Taking a Reef Downwind in 30 knots - R2AK

Satchel and Tanguy took a reef in our main as it looked like the wind was increasing and might reach 35 gusting 40. In the end we didn't see this so after a couple of hours, we shook the reef out. The wind stabilized around 28 knots gusting 32 and the full main did a good job at getting the boat on good surf. The reef lowered the boat's ability to surf which ultimately loaded the rig more. Nat driving.

[@rorymacintosh6691]

I’m surprised you can pull the mainsail down going down wind. On our boat, the slugs always catch in the mast track, so we have to turn up wind a bit to take off the pressure.

[@markthomasson5077]

At 18knts, only 12kts in the sail.

[@Fearless-sailing]

Beautiful job!

[@RomainLagrange1]

I have never sailed with this sail material, but I would be so scared to rip it against the crosstree. I did it on a grand surprise with a light wind sail, and immediately got a dent.

[@somefuckstolemynick]

Yup, I'm a bit of a noob in sailing, but with this wind, to me it looked risky.

[@dmitripogosian5084]

Yep, main seems to be lying on the spreaders

[@bettycamacho7084]

Reefing downwind is such a good skill to have, you make it look easy! Do you have a preventor on the boom?

[@jameslittlewood7821]

I've never done that, but really good to see. Why the wee trip up the mast? Is there a reefing eyelet there he had to release or something?

[@RomainLagrange1]

small sheet at the reefing padeye to bring the sail down. As the sail is not totally unpowered, it will not come down alone.

[@mghemke]

This is dinghy sailing at it's finest ;-)

[@tinman8972]

I hate those aft-raked spreaders for the sake of avoiding a back stay. They really limit the travel of the boom on runs.

[@sailawayteam]

Well done

[@francescomanzin7329]

This is a good job

[@nicolasartheau822]

Give a bit more tension to the backstay to balance the one loosen through the main sail by the reef

[@sleethmitchell]

18 knots? on a displacement hull?

[@chazparvez4970]

Nice. What yacht is that?

[@NathalieCriou]

it's a figaro 2

[@observer2172]

Good work, but risky, and there were no battens to break on the stays ...

[@robertkowalski9906]

So thats how you do it with more than one on board... blow the vang goes a lot quicker ;-)

[@NathalieCriou]

a definite oversight ;-)

[@hellkell8693]

Nice job. How does releasing the vang help? What’s the reasoning behind it?

[@robertkowalski9906]

@@hellkell8693 the vang tightens the leach right ? So the vang is holding the end of the boom down as you tighten the reef line with it engaged the boom fights coming up to the clew.

[@hellkell8693]

@@robertkowalski9906 thank you.

[@brucejacobson3350]

@@robertkowalski9906 Tightening the topping lift doesn't hurt, either.

[@franciscoxyz9732]

Una maniobra muy fea, la cruceta podía haber rifado la vela, con ese oleaje era fácil aprobarse y sin apenas riesgo.

[@sportnewsail]

30 knots? :))

[@kennboehansen]

wind...

[@Yocambio]

Great job! The Figaro 2 is so stable in those conditions and I'm very impressed by how easy it is to drive to that small spinnaker and still keep the boat moving fast. Chapeau!

[@TrailerYacht]

Great effort reefing while screaming along under kite on one of my all-time favourite yachts - love your work, and thanks for sharing. Cheers, Gavin

[@philippesails4973]

Great video! Really! Nice recollection when I was doing that single-handed with my friend the auto-pilot!

[@djihtiandr319]

It doesn’t look like 30 knots Seas too calm I really doubt it’s 20....

[@christianfournier6862]

Downwind with a speed of 18 kts, that makes 12 kts on the sails. The sea state depends on what shore may be upwind ; but look at the wake. And while they were taking the reef, the boom took an interesting bend : it is a 30 kts wind all right!

[@dmitripogosian5084]

Not even whitecaps to speak of

[@RustyKnorr]

@@christianfournier6862GoPro always makes a boat look like it’s going twice as fast.

[@mastpg]

No thank you....hard pass.

[@НадяПопова-с4с]

Бесконечность воды, бескрайние просторы и слаженная работа команды.

[@JeffCrowell11]

Great job crew.

[@eladioboss]

Unos maestros!!!!!!! masters!!!!!

[@krzysztoft5726]

Fantastic! Great job guys!

[@qatarsailor7727]

Good job guys , reefing with out luff up 👌. What is the boat you were sailing?

[@NathalieCriou]

thank you for the comment! It is a Figaro 2

[@tincoffin]

That's amazing. I never knew you could do this with a Bermudan rig. it was one of the advantages of a gaffer.

[@danancona247]

What a sleigh ride! So fun.

[@matthewpocock4824]

Look at her go. 18 knots downwind. Exhilarating.

[@Papersheepp]

why are you taking a reef when you still have your kite up?

[@dimitriskrin]

I suspect it's a fractional kite and helm balance

[@NathalieCriou]

yes that is correct -above 32 knots constantly on the Figaro 2 there is a risk of breaking the mast if you don't take a reef

[@dmitripogosian5084]

@@NathalieCriou And you reef at 30 when at 32+ you can break the mast ?? That's adventurous

[@paulobrien9085]

Where are you going that you are in such a hurry

[@dimitriskrin]

Racing

[@jeremiahblatz]

Alaska

[@dmitripogosian5084]

What kind of setup is that that you have to climb on the boom at the mast ?

[@douglaslin5469]

Fun video, thanks. I'd like to reef single handed. When did you put the reef line in? Or do you have it in all the time? Evidently a reef line most of the time will wear the mainsail ... I'd like to have a cunningham setup leading to the cockpit, so I could reef without leaving the cockput. Its not so easy single handed to put in a reef line ...

[@NathalieCriou]

I like to reef single handed too in heavier winds. I always keep two reefing lines when doing long distance and offshore sailing.

[@pierpalumbo415]

💪👀👍

[@cybereye2]

Smooth Reef

[@西光寺保之]

カシオペア

[@Jeanetteinnes]

Surely you would take some pressure off the sail before attempting a reef???

[@NathalieCriou]

Indeed we did

[@michaeldob2153]

Great Vid! I am surprised that you don't sail close reach when you reef.

[@NathalieCriou]

can be a bit tricky in heavy winds... it's the idea though

[@michaeldob2153]

@@NathalieCriou My concern would be an accidental gybe on the other hand I understand that sailing with a spinnaker does not let you many options.

[@franckalberto4078]

si le vent monte encore ? 2eme ris et barber à bloc sous le vent ? est ce que c'est interessant de choquer un peu du tangon pour avancer le spi et le faire deventer un peu par la gv ?

[@NathalieCriou]

Si le vent monte encore a voir a quel moment il faut mieux affaler le spi. Oui barber a bloc ca aide a controler le bateau mieux et deventer le haut du spi. Debrasser peu faire deventer le spi mais ca cree a desequilibre a la barre puisque le centre d'effort passe sous le vent d'ou une tendance plus prononcee a partir au loft. En general s'il y a du vent, il a des vaguest et avec un bateau qui surfe quand le vent monte il vaut mieux garder la vitesse plutot que sortit d'un surf trop sous le vent. Donc forcement le tangon sera plus choque dans tous les cas. Nous avions essaye avec un deuxieme ris + spi sous 39-40 noeuds de vent mais le bateau n'etait pas equilibre (via la GV qui etait trop petite) donc pas recommende sauf si on reduit la voilure a l'avant aussi. mais bon chaque bateau est different!

[@franckalberto4078]

@@NathalieCriou merci beaucoup j'avais vu des videos de depart au lof dans ces conditions là avec juste un malheureux debrassage de quelque cm qui suffit à destabiliser le bateau ; j'aurais donc tendance à croire qu'il faut faire l'imverse barber à fond brasser et baisser le tangon pour baisser le spis l'empecher de bouger et lui faire perdre de sa puissance. Tout le probleme c'est de garder le bateau à plat ^^. je dis ça en simple amateur . Encore merci pour cette reponse . et bon vent