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I haven't watched that yet but have watched some of his stuff before. I like his approach with a super deep reef in his mainsail, his logic being that its far more efficient to reef rather than set a trysail.

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Its what a Stewart does every time it tries to get over the weir at Milford.

 

Also what's been happening a few times in Admin bay this season by the sounds of it.

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I am working my way through them as i get time.

Just finished the one where he argues for a fourth reef over a trysail. Puts his point across well.

 

So - who thinks a fourth reef is a better idea than a trysail? Should it be possible to get Cat 1 with that configuration?

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I am working my way through them as i get time.

Just finished the one where he argues for a fourth reef over a trysail. Puts his point across well.

 

So - who thinks a fourth reef is a better idea than a trysail? Should it be possible to get Cat 1 with that configuration?

Both options would be great. A 4th reef if you do not have enough time. Tri sail if you are battening everything down. We pulled a sea anchor out of the locker mid pacific. At 60+ KG dry weight and 2 handed we didn't think we would get it back on board until the weather and completely abated so lashed on deck and carried on

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Wow fusion, that's really heavy! Is that warp and all, or just the chute? My one is a coppins storm fighter, about 5m dia. Its about 20kg in the deployment bag - but the warp bag is prob 40 kg. You don't have to lift the warp all at once of course!

What type and size is your one to be so heavy?

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I agree with the 4th reef. Tri sails are hard work! When we had offshore we have to para anchor ready to go with the rode cable tried to the alloy rail so we have to do it cut the ties and deploy

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I had 4th reef on a light 35 footer I took to the Islands and it was great.

Much more control with a 4th reef, you get to use your boom.

 

For the catamaran the stack pack was probably plenty, no need for 4th reef or trysail.

We could happily gybe on the stack pack in a blow.

Of course you probably couldn't work to weather if you needed to though.

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I had 4th reef on a light 35 footer I took to the Islands and it was great.

Much more control with a 4th reef, you get to use your boom.

When using four reefs, were all four rigged and ready to go? Or did you rig the fourth as needed? If so, how did this work?

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I have 3, but the third is really deep. All rigged, all the time. Also have a trysail on its own track. Hardly ever used it, even in over 50 knots. I usually just use the main. However, I do consider the trysail is more robust than the main, so if I know I'm going to be in very bad conditions for an extended period, I'll use the trysail.

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I used to leave a light mouse permanently rigged between the 2nd and 3rd. When the 2nd went in the 1st was pulled through the 3rd with the mouse. Did that make sense.?

Never tried a 4th, but interesting. Skip has LOTS of heavy weather experience. Of course no one in NZ will experiment if it won't pass cat 1.

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Why use a mouse BP? Seems some of the racing guys do, as they think it's too much windage. On a cruiser though, I fail to see the point, just more complexity.

 

Also, sailing in Cook Strait for many years, you get used to reefing a LOT. I used to have single line reefing, using blocks on the sail to reduce friction, rather than reefing cringles. Lots more reefline, and slow due to that, but, it means you can reef/unreef without leaving the cockpit, which is desirable once it is crappy! Also reefing becomes a 1 man job. Around Auckland I don't bother with this, but still use it for shorthanded Ocean crossings.

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Wow fusion, that's really heavy! Is that warp and all, or just the chute? My one is a coppins storm fighter, about 5m dia. Its about 20kg in the deployment bag - but the warp bag is prob 40 kg. You don't have to lift the warp all at once of course!

What type and size is your one to be so heavy?

 

It was on a 48 Privilege Cat, yes it was 2 bags and the warp would have been the heavier of the 2. Im sure it had chain in center of the warp and at the bottom of the chute. I it all stayed bagged. We read the instructions in the boat manual and made the call to keep going.

0144 Glide W.jpg

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I think you're going to have to have the trisail for cat 1. But if you have the super reef, maybe just not need it so much.

Interesting sidebar on storm jib size . I don't have the regs to hand but their size is a percentage of main from memory. When we used the unit on my buddy's boat a few times I firmly believed it was just too big( particularly for heaving to). So I asked an inspector on return, or commented on it to him. He said that the size was determined that way so that it would enable a boat to sail off a lee shore. Pretty reasonable ,I can see that , but it left me thinking that you really want two storm jibs so that you can have a real scrap of a thing just for steerage/ heaving to.

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We pulled a sea anchor out of the locker mid pacific. At 60+ KG dry weight
First there was paint job envy, then that changed to keel envy now it's bloody sea anchor envy.

 

Fusions at 60kg and I just weighed mine which came in at a massive .... 2.9kg and a huge 2700mm in diameter.

 

The 4th reef idea I like but a trisail is handy if you know it'll be a long one or you lose the main.

 

From what I can ascertain a 4th reef is good but Cat 1 will make you carry a Trisail anyway.

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Never had a Trisail and had Cat one a few times. On the mono they were happy with the deep reef. On the Cat they said lie to a sea anchor. I see Skip doesn't really rate sea anchors though.

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