knurd

Great point. Since it's not a fancy square top main I assume I'm safe treating the main as a perfect triangle for this discussion. Going with that assumption my one reef is at about 20% reduction. Is 40% pretty standard for the second reef point? It's rare for me to be out with much rail meat.

I appreciate all the responses. My take away is that if the way I use the boat now doesn't change then I don't need it but given that I want to expand my horizons I'll be calling a sailmaker. Sail4Beer, she's a beauty.

If I were going to bermuda it would be a different conversation but so far I've just been picky about weather. I sailed the boat from CT back to Boston when I bought it and there was probably 4 hours where I was overpowered with the reef in. It was mid twenties off of block island. You've convinced me that the right next step is a call to the sailmaker so they can finish convincing me to stop being cheap and just do it.

How often do you use your second reef? I have a Tartan 28 with a single reef point in the main. I usually reef around 16 knots and if it's 25+ I go out another day. Summers in Boston generally aren't that windy. I'm wondering if I'm missing out by not having a second reef point. Realistically I'm day sailing 90% of the time and racing the other 10% but the forced lack of activity due to Covid right now has me planning a couple weeks of coastal cruising and a couple of distance races for next summer. In the two seasons I've owned the boat I haven't missed the second reef but I'm wondering how fast that would change if I did more cruising or a couple overnight races.

For someone with too much time on their hands, Eira, Valentine Howells' boat from the first OSTAR is being given away for free: https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/boa/d/ipswich-free-25-folkboat-historic/6960707232.html