Well, I got all my parts in for the roller furler CDI FF2 w/ the bearings. And the deck mounting kit. Sadly I took my sails to the local sail loft which now does 80% of its business doing awnings and signs. They have been there 2 weeks now and the owner has not even looked at them, so I picked up all of them and just left the 130% for a luff tape install. I had taken some of my sails from my previous boat and entertained the thought of using one of them for a furling sail since they are a heavier cloth than the current ones. Oh well, now I am seriously considering practicing sailmaking with them, by ordering the tape and the materials from sailrite and modifying them myself. Semi-frustrated gil -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+gilbert=mindgame.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+gilbert=mindgame.com@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of htmills@bright.net Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 4:33 PM To: 'For and about Montgomery Sailboats' Subject: RE: M_Boats: Second Reef Bill, I expect this is the story you are referring to? http://potter-yachters.org/stories/sosmall/ It's an interesting read. Tod -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+htmills=bright.net@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of William B. Riker Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 9:04 PM To: 'For and about Montgomery Sailboats' Subject: RE: M_Boats: Second Reef Don, Good philosophy. If you are always upwind from your home port, you are in good shape and can sail with main or jib alone. The storm jib provides the ability to sail to windward in a blow and you never know when you'll need that capability. Sure, you hope you will never need to go to weather in 25 knots, but it can happen more or less frequently depending on your sailing grounds and habits. There was a story in a sailing magazine a few years ago, back before GOB and SCA, maybe Cruising World. A WWP 15 sailor got caught out in Lake Michigan and had a hell of a time. He couldn't go to weather with his sails or motor and upwind was where he needed to go. Downwind was farther out into the lake with bigger waves and more wind. I don't remember how he made it, if he was rescued or what, but one lesson learned was that a storm jib and deep reefs would have given him the ability to make progress toward shelter, something even his motor couldn't do. A friend and I were caught in a storm on Lake Erie, in the middle of the night, on his 23 footer. We could not make progress toward home even with the 9.9 outboard running flat out. The reefed main and jib were too much sail, so 90 degrees off the wind was the best we could do. It is amazing how well an M15 handles in a blow with 2 reefs and a storm jib. Those experiences convinced me that the ability to sail upwind, or comfortably downwind, in a blow is a safety factor. Like other safety equipment, you hope you don't need it, but are always more comfortable knowing it's there. Sailing on Lake Erie and the Chesapeake, I have had several occasions when I used my tiny storm jib and one or two reefs. It turns the situation from a "white knuckle" experience back into a Sunday sail. I don't like changing jibs in a blow, and usually get a little wet, but haven't ever been scared. I use two hands going forward, plunk my butt down on the foredeck so I can use two hands, most of the time, to work on the sails. The 15 is so small that you can lean back and stuff the "off watch" sail down the hatch, or into the cockpit, while still sitting on the foredeck! Then use two hands to walk or crawl back to the cockpit. Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel Oh, you want to know how the Lake Erie episode was resolved? We needed to get west, upwind, back to Erie, PA, behind the long point that is Presque Isle peninsula. Eric has more than a healthy fear of shore so we were maybe 3 miles out. I argued that if we powered a couple of miles toward shore, a beam reach, the point would shelter us from the worst of the waves and maybe some of the wind. He finally agreed, we moved toward shore, into the lee of the peninsula and could then head slowly West toward Erie. We got back to the slip at dawn and slept soundly for a few hours. How we ended up in that predicament is a story for another day. -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+wriker=mindspring.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+wriker=mindspring.com@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of LUDLOWD2@aol.com Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2005 7:59 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: M_Boats: Second Reef George: I had the second reef installed on my relatively new EP main. I looked at a few photos of M-15's with a second reef and pointed to a spot and told the sail maker, put it here. It is fairly deep, just a little less than the distance that the first reef is from the boom to the second reef. In all honesty, i've never used the second reef but there it is, rigged and ready. My thoughts are that if I need the second reef, I'm heading to safe harbor in a hurry, probably with the jib down, the hatch covers closed, my lifejacket and safety harness on, and my trusty 2HP Honda running. I've thought about getting a "storm jib" say 70% but heck, I'm not going to the bow in those conditions to put it up. and I'm not going to start out sailing in a 15 ft boat in those conditions with the storm jib on. Most likely, I'll get caught one day with the 150 up when a summer t'storm catches me. Then I'll use the jib downhaul, and maybe put the second reef in. I' ran the 20 + mile Dauphin Island Race last year in 20+ knots with the first reef and the 110 and found I needed the power to hammer through the waves. I feathered the main in the gusts and she stayed on her feet. I have tried "jib only" but never in 25+ knot winds. I'm not sure why you need the second reef but if it's for insurance, consider how the boat is going to handle in those conditions and whether you will fly your jib or not. Fair winds, good company, and have a nice sail. Don _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats