Anonymous wrote:
Looks like fun, Rael.
Are you on the Black Sea in that video?
I am also wondering how often to need to reef with your proa. It seems like you always have the full sail up.
Sorry for late reply Scott, JRA got put into my spam folder....???.... Gmail has style I suppose....
Yea Black sea sailing in the video, crashing away...
I start reefing in a F6 when it's blowing close to 20 knots, sometimes I reef on my way into port, so I enter in a lower gear... it gives more time to think about where and how I will park, I may catch onto a mooring buoy, I may moor bow to the quay, hook off the stern, or I may drop the hook near the beach... So coming in reefed is always good, you know, just reef on the way in... JR style, no heading up and tying reef knots for the next 10 minutes... Junks are so amazing.
I had a couple hairy situations where the JR saved us, as we turn towards the anchorage and start coming in on a following wind, proas are bad downwind, they develop ridiculous weather helm. On both occasions there was a big swell rolling into port, the boat was running and surfing, we were going so fast that I could barely hold her on course. Breakwater coming up, I'm pulling on my rudder like never before, if she goes to where she wants, we ride into the break water... It was frightening! While I'm pulling like crazy on my rudder, I told Jenia let the halyard go, she reefed a panel in five seconds, then she tightened up the yard parrel , set the throat parrel and the boat just came into trim in 15 seconds.
It will never happen again, since I reef earlier now, though the JR saved us for sure on those 2 occasions.
I love it!!!
Take care man,
Keep Shunting,
Balkan Shipyards.