Did I mess up?

We are buying new sails this year - and they 're about done. We opted for 2 deep reefs in the main. Should we have gone for 3?

We will be sailing across oceans (starting with the Atlantic next year) and have plans to do some high latitude sailing in 3 or 4 years time. We do have a trisail and storm jib, so my rationale was we 'd reef the main to 47% on the second reef and then launch the trisail for stronger winds.

Good move or stupid?

Bill Balme

Hi Bill,
See if this helps with the thinking through of your situation:
Five of my 6 reef lines are led back to the cockpit, the exception being the third reef tack line.
After a couple of false starts, I ended up with the 3rd reef line waiting for me at the gooseneck where I reeve it through the cringle from one side (where it is dead ended) and secure it to the other side to a convenient cleat. The line is thereby kept quite short and the position on the cleat is pre-determined and marked on the line so that I do not have to do any thinking while executing the reef. The leads also pull the tack forward as well as down (see below) where the leads for the 1st and 2nd tacks are largely more downwards than they are forward.
After experimenting around, I rejected having a permanently rove-through line as adding to the spaghetti of lines aloft and when stowed while not making the putting in of the reef any easier (quite the contrary, actually). I also rejected having the tack reef line led back to the cockpit as the leads were difficult to get right to ensure good angles. The accumulation of sail (at this point of 3 reefs worth) and track cars at the gooseneck was so big that the tack leads have to be pulled forward considerably in order for the tack not to drift aft when loaded and overly stress (at a bad angle) the first track car above the 3rd reef tack. (This is less of a worry with the first and second reefs as the tack is closer to the boom and has less room to drift.)
Facilitating the setting of the reef at the gooseneck is the Antal slippery track which allows the main to come down easily (Harken and Strong Track will likely allow the same ease). The halyard is dropped past the pre-determined mark for the third reef, at the gooseneck. I reeve the line through and cleat it: very quick and easy. Then the halyard is raised to the mark, the outhaul is pulled in from the cockpit. Done.
In really boisterous conditions, I feel doing the 3rd reef is most easily accomplished from a quasi-hove-to/slowly fore-reaching position.
Come back with any questions/thoughts/comments.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
As an aside: I am not a fan of the “hooks” that are used to secure the tack on many boat’s reefing systems. Pulling and levering the sail and cringles onto the hook when conditions are bad and the sail is flapping is a recipe for fingers getting caught and damaged.