I sailed an M15 for several years before moving to an M17, Kevin. During the M15 years I never found it necessary to reef the working jib. I found reefing the main and using the small headsail was sufficient in higher winds. The trick for me was to change to the smaller headsail early--from Genoa or drifter to working jib--was the key to a more comfortable sail in high winds. In my opinion the higher the wind, the more an M15 acts like a dingy that demands a more active hand. t On Mon, Apr 2, 2012 at 7:24 PM, Kevin Lynch <kevnstephanie@verizon.net> wrote:
I've been reading the archives about reefing and Jerry's insistence on always using both sails. My M15, #200 has reefing points on the jib and a double pulley at the bow for one takedown line to drop the whole jib and a second line to drop it to the reefing point. I have not tried this because it seems too impractical. Sure, I can lower the jib to the reef point but then I'd have to go forward to secure the bottom of the jib and on top of that my jib sheets are tied to the bottom clew so I would have to have a way to quickly change to the upper clew. Has anyone tried this? I can see starting out with a reefed jib if it is really windy but to do it on the water in a building wind does not seem wise.
Kevin M15 #200, Wee Fun