelch wrote:
Rick had mentioned that he reefs while hove to.
I do the same and find it very efficient. To do this though the boom is outboard of the cockpit and I but a turning block just aft of the reefing clew in order to lead the reefing line foward along the boom so that I am not leaning outboard of the boat while reefing.
So my reefing clew arrangement is a line from a pad eye on the port side through the reefing clew, to turning block on starboard and then forward to a small horn cleat about 3 feet aft of the mast.
When the boat is hove to the boat is far more stable than trying to head into the wind and everything works smoother so that I am comfortable with just a reefing hook at the gooseneck.
Thanks
Doug Kelch "Seas the Day" M15 #310 G
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