All my lines run back to the cockpit on my 26x. Other than anchoring ( which I am still thinking about) the only time I have to go forward is to reef. The boat has a conventional mast hook and two reefing cringles in the sail. I have to loosen the halyard, go forward and hook the reef at the mast and back to the cockpit to tension the halyard, assuming the crinkle has not fallen off the hook. Then I tension the leech reeling lines at the aft end of the boom. I have a stack pack and lazy jack lines.
Would the following work? Permanently fix a downhall line from the number 2 reeling crinkle to the deck and back to a spare rope clutch at the cockpit. When reefing I could slacken the halyard and take in the reeling downhall from the cockpit, then tension on the cockpit winch. If adding a single reef ( or half reef or 1 1/2 reef) the loose sail below the tight second reef crinkle would fold into the sail pack when the leech reeling line was tensioned enough. My concern is that the loose sail would flap too much. What do you think?
I considered a single line reeling system but did not want all the extra lines if possible.
Reefing idea
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Dutch01527
- Deckhand
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 3:26 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Worcester, United Kingdom
- Sumner
- Admiral
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Re: Reefing idea
If I understand the above you will have a line back to the cockpit. With single line reefing you will still only have one line to the cockpit for each reef point, but you could lead one back and do the less frequent one at the mast or run two back.Dutch01527 wrote:.....Would the following work? Permanently fix a downhall line from the number 2 reeling crinkle to the deck and back to a spare rope clutch at the cockpit......
......I considered a single line reeling system but did not want all the extra lines if possible.
I have single line reefing...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ng-22.html
... that ends at the mast but it could continue back to the cockpit. It pulls the sail down at the end of the boom and the mast with one line and works fine with the sailpack. The sail that is reefed just lays in the sailpack.
I originally got the sail with one reef point and it works 90% of the time but once I started sailing every leg of the Bahama trip I had a couple times that a higher reef would of been advantageous. I sent the sail back to Martin, Somerset Sails, and he added a higher reef at no charge. I still need to run another reef line to it also,
Sumner
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1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015
The MacGregor 26-S
The Endeavour 37
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Dutch01527
- Deckhand
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 3:26 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Worcester, United Kingdom
Re: Reefing idea
Yes, one line back to the cockpit are deck level instead of the two for a standard one line reeling double reef system.
I only have one spare rope clutch and set of deck blocks. I was trying to avoid fitting more to accommodate the two lines.
I only have one spare rope clutch and set of deck blocks. I was trying to avoid fitting more to accommodate the two lines.
