New Reefing System installed for New Mainsail

Well finally after much deliberation, conversation and general stuffing about, i finally got the slab reefing system for Maggie's new mainsail installed...YEAH!!

I went down to Yaringa, after the weatherman telling me it was going to be a nice day, to be greeted by teeming rain... :( ...

so the decision was made to bring the boom home to work on...probably should have done that a while ago... oh well...

...so now with a couple of hours free in the morning, i set about drilling, lathering everything with duralac and riveting...and what do you know...i've got a reefing system...
 so here's the general set up...(i hope you all like my mdf mainsail!!)

once i get it back onto the yacht i'll tidy up the bowline around the saddle...

I've decided to cleat off the reefing lines on the boom, primarily to save room on the cabin roof. The cabin of the Jedda goes from gunnel to gunnel and doesn't have the "track" around the edge which many other yachts have...

If i don't like how it works...i'll just change it...simple...!!


And if you're wondering why that reef point looks a long way forward on the boom...it's the 3rd reef...it's really, really deep - 50% area reduction!! Hopefully deeper than i'll need but it's there just in case...


The reefing at the tack is done via the cunningham, which has also just been set up!


Hopefully, i'll be able to get Maggie on the water soon and test the system!!


Happy Sailing...


Just a quick edit:


I'm not actually going to end the reefing lines on the saddle as shown on the earlier photo. What I'm going to do is loop the line around the boom and tie off with either...

...a bowline...

...or Huw's Slippy Knot...

This way the boom is taking the load from the line and line isn't just trying to wrench the saddle out.


Bye...