Daniel Collins wrote:What is the usual reefing order when going to weather with a JR schooner rig? I'm a little curious as to whether one reefs the main or fore first for best performance, and how subsequent reefs typically go. Assuming a well-balanced boat so no weird behaviors need to be accounted for, what do most of you do and in what order, from first reef all the way to full reef on both sails?
I'm trying to figure out what works best but there are quite a few combinations and it would be nice to learn from others who have done it before I wear myself out trying all the possibilities! On my recent 1000 NM voyage I was barely learning to go upwind at all so I'm still working out the best ways to do this.
Thanks much,
-- D
Hi D. Assuming you have 6 panels in each sail that's 6x6=36 plus one for sails fully down = 37 combinations. You'll probably never use them all. My previous boat was the same model as
Lexia, ie a Sunbird 32 schooner junk. As far as I recall we adopted the same 'suck it and see' approach as Jonathan for upwind sailing, though in light winds and choppy seas eg in the Med we would often (have to) drop the foresail and turn on the engine. In stronger winds the foresail would lose a panel before the main lost one.
Haven't sailed our Freedom 39 schooner conversion enough yet to be able to say if the routine will be the same, but I guess it will, and that it will match the recommended reefing strategy for its Freedom rig which was as per the Sunbird, ie reef the foresail first
We haven't changed the sails' fore and aft centres of effort much - there is an extra panel on the main though, so more area there - and the rudder is unchanged. But we 'only' had 3 x 3 + 1 = 10 reef combinations then, and she was difficult to reef. The limited experience we've had with the new rig has confirmed again just how much easier, safer, more reliable and forgiving a junk rig is.
(Full reef on both sails = turn on the engine, lie a-hull :-)