Stop or slow the boat (heave-to, or sail close-hauled with the mainsheet eased), ease the kicker and the halyard, hook the reef cringle at the luff onto the hook at the mast, re-tension the halyard, then pull the reefing line tight to hold the new clew down to the boom.
Most yacht mainsails have one or two rows of reef points across them. Putting in a reef lowers the sail to one of these rows and secures the spare sail along the boom. The method below is slab reefing, the most common system.
- Take the power off. Heave-to, or sail close-hauled with the mainsheet eased so the mainsail is flapping. Heaving-to is calmer and gives the crew a steady boat to work on.
- Ease the kicker (the vang), and take up the topping lift if the boom has one, so the boom does not drop onto the deck or the crew when the halyard comes off.
- Ease the halyard so the sail comes part of the way down.
- Hook the reef cringle, the reinforced ring at the front of the sail at the reef row, onto the reefing hook by the gooseneck.
- Pull the halyard tight again, so the new luff is firm.
- Pull in the reefing line, which pulls the new clew at the back of the sail down and out along the boom. Then tie up the loose fold of sail with the reef ties, if the sail has them.
- Set the kicker again, ease off the topping lift, and sail on.
Many boats have the halyard and reefing lines led back to the cockpit, so the whole job can be done without going forward. If someone does go to the mast, they should clip on in rough weather.
A few points to watch. Tie reef ties round the loose sail only, not round the boom, or the sail can tear if the reefing line slips. Always tension the luff before the leech. If the boat is still overpowered, roll away some of the jib as well.
To shake out the reef when the wind drops, reverse the steps: undo the ties, ease the reefing line, take the cringle off the hook and hoist fully. Practise in light wind so it is routine when it matters.
More in the book: Chapter 10, When the wind gets up