Reefing lines? Where are they connected?

[Kneecaps]

Brand new to sailing and eSail and the sim is really giving me what I wanted from it! Thank you it is just what I was looking for to educate me on the basics of sailing. Managing to get the mainsail up and jib out and vaguely trimmed is thrilling at the moment :D

Reefing, had some pain with the reefing lessons but did manage to get the mainsail reefed. What would help is an understanding of where the two reefing lines are 'hooked on'/connected to the mainsail. Many of the diagrams and videos I've watched describe 1 or more reefing lines connected at various points of the sail (the tack/forward edge?).

Do the reefing lines run though the tack and clew in this arrangement? (if not where does it run?) Understanding this would make reefing a bit more intuitive to me...

Thanks in advance.

[cbaldwin256]

For the simulation we have simplified things a little and don't show the reefing lines as they pass though the sail. However in future I'm sure we will show more detail here. Reefing system vary but we model ours on single-line slab reefing systems.(Its a single line because one line pulls down the front and back (luff and leech) of the sail.

It might be best to look at a conventional two line system first : http://myboatsgear.com/2016/12/25/mainsail-slab-reefing/

What might be confusing is that people often talk about clew and tack reefing lines. But when the sail is up the lines pass through cringles (eyelets /holes in the sail) ABOVE the clew and tack. But once the sail is reefed these cringles ARE the new clew and tack (the corners of the sail).

So moving on, our system is more like this: Like this https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/single-line-reefing.html. In our boat there are two reefing lines like this passing though cringles at different heights. Reefing Line 1 passes though the lower cringles, and reefing line 2 passes though the higher cringles (so shortens sail more).

In this system once the reefing line is pulled tight the job is done. Because the reefing line runs up one side of the sail, though a cringle, then down the other side, once it is pulled tight the whole sail is 'wrapped up' by the line - it can't go anywhere.

Of course, as in all things nautical, things rarely go smoothly and often the reefing lines jam, won't pull though properly etc. On single line reefing systems this can be worse as one line is having to do so much work and has a long path. Another good reason to reef early before conditions get too bad!

[Kneecaps]

Thanks for this detailed reply! I Forgot to thank you previously. Very much enjoying eSail and the things I'm learning.

[cbaldwin256]

Thanks Kneecaps. Don't forget to leave a review if you haven't already! We really need to keep our score up to combat the odd naysayer!