People have been asking about this on the old forum and I posted this there, but I know most of you don't go there, so here is what I posted:

All right, I'll tell you what I know about Randy's experimental reefing system. And I think it is probably right that he was just testing it at the Tradewinds, since he was not in contention for trophies, so no great significance should be placed on the fact that he reefed vis-a-vis the wind conditions.

Randy has a talent for coming up with ideas that are simple and inexpensive -- like his tennis racket snuffer, which he says is working great.

Anyway, all he was using for the reefing was rope. He had a loop of rope that goes over the top of the mast and attaches to the head of the sail. The loop is long enough to allow the sail to drop down, I would guess, about 4 feet. And then there is a little loop around the mast holding the head in close enough so the sail won't pull out of the mast track.

He did the reefing on shore and also undid the reefing on shore, with the boat laid over on its side. As he explained it to me, you would have to put on the reef system with the boat laid over on shore before you go out. The big loop would be tied to the top of the sail and then, with the sail all the way up and locked, the rope loop would be mounded up in a little pile on top of the mast and secured there with tape. (You would also need an eye strap of some kind on top of the mast for that loop to run through so it stays in position to run over the top of the mast.) You would also tie the small loop around the mast, but it will be loose up there at the top, and because the mast is tapered, it will fit snug when the sail is dropped into reef position.

So, in theory, when you want to reef the sail on the water, you just drop the sail, which will pull that loop free of its tape up there, and the sail will drop until the big loop stops it.

If you need to shake out the reef on the water, you just raise the sail again and hook it as normal. Then you will just have a little bit of rope dangling around there at the top of the mast, but you can continue to reef and unreef at will during the race.

The only drawback to this system is that you cannot completely drop the sail on the water unless you capsize the boat and remove the limiting rope loops. But Randy says, "If you are on the water on a sailboat, why would you want to drop the sail?"

I suppose it goes without saying that he had his sail built with reef points and reinforced points for the downhaul and at the clew.

Obviously, this system is still in early stages, and not everybody will like not having the ability to completely drop the sail on the water. But, on the other hand, it is almost a safety feature, because if a halyard hook breaks, it is sort of like a backup to allow you to continue sailing, albeit with a reefed sail, as opposed to going to the beach for repairs.

And if you DO need to drop the sail completely, I gather it is not a big deal to capsize and right these boats. But, on the other hand again, is it harder to right the boat if it does not have a sail?

I'm glad I don't have to worry about all these things myself.

Hope this description and explanation makes sense.