Sail area reduction

Introduction.

With a few years of sailing experience, I can assure you that a large part of the compromising situations on board a sailboat are caused by not reducing sail in time.

Therefore, one of the key decisions that the skipper has to make on board is when to reduce sail, taking reefs or changing sails. And I repeat, it is the skipper’s decision and responsibility.

When should the sail area be reduced?

Reducing sail late, i.e. when the wind has already increased too much, has several disadvantages. Maneuvering is more difficult and requires greater physical effort; and with a reduced crew it can even be compromised. In addition, there is an increased risk of damage or breakage of equipment. It may even be risky for the crew, if the maneuver is performed with a lot of balance and head, which will require greater precautions to be taken. In this situation, when sail is reduced, heel will decrease and the boat will be more stable.

The great sailors, such as Joshua Slocum, the first to sail solo around the world (with stopovers), or Bernard Moitisier, the first sailor with Robin Knox-Johnston to sail non-stop around the world, reduced heel well in advance, adjusting the sails to the area in which they were sailing and to the weather on a permanent basis. This precaution, based on experience, has enabled great nautical feats to be accomplished over the years, and is still perfectly valid.

Bernard Moitisier, in an appendix to his book “The Long Way”, describes how he reduced the sail area during his solo round-the-world voyage, depending on the weather situation (see the drawings above). Despite technological advances and the new materials available, these recommendations are still very useful.

If the wind continues to pick up, taking reefs will not be enough and we will hoist the storm sails, and we will decide which is the most appropriate strategy, which can be to weather the storm headwind (e.g. hove-to) or to run the storm. The storm sails, as well as the possible storm strategies and techniques will be discussed in detail in the next chapters of this online book.

In the event of a heavy gale or storm, there will come a time when it may be necessary to lower the entire sail plan and deploy a storm device (e.g. a “parachute-type” sea anchor on the bow or a “jordans series drogue” on the stern). From there, there will be little we can do until the storm subsides.

For an experienced sailor, the decision of when to reef, or reduce the size of the genoa, with the furler may be intuitive and, surely, the best time to reef is when you first think about it.

We will now take a closer look at five (5) general tips or considerations that can help us decide when to change sails and reduce rigging on a cruising sailboat, and they are as follows:

– Stay ahead of the weather forecast.

– Avoid excessive heeling.

– Maintain sail balance.

– The sail reduction table.

– Avoid unnecessary risks.