Flattening reef

[Silkie]

Silkie doesn't have an adjustable outhaul on the main (just a manky old bit of rope to the end of the boom) but she does have a flattening reef which has never been rove until now.

I've previously tensioned the outhaul as tight as I can manage with a crude two part purchase (the rope is spliced to the clew, runs to the aft end of the boom and back through the clew cringle before being tied off to itself) and left it at that.

I now have a two part purchase on the flattening reef and the theory is that the outhaul is permanently set for light airs with additional tension beng provided by the adjustable flattening reef when required. I realise the the flattener doesn't just tension the foot of the sail but does this sound workable? Would I be better having an adjustable outhaul and ignoring the flattener or should both be adjustable? (I suspect I've answered my own question.)

[DaveS]

Well, I don't know whether it's the "right" approach, but I've done much the same. When I discovered that the new main had a leech Cunningham (first time I'd seen such a beast) I just had to rig another bit of string through it. The outhaul (previously brought back to the cockpit) is now cleated in a "light airs" position on the boom, and the leech Cunningham is now led back to the cockpit and tensioned suitably for stronger winds. Seems to work.

[Silkie]

Thanks for that Dave but having had time to experiment in the fresh breezes of the earlier part of the week I've realised that it's a bit of a white elephant aboard Silkie. By the time I'd started to think about trimming the main for more wind it was already time for a reef. I never used it at all!

That's not to say it wouldn't be useful at other times of course.