Thursday, December 30, 2010

TO REEF OR NOT TO REEF

Coconut Grove, Miami, FL 25º43.532N | 80º14.193W

The dotted ropes are the reefing lines we've been puzzling over.
MISSION CRITICAL CHORE NUMBER ONE: Fix reefing system

"Reefing" is how you lessen your sail area when the wind is kicking up. Otherwise, with too much sail and too much wind, you risk getting knocked over, something I'd prefer to avoid.

This task has been on our list since we left home waters, and despite various attempts at figuring out how to get it working properly, we have continually failed.

Today, the Island Packet Assistance League came to our aid. Two other Island Packet owners generously stopped by to help us untwangle our lines.

You get a line, and I'll get a line.
We threaded and rethreaded. We tossed around theory after theory. We pulled the lines all the way out the back of the boom to confirm there are no shuttle cars inside (as we had been told).

Problems were found. Problems were solved. New problems were introduced. New problems were solved.

Many hours later, the system still runs like a giraffe uphill. We can marginally get it reefed down. It is almost impossible to get it back up.

Thank you fellow IP friends. At least we don't feel so alone -- or stupid. If smart people can't figure this out, there's something wrong.


MISSION CRITICAL CHORE NUMBER ONE: Fix reefing system. Sigh.


Coconut Grove, Miami, FL 25º43.532N | 80º14.193W

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