[alberg30] Re: flattening reef

[Adam Sadeg]

From: Adam Sadeg <asadeg at flash.net>

Hi George,

I do a significant amount of racing on many different boats, particularly ULDB
sailboats, in fact my other boat is a Moore 24 which I race on San Francisco Bay.
I race and sail quite often in conditions that require a flattener or a reefed
main.  The flattening reef is meant to de-power the mainsail while it is fully
hoisted.  Typically if you have a flatting reef set up in your main, it's grommet
is about a foot or so above the clew on your main.  You should have a line
specifically set up as the flattener, and it should have a decent purchase on it,
(by the way, your outhaul should also have some decent purchase on it as well).

The best time to use a flattener is dependent on your boats performance or how
overpowered it is.  Say your out sailing, your going to weather and you've got the
rail in the water, your wife's on the helm and you can see her knuckles turning
white from all the weather helm she got.  What do you do?  First thing you would do
is put some outhaul on, and see what happens...if nothing happens and the boat is
still overpowered, then you pull some flattener on, you will see you main flatten
out considerably and the boat should begin to handle better(by the way... make sure
your vangs off or loose, as well as your main sheet, when you are putting the
flattener on, then re-snug the vang otherwise you could break your boom).    Of
course, this is assuming that you have the correct headsail up.  If your flying
your 150 in 30 knots of wind, you could be flogging your main and still have
weather helm and the rail in the water.

So a basic guide to de-powering your boat should be:
    1.  Correct headsail for the conditions.
    2.  Outhaul first...til it's maxed out.
    3.  Flattener on til it's maxed out.
    4.  Reef # 1
    5.  Reef # 2

If you have any further questions you can email me directly.  asadeg at flash.net

Best regards,

Adam Sadeg
Atalanta (Alberg 30)
Hurricane (Moore 24)
San Francisco, CA

George Dinwiddie wrote:

> From: George Dinwiddie <gdinwiddie at min.net>
>
> Russ,
>
> We've got a flattening reef on our "new" main, but I've never rigged
> it.  I really don't know how it's supposed to be used or when it's
> indicated.
>
> Do you hook the first reef tack when you pull in the flattening reef?
> What range of wind speed, or what other indications, prompts you to
> use the flattening reef?  How do you decide to put in the flattening
> reef rather than the first reef?
>
> Inquiring Minds Want To Know!
>
>  - George
>
> > Rap1208 at aol.com said:
> >
> > Lee. You have more stuff on your boom than I do.  I have a stainles strap (
> > eye) on the port side.  Line is tied there, goes up to reef hole, back to
> > block ( located so that the pull is down, and back at about a 45 degree angle)
> > then forward, lead through an eye strap forward to a cleat.  I have a small
> > winch forward on the boom to get things really tight.  We drop the maim
> > halyard just enough to get the reef clew on a hook.  first reef on staboard
> > hook, 2nd on the port hook.  The 2nd reef block on the boom is a little
> > forward of the first reef, led forward along the boom to a cleat.  Either line
> > may be put on the winch.  My flatening reef is on the port side, with a triple
> > block arrangement forward on the boom. It takes less than a minute ) about 30
> > sec) for a good crew to put in the flattening reef.
> > Incidently, when I first joined the Chesapeke Bay Alberb 30 association in the
> > fall of 1987, we went downthere around Christmas time.  Was well received.  I
> > had a heated disscussion with those folks becaiuse of my flatening reef.
> > (first thing I had my sailmaker do).  At the time it was forbiden for class
> > use.  Reason, to keep things low cost.  I told them that the cost of a reef
> > cringle, a block and a cleat would enable them to improve sail shape on a
> > windy day.  Had an argument about it.  Next spring when the handbook came out,
> > a flatening reef was approved for the first time.So there
>
> --
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   George Dinwiddie                                  gdinwiddie at min.net
>   The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in
>   sailing.          http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Alberg30/
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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