HORIZON SAILS - SLAB REEFING SYSTEMS
Sailing in big breeze can be fun, exciting, maybe stressful. Shortening sail quickly and easily when the breeze comes on is key to looking after your sails and your crew. There are many different reefing systems for the mainsail, most are pre-determined by the mast manufacturer, while some are customized by the crew to make reefing faster and safer. Here’s what to look out for when reefing to ensure you are looking after the sail, mast, boom, and fittings. Reefing needs to be safe for the crew. The best way to achieve reefing efficiency is to practice on the water. Take the time with the crew to go through the process in moderate conditions. The most common system is slab reefing, it is the simplest and most reliable system. First the luff’s reef point is secured, and then the clew’s reef point is pulled toward the outboard end of the boom until the foot of the sail is flat.