Sailing Beginner- Reefing the Jib Sail Using a Furling Part 2

In my previous sailing beginner article on reefing the jib sail I touched on how to reef the jib using a furling. However I was caught in a situation one day that I had wished that I knew this very technique beforehand. Here's the continuation of my story from my last article.

Unfortunately I was single-handed sailing so I was limited to just my two hands, and there was no time to pull the sails at this moment, while trying to maintain control of the boat. I had originally wanted to sail that day with just the jib sail as I was familiar and comfortable with the mainsail at this point. It was part of my personal "how to sailing lesson" to use each sheet individually first, then I would combine them together in a future sailing lesson.

Sailing Tip: By the way, at a later date I was sailing with just the jib sail in 10-15 mph steady winds and I discovered that I was only able to tack a maximum of 90 degrees to wind at best no matter how I trimmed it. The jib in combination with a reefed mainsail would have allowed me to tack at approximately 45 degree angle to the wind, instead of only 90 degrees using only the jib.

Out of nowhere this squall pinned me down until it was almost impossible to maintain control of the sailboat. Most new sailors would have pulled sail and motored home, but to tell you the truth I underestimated this one, because I had been in a similar situation several times before and I honestly thought I could handle it. So I started my tack with a bit of confidence but started to have second thoughts when the white caps were cresting between 2-3 feet and water was splashing my face and my 18foot sailing boat was bobbing like a bath tub boat when two kids are fighting over it.

Sailing Tip: However, reefing the jib does allow the ability to use it in strong winds especially when reaching or sailing downwind at an angle to the wind.

From my humble sailing beginning, I have taught myself how to sail a boat with my hand on the tiller and a boat load of time and research. Now you too can learn how to sail by clicking here: Learn How To Sail . Stay tune for my next sailing beginner article. Until then- Happy Sailing!