When do you guys start to reef the main? Since the main on the c-26 is smaller then most other boats I wonder what the rule of thumb is. Anything over 22-25 I tend to reef since I am unable to keep the heel down below 25 -30 degrees mark.
I just wonder what everyone else can get buy with.
wind speed and reefing
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hotdot
Great question ronc98, I was wondering the same thing. A few weeks ago I was sailing in the gulf out of Crystal River and the summer onshore winds were blowing like stink(25+ on my old indicator) combined with the waves rolling in from the gulf it was kind of rough. Long story short I (the autopilot) happily sailed with full main and storm jib. What surprised me was how well the boat pointed and beat into the waves. During gusts the boat just heeled more but the autopilot never strained or lost control. The boat seemed stuck at 25 degrees and went to 30 in the gusts, but it drove to weather well and towed my walker bay 8. I did over 30 miles that day. The only bad thing is that I spilled my beer!
The good lines and fairly heavy displacement, for their size, make these boats good in heavy weather on a beat. I think how much sail you carry is going to depend on several factors. Are you just cruising or racing? Are you sailing upwind or downwind? How many people do you have on board to put up on the windward side of the boat? On the 22 my experience so far is when the winds start to get to be 20+ steady then the gust are going to make reefing necessary if you are just cruisng and if a heavy heel makes the guests uncomfortable (ala, wife screaming we are all going to die while hiding out in the cabin and holding on for dear life 
). Racing I will probably tolerate it a little while longer because everyone is there to make the boat go fast and the extra work maintaining a reasonable heel in a gust is expected. It is also going to depend on your skill level because there are many small adjustments you can make, some that might seem counter productive, that can make the boat stay upright in high winds. I think the difference from one person or circumstance to the next could be as much as a 10 knot difference between when you reef and when to hang in there.
). Racing I will probably tolerate it a little while longer because everyone is there to make the boat go fast and the extra work maintaining a reasonable heel in a gust is expected. It is also going to depend on your skill level because there are many small adjustments you can make, some that might seem counter productive, that can make the boat stay upright in high winds. I think the difference from one person or circumstance to the next could be as much as a 10 knot difference between when you reef and when to hang in there.Thanks Banshi,
Sounds like I am on the same track then. My problem is I have taugh myself to sail from being out there in different conditions and reading books and putting those things to use. What Ihave learned works, I just sometimes not sure if it is the right way or not. Then again I guess as long I am still floating at the end i am doing ok
I am thinking about taking a few classes for more open water / passage making oriented at Lake Erie.
Sounds like I am on the same track then. My problem is I have taugh myself to sail from being out there in different conditions and reading books and putting those things to use. What Ihave learned works, I just sometimes not sure if it is the right way or not. Then again I guess as long I am still floating at the end i am doing ok
I am thinking about taking a few classes for more open water / passage making oriented at Lake Erie.
I reef early and often
Everyone has a different idea of when to reef. With Windward, it's early and often.
Windward, and I think most C26's, are quite tender initially. She readily heels to 20-25 deg then firms up. It's quite disconcerting for folks who've not sailed on her before, but once you're past the "Oh my God!" phase she feels quite secure. Secondary stability is good, and she never feels like she's going to keep on going.
While you can get major showmanship points for burying the rail (or the cabin windows, or the leeward winch, all of which I've had happen in puffy winter winds) the C26 is almost always faster, to say nothing of happier, if she's more on her feet. If the rail gets wet in the puffs that's no big thing, but if it's constantly awash she wants one or more reefs.
I'm usually solo, and if apparent is steady around 18 kt upwind, I generally have the first reef in. It's quicker to furl the 150 some, so I often try a few turns there and see how the helm balance is. If wind's cycling, I'll tuck a reef in the main then use the furler to adjust sail area to match the current cycle.
I have a backstay anemometer, which is useful more as a relative guide than an accurate measure of wind speed. Highest puff I've ever seen there is 48 kt, although a friend (whose masthead anemom seems to read high) was touching 60 in the puffs before he went in. Winds like those are unusual but not unheard of where I sail... one of the good parts about being inland is that the waves aren't big enough to swallow you whole when it's blowing that way. More often, the "big wind" days are 25-35 steady, with puffs a bit under 40. On those days, a second reef is a given, and I'll often strip the 150 before I leave the dock and hoist the little 70 sq ft Yankee. I've made better than 6 kt upwind with a double reef and the yankee furled a bit, and my downwind speeds that day prove that "hull speed" is a concept and calculation, not a maximum speed for the boat.
I'm one of two boats on the lake with a third set of reef points in the main, and the only one who's actually used them in anger. Winds need to be over 30 sustained for the 3rd reef to be a viable option, but it's the difference between playing the double reefed main aggressively in the puffs and having her stay on her feet without a lot of drama.
Windward, and I think most C26's, are quite tender initially. She readily heels to 20-25 deg then firms up. It's quite disconcerting for folks who've not sailed on her before, but once you're past the "Oh my God!" phase she feels quite secure. Secondary stability is good, and she never feels like she's going to keep on going.
While you can get major showmanship points for burying the rail (or the cabin windows, or the leeward winch, all of which I've had happen in puffy winter winds) the C26 is almost always faster, to say nothing of happier, if she's more on her feet. If the rail gets wet in the puffs that's no big thing, but if it's constantly awash she wants one or more reefs.
I'm usually solo, and if apparent is steady around 18 kt upwind, I generally have the first reef in. It's quicker to furl the 150 some, so I often try a few turns there and see how the helm balance is. If wind's cycling, I'll tuck a reef in the main then use the furler to adjust sail area to match the current cycle.
I have a backstay anemometer, which is useful more as a relative guide than an accurate measure of wind speed. Highest puff I've ever seen there is 48 kt, although a friend (whose masthead anemom seems to read high) was touching 60 in the puffs before he went in. Winds like those are unusual but not unheard of where I sail... one of the good parts about being inland is that the waves aren't big enough to swallow you whole when it's blowing that way. More often, the "big wind" days are 25-35 steady, with puffs a bit under 40. On those days, a second reef is a given, and I'll often strip the 150 before I leave the dock and hoist the little 70 sq ft Yankee. I've made better than 6 kt upwind with a double reef and the yankee furled a bit, and my downwind speeds that day prove that "hull speed" is a concept and calculation, not a maximum speed for the boat.
I'm one of two boats on the lake with a third set of reef points in the main, and the only one who's actually used them in anger. Winds need to be over 30 sustained for the 3rd reef to be a viable option, but it's the difference between playing the double reefed main aggressively in the puffs and having her stay on her feet without a lot of drama.
Jeff
s/v Windward
1978 C-26 #481
http://www.lizards.net
http://www.sv-windward.com
http://www.chryslersailing.com
s/v Windward
1978 C-26 #481
http://www.lizards.net
http://www.sv-windward.com
http://www.chryslersailing.com
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EmergencyExit
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Good stuff there Jeff ! Was thinking about what you wrote re the initial tenderness of the C26 today. I was in puffy stuff this afternoon and would go from light winds to 14 and back in a heartbeat, and she sure does make that initial heel suddenly. But stays put once it does heel.
However, after spending the last couple years in the little Coronado C15, I was a bit skittish everytime it happened cause on that little thing when it suddenly headed towards burying a rail you were going swimming unless you did something quick !
Getting used to Emergency Exit again, it sure feels good
However, after spending the last couple years in the little Coronado C15, I was a bit skittish everytime it happened cause on that little thing when it suddenly headed towards burying a rail you were going swimming unless you did something quick !
Getting used to Emergency Exit again, it sure feels good