I do NOT understand why most cat sailors won't
reef a main and match the sail aria to the wind conditions
for the day ; it seams beyond DUMB, to me ? !!!
Bille
Bring enough gun to the fight.
I was originally thinking of reefing for long-distance type races where conditions deteriorate during the race. Sure, going out around the buoys when it's 30+ may not make sense in the first place, but in a controlled area it may be worth finding your "limit".
Now, based on the conversations, if there were an easy way to reef/unreef I think you'd see more people take advantage of that in longer races.
The time you spend reefing/unreefing (if it's a straightforward process) would more than make up for the time spent sideways.
My roller-furling boom makes reefing a snap: Three cranks and two grommets (downhaul and outhaul) and it's reefed. Even easier if I don't need to shape the sail (just roll and go). Un-reefing is the reverse.
Perhaps this could be adapted to smaller boats, as I have teardrop rotating/canting mast just like you short-boaters.